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Bebop Spoken There

Abbie Finn: "Even though there's a lot of great work being done to promote women in jazz, I still come up against some attitudes! I pulled up at a recording session with my drums in the car and the studio owner said, 'I'm sorry, this space is reserved for the drummer!'" - (Jazzwise April 2023).

The Things They Say!

Hudson Music: Lance's "Bebop Spoken Here" is one of the heaviest and most influential jazz blogs in the UK.

Rupert Burley (Dynamic Agency): "BSH just goes from strength to strength".

'606' Club: "A toast to Lance Liddle of the terrific jazz blog 'Bebop Spoken Here'"

The Strictly Smokin' Big Band included Be Bop Spoken Here (sic) in their 5 Favourite Jazz Blogs.

Ann Braithwaite (Braithwaite & Katz Communications) You’re the BEST!

Holly Cooper, Mouthpiece Music: "Lance writes pull quotes like no one else!"

Postage

15260 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 279 of them this year alone and, so far, 92 this month (March 29).

From This Moment On ...

April
Sat 01: The Big Easy @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 01: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Steve Glendinning - In a Minor Key. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 01: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington Covered Market, Darlington DL1 5PN. 6:00pm. New venue, live jazz!
Sat 01: Jambone @ Sage Gateshead. 7:00pm. Free (book online). A YMP! event in the Northern Rock Foundation Hall.
Sat 01: Jude Murphy & Dan Stanley @ Prohibtion Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.
Sat 01: Boys of Brass @ Stack, Seaburn. 7:00-9:00pm.
Sat 01: Hot Club du Nord @ Pleased to Meet You, Bridge St., Morpeth. 8:00pm. £79.00. A charity fundraising event.
Sat 01: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00. RESCHEDULED to next week (Sat 08).

Sun 02: Smokin' Spitfires @ The Cluny. 12:45pm.
Sun 02: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.

Mon 03: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 04: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 04: Jam session @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. House trio: Bradley Johnston (guitar); Paul Grainger (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums).

Wed 05: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 05: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 05: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 05: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 06: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 06: Thursday Night Prayer Meeting @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Donations. Feat. John Pope, Marie Shreer, John Garner.
Thu 06: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibtion Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.
Thu 06: Darlington Big Band @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Note earlier start time.

Fri 07: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 07: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 07: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 07: Gaz Hughes Trio @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 07: Mark Toomey Quartet @ Traveller's Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 07: Finntet + Zoë Gilby & Andy Champion @ Bobik's, Punch Bowl, Newcastle. 8:00pm. JNE.
Fri 07: TBA @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig. Blind Pig Blues Club.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Song Lyrics - Why do we like them?

(By Ann Alex)
If Lance, Blogmaster, allows, this will be the first in an occasional series of appreciation of song lyrics, a subject which I’m particularly interested in.  
Here goes! It seems to me that the song No Moon At All is especially clever, both lyrically and musically.  I first heard this sung delightfully by Claire Kelly (pictured) a few weeks ago at the Globe, and was intrigued by the idea that it is the opposite of the standard ‘moon in June’ songs.  Then a piece of luck - the song turned up in our repertoire on the Blue Jazz Voices jazz singing course.
It’s written by Redd Evans and Dave Mann:
No Moon at All
What a Night
Even lightnin’ bugs have dimmed their light
Stars have disappeared from sight
And there’s no moon at all

Don’t make a sound
It’s so dark
Even Fido is afraid to bark
What a perfect chance to park
And there’s no moon at all

Should we want atmosphere
For inspiration, dear
One kiss will make it clear
That tonight is right and bright moonlight might interfere

No moon at all
Up above
This is nothing like they told us of
Just to think we fell in love
And there’s no moon at all

As soon as you hear the words no moon at all the song gets your attention because it denies what you expect from a love song and you wonder if it will be a sad tale of lost love.  But the jaunty tune leads you to realise that this is highly flirtatious stuff with a lovely light touch and added humour even Fido is afraid to bark. (When we first tackled this song at Blue Jazz, Lindsay’s dog Chaplin was present as an illustration.  And don’t reverse the words as I did, by swopping round ‘bark’ and ‘park’.  Not what the writers intended!)
You’re not allowed to forget the couple’s intentions with the constant repetition of no moon at all.
I consider that the cleverest line in the whole song is This is nothing like they told us of, which has two meanings, referring to both what people traditionally say about falling in love by moonlight, and also what other song writers have written.  The line is a gentle criticism of all the other lyricists, from Cole Porter to Lorenz Hart to goodness knows who else.
Another favourite line for me is tonight is right and bright moonlight might interfere. These words are sung mostly on one note until we come to interfere, which jumps up to higher notes and so literally interferes with the musical sound.  And of course the internal rhymes within the line add to this effect, then interfere has completely different vowel sounds, so both words and music add to the effect.
I could go on more about the many rhymes and repetitions which are obvious, but I’d become a total bore.  Suffice to say that the last two statements are quite defiant, suggesting that they didn’t need the moon to get them to fall in love, so let’s just leave them to it!
Ann Alex.

9 comments :

Lance said...

Brilliant Ann! Keep them coming. The line, "Tonight is right and bright moonlight might interfere." A quintuple rhyme! Now there's a challenge! Anyone know any other quintuplets?

Anonymous said...

Can't think of a quintuplet at the mo. But noticed this unlikely quad "Cold Cape Cod clams" in a rather famous song. Any ideas ? :) Ken

Liz said...

is this one?
Beans could get no keener reception in a Beanery

Lance said...

Clever, as all of Hart's were, but Beanery and Greenery are just a rhyme not a quintuple one (five!)

Lance said...

There is now!

John Hallam (on F/b) said...

Trying to get people to include the verse is like drawing teeth! Yet the verse is often a little gem and puts the chorus in context. From the age of 78 s "with vocal refrain" the verse might be found as an instrumental, the lyrics being found in the songsheet or original show.

However, many bands take the easy way out and only bother with the chorus - for example the potboilers played to the point of boredom : S'wonderful, Bill Bailey, Doctor Jazz, Stardust , even The Sheik.
I have collected many verses the hard way over 40 years using pen and paper but it is much easier now on the net. So "Please" ( another one) put the verse back where it belongs.

Lance said...

I seem to recall, John,some years ago, a well known singer recording the verse of Stardust and dispensing with the chorus completely. Can't remember who though!

Liz said...

it has a lovely verse, I had it played at Denys's funeral if you remember Lance

Ken Drew said...

I see now that my 4 words were just alliteration !!! Simples compared to triples or quintuplets.
BTW the line "Cold Cape Cod clams" is from 'Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)' (Porter). Ken

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