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Bebop Spoken There

Kurt Elling: ''There's something to learn from every musician you play with''. (DownBeat, December 2024).

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!"

Simon Spillett: A lovely review from the dean of jazz bloggers, Lance Liddle...

Josh Weir: I love the writing on bebop spoken here... I think the work you are doing is amazing.

Postage

17630 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 904 of them this year alone and, so far, 49 this month (Dec. 20).

From This Moment On ...

December

Mon 23: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Wheatsheaf, Benton Sq., Whitley Road, Palmersville NE12 9SU. Tel: 0191 266 8137. 1:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Mon 23: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 4:00pm. Free.
Mon 23: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Mon 23: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.

Tue 24: Lindsay Hannon & Mark Williams @ Ernest, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 11:00am-1:00pm. Free.
Tue 24: Paul Skerritt @ Mambo Wine & Dine, South Shields. 1:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.

Wed 25: Wot? No jazz!

Thu 26: The Boneshakers @ Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. The 17th annual Boneshakers’ Shindig.

Fri 27: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 27: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free. Business as usual!.
Fri 27: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 27: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar & vocals.

Sat 28: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 11:30am. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 28: Fri 20: Castillo Nuevo @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 28: Jude Murphy, Rich Herdman & Giles Strong @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 28: Ray Stubbs R & B All-Stars @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Stepney Bank, Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free.

Sun 29: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 29: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Reviewers wanted

Whilst BSH attempts to cover as many gigs, festivals and albums as possible, to make the site even more comprehensive we need more 'boots on the ground' to cover the albums seeking review - a large percentage of which never get heard - report on gigs or just to air your views on anything jazz related. Interested? then please get in touch. Contact details are on the blog. Look forward to hearing from you. Lance

Friday, November 06, 2015

Mike Durham's Classic Jazz Party - Village Hotel. the afternoon set Friday Nov. 6

(Review by Lance).
Frankly, I can't think of any Jazz Festival/Party - call it what you may - like this one. Party, I think, is the operative word because that's what it is, an annual get together of musicians and fans from all over the world to play or listen to jazz which lives up to it's title - Mike Durham's Classic Jazz Party.
Conceived by the late Mike Durham, and continued in his name by Patti Durham, Allen Walton and their team of helpers, the weekend comprises themed concerts from noon till night with after hours jam sessions into the early hours, it is little wonder that many book into the Village Hotel for the whole 3 days.
The festival actually began for those staying at the hotel on Thursday with an hour's set in the Victory Pub by the Union Rhythm Kings.
I wasn't resident so I missed this and today's opening sets which began with a Tribute to Mike, followed by a Memphis Five set and our own fave Emma Fisk's Hot Club de France. Emma on fiddle with Spats Langham, Martin Wheatley (gtrs) and Henri Lemaire (bs)..
I did arrive in time to catch the remnants of Litton's Jelly Roll set. Martin Litton emulated the Jelly Roll Morton Red Hot Peppers and, on Wolverine Blues, Josh Duffee (pictured above) gave a masterclass on the use of skulls, woodblocks and other bits of paraphernalia that the early drummers loved and used so effectively.
Rico and Bunny Berigan  -  an absolute gem! Rico (Enrico Tomasso (right) - with Matthias Seuffert) had the Berigan style off to a B. I've always regarded Berigan (Rico too) as a player who combined the bravura of Armstrong with the lyricism of Bix which, at the time, was surely a heady cocktail indeed! I particularly enjoyed their re-creation of the legendary Jam Session at Victor session by Berigan, Tommy Dorsey, Fats, Dick McDonough and George Wettling. Today it was Rico, Robert Fowler (on clarinet), Alistair Allen, Keith Nichols, Malcolm Sked (bs) and Richard Pite. Honeysuckle Rose and Blues. Rico said he grew up with those 2 sides. You and me too Rico!
The Avant-Garde, Nichols, Mole was, I suppose, avant-garde(ish) for it's time and did give me a chance to, at last hear Emma. That it was fairly straight playing on My Gal Sal didn't matter - in the going for broke ending she held her head high! Andy Schumm and Alistair Allen did Red Nichols and Miff Mole proud
An entertaining set featuring Spats Langham - Spats and his Hot Combination - added some jocularity to the proceedings even though Spats declared that Blue Evening would be the saddest song they'd hear all weekend - possibly ever!  It was melancholic despite there not being a wet eye in the house!
The afternoon session drew to a close with Frisco Jazz - Lu Watters. This was a particular delight for me. For years the 'pundits' have slighted or ignored Watters' Yerba Buena Jazz Band  - the Penguin Guide to Jazz and the Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz ignore them yet, compared to the British 'Traddies' that came later, this was far superior. The gang assembled here by Keith Nichols put the record straight.
Lance.
For further details of today's concerts, personnel and those to follow click here.

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