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Bebop Spoken There

Ambrose Akinmusire: “ I am certainly always aware of what the masses are doing. And when I see too many people going one way, I'm going another way - even when I don't know what's over that way". DownBeat, March, 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

16287 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 169 of them this year alone and, so far, 41 this month (Mar 18).

From This Moment On ...

March

Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Tim Johnston.

Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Castillo Neuvo Trio + Conor Emery & His ‘Bones Band @ The Grove, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £10.00. (£7.00. student).
Thu 21: Remi Banklyn + Chris Corcoran Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.50. Chicago blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Thu 21: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Ragtime piano.
Thu 21: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 22: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 22: Nauta + Remy CB + Last Orders @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 8:30pm (7:30pm doors). Free.
Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £15.00. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 22: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sat 23: Jambone @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 6:30pm. Free (ticketed). End of term performance in the Northern Rock Foundation Hall.
Sat 23: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 23: Red Kites Jazz @ Rowlands Gill Community Centre NE39 1JB. 7:00pm. Tickets: £12.00. (gibsidecommunityfarm@gmail.com). A ‘Build a Barn’ fundraiser. BYOB, tea/coffee available.
Sat 23: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00. + bf (book in person at venue - no booking fee!). Featuring pianist Martin Litton.
Sat 23: Pete Tanton’s Cuba Libre @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 24: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 24: Luis Verde @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Verde (alto sax); Joe Steels (guitar); John Pope (double bass); John Hirst (drums). Alto sax brilliance!
Sun 24: Elsie Franklin @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. £10.00. Country blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Sun 24: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: Las Vegas Live with the Rat Pack @ The Forum, Billingham.
Sun 24: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Otterburn Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Sun 24: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Note start time - 7:00pm.
Sun 24: Bold Big Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 25: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 25: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Euan Burton Quartet @ The Globe - Dec. 12

Euan Burton (bass); Adam Jackson (alto); Tom Gibbs (piano); Alyn Cosker (dms).
(Review by Minnie Fraser/Photo courtesy of Steve Horowitz/Gavin).
The band arrived in good time despite the weather - apparently there was no snow in Glasgow. This was the last date of their UK tour which had seen them travel the length of the country from Aberdeen to Poole in Dorset. Sadly, a number of those who had been planning to attend were prevented by a heavy fall of snow. However, the audience who did make it were very appreciative.
Euan Burton, who played his amazing fold away double bass brilliantly, has assembled an excellent quartet. Tom Gibbs, seen recently with Brian Molley at the Globe, exemplary on piano, Adam Jackson, sublime on alto sax and Alyn Cosker provided precocious percussion at the kit.
Two sets of original music made all the more enjoyable by Euan's explanations of their meaning or what they were meant to evoke.

The Implication, a name greatly simplified after a reviewer had said the tune had the worst title they had ever heard of! Well, we don't have mean reviewers like that here, especially as we would like to welcome these guys back again sometime!  Who cares about the name anyway when the music is so amazing!  Cosker's drumming was incredibly skilful - using sticks, brushes, mallets and occasionally bare hands - producing a great variety of sound ranging from driving rhythms that dominated down to gentle stroking of snare and closed hi-hat in the quieter moments.
Jackson was exceptional on alto sax, displaying an incredible range of musical gymnastics, from smooth tuneful and gentle, to soaring runs and occasional staccato. Gibbs gave wonderful accompaniment on the piano, but his solos were well worth waiting for. Burton's excellent double bass underpinned all the music, but he really came into his own when soloing although he wasn't greedy in that respect despite having composer's prerogative.
The variety in Burton's compositions gave us a very entertaining evening. Six was a good example of variety in a single piece (this tune is called "six" because it is the sixth track on Burton's album "Occurrences").  This was introduced as a piece about being dumped and veering from angry hate to sad heartbreak. The moods in the piece were clearly identifiable in loud and dissonant anger resolving into tuneful contemplative quietness with mournful sax and piano accompanied by gentle bass and very quiet brushing on the drums.
Earlier in the set we were treated to Any Given Sunday a title inspired by the amount of good live music available on a Sunday in Glasgow. Burton then admitted that it was only the title that was this inspired and the music had nothing to do with that!  We soon forgave him when he said he would rename it Any Given Saturday and dedicated it to Jazz Coop at The Globe!
The Quartet finished the evening with South to evoke a place with a warm climate. This piece started off with a lovely bass and drums duet with Cosker making the most of his toms and cross-sticks. The piano and sax joined in tunefully with smooth melodies interspersed with staccato play/pause. This built up to a crescendo leading to an excellent drum solo using the whole kit where Cosker's sticks were a blur! Well-deserved applause finished the evening. CDs were in sale at the end and Burton said "Christmas is coming, what better present is there than a cd of progressive jazz by someone you have never heard of?"  
Well you have heard of him now!
Minnie.

2 comments :

Lance said...

Thanks Minnie, as one one of the 'weather wimps' please explain the 'fold away double bass.'

Minnie said...

I have never seen one before - he loosened the strings, slid something and disconnected the neck which was then stowed inside the body through a section of the back which lifts out. The leg at the bottom also went inside. He said it was the only way they could get everything into one car - which is important for all their travelling!

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