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Bebop Spoken There

Spasmo Brown: “Jazz is an ice cream sandwich! It's the Fourth of July! It's a girl with a waterbed!”. (Syncopated Times, July, 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

17372 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 656 of them this year alone and, so far, 61 this month (Sept. 17).

From This Moment On ...

September

Thu 19: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 19: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 19: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. Free. THC with guests Kevin Eland, Dan Johnson, Jeremy McMurray, Ron Smith.

Fri 20: Lindsay Hannon’s Tom Waits for No Man @ Gala Theatre, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 20: Rob Hall & Chick Lyall @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free (donations). SOLD OUT!
Fri 20: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 20: Leeway @ 1719, Hendon, Sunderland. 7:30pm. The Old Black Cat Jazz Club. CANCELLED!
Fri 20: Gaz Hughes Trio @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 21: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 1:00-2:45pm. Free.
Sat 21: Vieux Carré Hot Four @ The Beehive, Hartley Lane, Earsdon Whitley Bay NE25 0SZ. 4:30pm-6:30pm.
Sat 21: Baghdaddies @ Two by Two, Albion Row, Byker, Newcastle NE6 1RQ. 6:00pm.
Sat 21: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Northumberland Club, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Sat 21: Jude Murphy & Alan Law @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 22: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 2:30-4:30pm. Free.
Sun 22: Dulcie May Moreno Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 22: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Richard Herdman @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 22: Remy CB Band @ Blues Underground, Nelson St., Newcastle. 8:30pm. Free. Remi, 2024 Newcastle Uni graduate, superb soul/blues voice!

Mon 23: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 23: Paul Booth with the Paul Edis Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00. A Blaydon Jazz Club 40th anniversary concert! SOLD OUT!

Tue 24: Dulcie May Moreno Quartet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £12.00. (£10.00. adv. from Tully’s of Rothbury). Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 24: Sarah Gillespie @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £16.50. Duo performance with Chris Montague.

Wed 25: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 25: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 25: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 25: Moonlight Serenade Orchestra UK: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Middlesbrough Theatre. 7:30pm.

Thursday, February 04, 2016

CD Review: Empirical – Connection

Nathaniel Facey – alto saxophone; Lewis Wright – vibraphone; Tom Farmer – double bass; Shaney Forbes – drums.
(Review by Hugh C)
 Empirical were formed in 2007 after the guys met whilst involved in the Tomorrow's Warriors scheme.  The current line-up has existed since 2008.  As you might expect from the name of the band their core ethos is one of experimentation.

Their first four albums were experimental with guest artists from a string quartet to a pianist to bass clarinet.  Connection features just the four core band members and is “an accurate representation of what we're doing now” according to Farmer, “This is our expression”.
Connection consists of a total of 10 tracks and comes in at just over 52 minutes in total.  The CD insert is short on words, but has four fine photographs of the band members at their sartorial best.  Their individual and collective musicianship on the CD is a sharp as their attire (see photograph).
The album is largely up-tempo with an overall thematic feel.  It is probably best heard straight through end to end, and indeed some of the tracks run straight into the next one.  The band members cleverly play off each other in well crafted, slightly off-beat skirmishes.  These are interspersed by more extended passages which permit the melodic qualities of Wright's vibraphone in particular to come to the fore. 
The ten tracks are all original compositions by band members Farmer, Wright and Facey. The different instruments are featured in virtuosic passages – exemplifying the band members' “uniquely equal role in the musical direction of the band”.
The CD begins with Initiate the Initiations followed, after a short fade, by Anxiety Society.  Stay the Course features a fine extended vibes solo by Wright accompanied by the percussive dynamo of Forbes' drums.  Driving Force surges forward into the relative tranquillity of Lethe, where the listener can breathe again and soak up the atmosphere engendered by Wright's languorous vibes overlain by Facey's almost Coltranesque alto saxophone.  One becomes lulled into a false sense of security and ends up lost in The Maze before segueing straight into Card Clash followed by The Two-Edged Sword (the shortest track on the album at 2.32).  Mind Over Mayhem (quite jagged – as might be expected) is followed by the more contemplative It's Out of Your Hands, the final track on the album.
Connection is due for release shortly on Cuneiform Records and is available for pre-order now through their website or usual retailers.  The London-based Empirical are touring as far North as Bedford (19/03/16), but if you happen to be in London between 22 – 28 February you may catch them in their pop-up jazz lounge at Old Street Station!
Hugh.

1 comment :

Hugh said...

Empirical are featured in the "Take Five" slot on Jamie Cullum's Radio 2 show this evening. Available on BBC iPlayer for 1 month (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b070wkf3)

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