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Bebop Spoken There

Billy Boy Arnold: “As long as you don't think old you're good.” - DownBeat, December, 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!"

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

Postage

16034 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 1041 of them this year alone and, so far, 73 this month (Nov. 27).

From This Moment On ...

December

Tue 05: Customs House Big Band @ All Saints Church, Cleadon. 7:00pm. Concert in the church hall. BYOB.
Tue 05: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Sid White. The best free show in town!

Wed 06: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 06: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 8:00pm. Free. Note later start time, concert performance (open to the public).
Wed 06: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 07: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free CANCELLED!
Thu 07: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay, Newcastle. 12 noon - 4:00pm. £26.00 (inc 3-course meal in in St Mary's Lighthouse Suite). SOLD OUT!
Thu 07: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm. All welcome.
Thu 07: Thursday Night Prayer Meeting @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.Donations. Feat. Mark Sanders. CANCELLED!
Thu 07: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00. Downstairs.
Thu 07: Tees Hot Club: Just Friends @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. Guest band night w. Richie Emmerson, Ian Bosworth, Dave Archbold, Ron Smith, Mark Hawkins. 9:00pm.

Fri 08: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 08: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 08: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 08: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle. 1:00pm. £7.00.
Fri 08: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Woodland Village Hall, Bishop Auckland. 7:00pm. £12.00.
Fri 08: Sleep Suppressor + Redwell @ Head of Steam, Neville St., Newcastle. 8:00pm. £10.00. (£8.00. adv); £5.00. student.
Fri 08: Hot Club du Nord @ St Cuthbert's Church, Shadforth, Co. Durham.
Fri 08: Têtes de Pois + Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £8.00.

Sat 09: Prudhoe Community Band @ Central Station, Newcastle. 10:00am - 12 noon. Charity fundraiser.
Sat 09: Durham Alumni Big Band @ Number One Bar, Skinnergate, Darlington. 1:00pm.
Sat 09: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 09: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Middleton & Todridge Village Hall, Morpeth. 7:30pm. £12.00., £6.00.
Sat 09: Paul Skerritt @ Slaley Hall, Hexham NE47 0BX. 7:30pm. From £42.00.

Sun 10: Musicians Unlimited’s Xmas Party with Zoe Gilby Quartet @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. MU 1:00-3:00pm; Zoë Gilby Quartet 4:00-6:00pm. Tickets: £7.50.
Sun 10: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
Sun 10: Funk Soul Sista @ Stack, Seaburn. 5:00-7:00pm. Free.
Sun 10: Beth Clarke @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 10: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Whittingham Memorial Institute, Alnwick. 7:30pm. £12.00., £10.00.
Sun 10: Tele-Port @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Line-up inc. Zhenya Strigalev.

Mon 11: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 11: Interim Final Recitals @ Newcastle University. Details TBC.

Tue 12: Stu Collingwood Organ Trio @ Forum Music Centre, Darlington. 7:00pm. £10.00.

Sunday, May 01, 2016

Scottish National Jazz Orchestra - The Music of Dave Brubeck @ Sage Gateshead April 30

Bill Dobbins (pno); John Nugent (alto) w. Scottish National Jazz Orchestra directed by Tommy Smith.*
(Review by Lance).
Sage Gateshead's contribution to International Jazz Day was just that - International! Two Americans and an assortment of Scots combining to pay tribute to the late legend that was Dave Brubeck.
Frequently vilified by the critics during his lifetime, Brubeck has, upon his passing, become semi-sanctified. The true assessment lies somewhere in between. Certainly he could, at times, go over the top pounding the piano into near submission. However, he was also capable of great sensitivity as one of the evenings pieces, In Your Own Sweet Way, proved. 
Brubeck's main claim to fame was probably the innovative introduction of time signatures other than the usual 4/4 or occasional 3/4 that were the norm prior to the quartet's Time Out album. Numbers such as Take 5, Blue Rondo, Raggy Waltz, Unsquare Dance etc were unique conceptions that took jazz into a new dimension. Absolutely brilliant but it was difficult tapping your feet in 5/4 time! Personally, I preferred his earlier recordings such as Jazz at Oberlin which was straight down the middle swing. 
Prior to the concert, I knew little about the two featured American soloists. From Row M Dobbins even looked a bit like Brubeck although his playing wasn't quite as flamboyant as the late Dave's. Nugent, didn't look like Paul Desmond but he did display similar lyricism and his fuller tone was a delight to hear.
The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra rank amongst the world's finest and it was inspirational of Tommy Smith to approach Dobbins to orchestrate the quartet's music for big band. 
The band cut the charts brilliantly - in particular, the blend of the sax section on In Your Own Sweet Way - truly an object lesson in voicing a section. One of those rare moments when the Earth moves!
The raiders frae over the border also had outstanding moments solo--wise. Tommy Smith blew flute on Nomad, from Jazz Impressions of Eurasia with Phil O'Malley adding some trombone exotica. Tom McNiven excelled on flugel during It's a Raggy Waltz. Smith played tenor on Cassandra as did Wiszniewski on Mr. Fats. Paul Towndrow had a blast on Winter Ballad that was by no means overshadowed by Nugent.
All in all an enjoyable evening that deserved to have been better supported.
Prior to the concert, Dobbins, Nugent and Smith told those present about how the project came about. The SNJO were playing at the Rochester Jazz Festival in New York. Dobbins was not only playing there but also organising it and the rest, as they say, is history.
Lance.
PS: In an age where concert programmes cost almost as much as the tickets, it was a refreshing change to find out that at this gig they were free! 
*Click on programme for personnel of SNJO

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