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Bebop Spoken There

Branford Marsalis: "As ignorance often forces us to do, you make a generalisation about a musician based on one specific record or one moment in time." - (Jazzwise June 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

15491 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 512 of them this year alone and, so far, 133 this month (May 31).

From This Moment On ...

Tue 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 06: Jam session @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. House trio: Stu Collingwood (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Sid White (drums).

Wed 07: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 07: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 07: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 07: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 08: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free. CANCELLED! BACK ON JUNE 15.
Thu 08: Easington Colliery Brass Band @ The Lubetkin Theatre, Peterlee. 7:00pm. £10.00.
Thu 08: Faye MacCalman + Blue Dust Archive @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 08: Dilutey Juice + Ceramic @ The Ampitheatre, Sea Road, South Shields. 7:00pm. Free. A South Tyneside Festival event.
Thu 08: Lara Jones w. Vigilance State @ Lubber Fiend, Blandford Square, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 08: Michael Littlefield @ the Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Country blues.
Thu 08: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 09: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 09: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 09: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 09: Castillo Nuevo @ Revolución de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30-8:30pm.
Fri 09: Emma Rawicz @ Sage Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 10: Miners' Picnic @ Woodhorn, Ashington. Music inc. Northern Monkey Brass Band (3:00-3:50pm); New York Brass Band (4:00-4:55pm).
Sat 10: Front Porch Three @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Americana, blues, jazz etc.
Sat 10: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sun 11: WORKSHOP: Tim Richards' Jazz Piano Workshop @ JG Windows, Newcastle. Time TBC. Further details tel. 0191 232 1356.
Sun 11: Jeremy McMurray's Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Ropner Park, Stockton TS18 4EF. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 11: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 11: Groovetrain @ Innisfree Sports & Social Club, Longbenton NE12 8TY. Doors 6:30pm. £15.00 (£7.00. under 16).
Sun 11: Jeffrey Hewer Collective @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 12: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Friday, May 13, 2016

The Ronnie Scott’s Club Quintet - The Ronnie Scott’s Story @ Gala Theatre, Durham. May 12.

James Pearson (pno/narration); Alex Garnett (ten/narration; Freddie Gavita (tpt); Sam Burgess (bs); Chris Higginbottom (dms).
(Review by Lance).
The show opened with a clip of Ronnie Scott from the film Misterioso. The one where Ronnie is in his office practicing then breaking off to answer the phone. "What time do we start? What time can you get here?"
The audience laughed and that was the pattern throughout the evening. All the old chestnuts were rolled out sometimes on screen by Ronnie, sometimes as part of Garnett's narration. Although most of us knew the punchlines, even after all these years, they're still funny.
As well as telling the story in his own laconic style (along with occasional observations by Pearson) Garnett blew some fine tenor tailored to suit the occasion. On trumpet, 29-year-old Gavita captured the mood of those early years with shades of Jimmy Deuchar and the Hamer brothers.  James Pearson, the current house pianist at Ronnies, impressed, particularly with his Bill Evans-like version of My Foolish Heart. Sam Burgess also scored on bass whilst Higginbottom had the drummers in the audience going home and digging out the practice pad!
The set list centered around the music of various Scott bands - in particular the quintet - as well as numbers associated with some of the headliners who'd performed at the club over the years.
Some of my Best Friends Are Blues (Scott); Boogie Stomp Shuffle (Mingus); Night in Tunisia (Dizzy); A Pint of Bitter (Tubbs); My Foolish Heart (Bill Evans); Through the Night Roared the Overland Express (Couriers); Theme From Alfie (Rollins); Milestones (Miles); Drum feature (Buddy) Cute (Basie); Chelsea Bridge (Duke dedicated to Joe Temperley who'd died the previous day); Sack of Woe (Cannonball) and, finally, The Claw (Scott) which had the band blowing on stage whilst the Ronnie Scott Quintet were on screen playing on an old TV show 3-2-1. You remember Ted Rodgers and Dusty Bin?
There was more, much more happening video-wise but those were some of the highlights. Earlier I spoke to Garnett, Burgess and Higginbottom (pictured l-r) in The John Duck pub.
Catch them somewhere soon at a venue near you.
22nd May - Chelmsford, The Civic Theatre
24th June - Wimborne, Tivoli Theatre
6th – 10th July - Henley-on-Thames Henley Festival
17, 24 & 31 July - York, Great Yorkshire Fringe.
Lance.

1 comment :

Lance said...

As an afterthought, following on from the Simon Spillett/Tubby Hayes video/live session at GIJF, would not a Garnett/Spillett Jazz Couriers project be an idea worth pursuing?

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