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Bebop Spoken There

Abbie Finn: "Even though there's a lot of great work being done to promote women in jazz, I still come up against some attitudes! I pulled up at a recording session with my drums in the car and the studio owner said, 'I'm sorry, this space is reserved for the drummer!'" - (Jazzwise April 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

15245 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 264 of them this year alone and, so far, 77 this month (March 25).

From This Moment On ...

March

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm.
Sun 26: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Mar 26: Pop Jazz @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. 'Jazzified' tunes by the likes of Sylvester, Bowie, the Monkees etc., feat. Alan Law, David Gray, Richard Herdman & Jude Murphy.
Sun 26: Outlines @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. JNE promotion (upstairs).

Mon 27: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 28: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 28: Sanaz Lavasani Trio @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 8:00pm. £12.00 (£10.00. adv).

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 29: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 30: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library. 2:30-4:30pm. £2.00. All welcome.
Thu 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. Back to 1:00pm stomp off. Free.
Thu 30: '58 Jazz Collective @ Hops & Cheese, Hartlepool. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 30: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm.
Thu 30: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 31: Lewis Watson Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Town Hall. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 31: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 31: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 31: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm. CANCELLED! Back next week (April 7).
Fri 31: Jasmine Myra + Waclaw Zimpel @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Fri 31: The Revolutionaires @ The Shack, Boldon Colliery. 7:30pm. £10.00. The Revolutionaires' big band (horn section) line-up.
Fri 31: Andrew McCormack @ Maltings, Berwick. 8:00pm. £20.00.

April
Sat 01: The Big Easy @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 01: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Steve Glendinning - In a Minor Key. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 01: Hot Club du Nord @ Pleased to Meet You, Bridge St., Morpeth. 8:00pm. £79.00. A charity fundraising event.
Sat 01: Boys of Brass @ Stack, Seaburn. 7:00-9:00pm.
Sat 01: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00. RESCHEDULED to next week (Sat 08).

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Jazz Café Jam Session - June 21

Pete Gilligan (pno); Paul Grainger (bs); Rob Walker (dms) + George Anyfantis (pno); Ian Forbes, Abbie Finn, Russ Morgan (dms); Paul Gowland (ten).
(Review by Lance).
Until Paul Gowland showed up late on, the horns had been prominent by their absence - not so the drummers! Tonight we had a drum masterclass by the old, the young and the in-between! Rob Walker was the house drummer tonight his drive and imagination booting Gilligan and Grainger through Sam River's Beatrice, Kenny Barron's Voyage, Autumn Nocturne and Scarborough Fair,
Autumn Nocturne is a rather special tune recorded initially by Claude Thornhill and, later, Sonny Rollins. A favourite of Gilligans, I seem to recall Alice Grace singing it with him somewhere  or other. The composer, Josef Myrow, also gave us You Make me Feel so Young.
George Anyfantis took over the keyboard stool for My Funny Valentine and Ian Forbes, as spry an octogenarian as ever lived, played drums on All of Me.
Gilligan returned for an uptempo bop number - was it Au Privavé? It swung like the proverbial.
A Beautiful Friendship did likewise until Grainger had some mechanical problems during his bass solo. A friend in need is a friend indeed as Gilligan proved by continuing the solo with his left hand on the keyboard until the hole in the boat was plugged!
Now for the revelation of the night!
Abbie Finn!
It takes a great deal of confidence for a drummer of any age to follow Rob Walker and Ian Forbes whilst knowing that Russ Morgan will be following her but, confidence and a whole lot of talent is what this young woman has in abundance.
Abbie, tutored by Ian Wynd and now studying at Leeds College of Music, came through the ranks of the Durham County Youth Big Band and it showed across a varied set of numbers - swing, latin, 3/4 driving the guys along. Powerful, yet sympathetic, listening, contributing. It's moments like these that bring that much-bandied phrase, The Sound of Surprise, to mind.
There must be something in the air at Leeds!
Russell Morgan took over, knowing he had a hard act to follow, but of course, pro's like Russ can handle anything as can Paul Gowland who gave a Tubby Hayes-like rendition of Oleo before it was bus time.
Another night to remember!
Photos.
Lance.

3 comments :

Ann Alex said...

How great to hear of a female drummer! All power to her sticks and brushes! Meanwhile I've been torturing people after meetings at the Globe by playing the bongos which the Globe has recently received as a gift.

Russell said...

From the sublime (Abbie Finn) to the ridiculous...

Ann Alex said...

Russell ..to say nothing about me playing the tin whistle or the ukulele...
Ann Alex

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