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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

16051 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 1058 of them this year alone and, so far, 12 this month (Dec. 6).

From This Moment On ...

December

Sun 10: Musicians Unlimited’s Xmas Party with Zoë Gilby Quartet @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. MU 1:00-3:00pm; Zoë Gilby Quartet 4:00-6:00pm. Tickets: £7.50.
Sun 10: Alan Law, Paul Grainger & Abbie Finn @ Darlington Market, Market Square, Darlington. 1:00pm. Free. A ‘Christmas Market’ outdoor gig. Wrap up warm!
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.

Wed 13: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 13: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 13: Bold Big Band @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Wed 13: Giles Strong Quartet @ Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 14: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Hot Fingers @ The Lubetkin Theatre, Peterlee. 7:00pm. £10.00.
Thu 14: After Hours Student Jazz Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. . Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 14: Niffi Osiyemi Trio @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Mo Scott ‘Little Mo’s Festive Appearance’ @ The Schooner, Gateshead. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Tees Hot Club w. Kevin Eland, Josh Bentham, Garry Hadfield, Adrian Beadnell @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 15: Paul Edis @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 15: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 15: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: Paul Skerritt @ Black Horse Inn, Crook. From 7:00pm.
Fri 15: Paul Edis: A Jazzy Christmas @ St Cuhtbert's Centre, Crook. 7:30pm. £15.00. SOLD OUT! Waiting list open.
Fri 15: Zoë Gilby Trio @ Seventeen Nineteen, Hendon, Sunderland. 7:30pm. £12.00. POSTPONED!
Fri 15: Strictly Smokin' Big Band @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 8:00pm. First night of two. SOLD OUT!
Fri 15: Darlington Big Band @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £10.00. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 15: Baghdaddies @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00.; £10.00.

Sat 16: Paul Edis: A Jazzy Christmas @ Sage Gateshead. 2:00pm. A Jazzy Christmas + Jambone.
Sat 16: Porritt & Barrett & Friends Xmas Special @ Cullercoats Watch House. 7:00pm. £4.00.
Sat 16: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 16: Red Kites Jazz Band @ The Staithes Café, Gateshead. 7:00pm--9:00pm.
Sat 16: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Ellingham Village Hall, Chathill. 7:30pm. £12.00., £8.00.
Sat 16: Paul Edis: A Jazzy Christmas @ Sage Gateshead. 8:00pm.
Sat 16: Strictly Smokin' Big Band @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Second night of two.

Monday, June 13, 2016

Ruth Lambert Trio/Sue Ferris Quartet @ Bridge Hotel, Newcastle. June 12.

Ruth Lambert Trio: Ruth Lambert (vcl); Mick Shoulder (bs); Giles Strong (gtr).
Sue Ferris Quartet: Sue Ferris (ten/fl); Paul Edis (pno); Tony Abell (bs); Rob Walker (dms).
(Review by Lance/Photos courtesy of Ken Drew).
Part of Jazz North-East's admirable Women Make Music series although, in actual fact, only two of the seven musicians involved were of the 'fairer sex'. However, as Lambert and Ferris were the leaders of their respective bands, the WMM  nomenclature was fully justified and, after you'd heard them sing/play, gender went out of the window!
The Ruth Lambert Trio played the first set. A well-balanced mix of original compositions by all three, some Cole Porter and a more contemporary number - Oscar Brown, Jr.'s The Snake.
The audience may have been thin on the ground, although you wouldn't have known it by the volume of applause at the end of each number. Such was the gossamer-like nature of the music that applause after solos would, on this occasion, have destroyed the ambience irrespective of how deserving.
Strong alternated between classical guitar and an Ibanez Jazz as and when the number demanded it. He soloed and comped well on  both. He also composed one of the songs - Everything Was Beautiful. Shoulder was, as ever, melodic and swinging. He too provided some material. The opener, How Can I? and a collaboration with Ms Lambert, Lullaby. Ruth herself wrote A Love That Never Dies and also put her stamp on You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To;Love for Sale and Devil May Care.
Encased in a sheath that wouldn't have been out of place on the aforementioned snake, the lady herself was, as ever, in good voice bringing her own take to each number. Subtle nuances, a slight variation in the meter, a change of direction, all combining for a class performance.
A short interval before the second band took to the stage led by Sue Ferris.
Sue, who'd earlier in the evening guested with the trio on You'd Be So Nice etc.,blows tenor, not like a woman, more like a jazz musician of any gender. Hard-blowing, straight down the middle, saxophone playing of the first order. Just Squeeze Me; Jerry Bergonzi's Red's Blues; Bill Evan's Peris Scope; I Thought About You; Paul Edis' cleverly titled McCoyn a Phrase (ref McCoy Tyner) all blown on tenor with a really wailing chorus on the latter number.
A switch to flute for a piece by the Durham-based, vastly underrated, composer Will Todd and another clever title - I Thought About Who? More flute on All or Nothing at All. A samba beat and some superb hand-drumming from Walker took us down to Rio and not a sign of any Zika symptoms!
Back to tenor and the last number - Clifford Brown's Sandu.
The solos on this set were acknowledged - choruses for courses!
Special mention of Tony Abell who stepped in at short notice for Neil Harland - he cut the mustard. Paul Edis was, simply, Paul Edis, and I can praise him unequivocally as I'm not his dad!
And Rob Walker also played great - for a man!
The prompt finish meant I had no problems catching the number 27 as it stops close by!
Lance.

1 comment :

Steven T. said...

Number one son always suggests that, when the Early Birds support one of Pauls' groups, I arrange with his dad that he does EBs and I do Paul.
This is why I always big-up Paul (and not cos he's brilliant), hoping his dad will reciprocate re Francis.

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