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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

17421 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 695 of them this year alone and, so far, 100 this month (Sept. 30).

From This Moment On ...

October

Sat 05: Maggie Nicols & Tim Dalling: Musical Boxing Training @ The Tute, Ridley Terrace, Cambois NE24 1QS. 2:30pm. Free. Tickets: www.eventbrite.com. ‘A workshop for musical improvisers’. An event in a boxing ring!
Sat 05: Lewis Watson Quartet @ Wylam Village Institute, Church Road, Wylam NE41 8AP. Doors 7:00pm. Tickets £15.00. + £1.50. bf, available from: www.gigantic.com.
Sat 05: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Bright Street Big Band @ Washington Arts Centre. From 7:00pm. £12.00. Bright Street Big Band on stage at 7:30pm, preceded at 7:00pm by a swing dance taster session.
Sat 05: J.A.M. String Collective + Tara Cunningham + The Flame @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 7:20pm. £10.00. + bf. NFOJIM in assoc. w. JNE & Lit & Phil.
Sat 05: Heavy Drunk @ Anarchy Brewery, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £15.00. + £1.50. bf. ‘Mississippi Delta Blues Experience’ feat. Heavy Drunk, Watermelon Slim & Leonardo Giuliani.
Sat 05: Maggie Nicols & Tim Dalling: Musical Boxing Night @ The Tute, Ridley Terrace, Cambois NE24 1QS. 7:30pm. Free. Tickets: www.eventbrite.com. Nicols, Dalling ao. An event in a boxing ring!
Sat 05: Milne-Glendinning Band @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 05: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Swarland Village Hall NE65 9JG. 8:00pm. £12.00.

Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm (12:30pm doors). £7.50.
Sun 06: Luis Verde Quartet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 06: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 06: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 06: Catriona Bourne Quartet + Heather Ferrier + Emma Johson’s Gravy Boat @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. £10.00. + bf. NFOJIM in assoc. w. JNE & The Globe.

Mon 07: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 07: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30-8:30pm. Free.

Tue 08: ???

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. Wed 09: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 5:00-7:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 09: The Tannery Jam Session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. A ‘second Wednesday in the month’ jam session.
Wed 09: Shunya, Dudù Kouate & Seb Rochford @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 8:30pm (7:30pm doors). £21.00.

Thu 10: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 10: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. ‘Collaborations - it happened all the time’.
Thu 10: Indigo Jazz Voices w. the Little Big Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.
Thu 10: Side Cafe Orkestar @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 10: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. With guests Donna Hewitt (sax); Bill Watson (trumpet); Graham Thompson (keys); Ron Smith (bass). Free.

Fri 11: Dulcie May Moreno @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 11: The Jazz Quartet + Stratosphonic @ Tynedale Rugby Club, Corbridge. 7:00pm. £15.00. A Rotary Club of Hexham event. The Jazz Quartet (Jude Murphy & co), Stratosphonic (blues/rock).
Fri 11: Joe Steels Trio @ The Pele, Market Place, Corbridge NE45 5AW. 7:30pm. Free.
Fri 11: Crooners @ Tyne Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Saturday, August 13, 2016

CD Review: Masumi Ormandy - Sunshine in Manhattan

Masumi Ormandy (vcl); Lee Tomboulian (pno/arr); Dean Johnson (bs); Tim Horner (dms) + Paul Meyers (gtr); Houston Person (ten); Freddie Hendrix (tpt); Sara Caswell (vln).
(Review by Lance).
Masumi Ormandy had a dream, a dream that one day she'd record a jazz album. It didn't happen overnight, in fact, Ormandy was 77 before her dreams came to fruition. Prior to Sunshine in Manhattan, the Tokyo born singer taught English at her Pacific Language School. When her passion for jazz singing surfaced she moved from Tokyo to New York and studied with Roseanna Vitro, an esteemed clinician, performer, recording artist, and vocal instructor with 12 albums of her own including a Grammy Nomination.

After 3 months of study, Vitro decided the time was ripe for Masumi to record an album. Her mentor set up the musicians - a dream team with tenor legend Houston Person providing some gutsy solos, Freddie Hendrix blowing some Armstrong inspired licks and Tomboulian chipping in with the arrangements as well as some exemplary piano playing.
Ormandy sings well - not just for a 77-year-old but for an any year old!  Which brings me to the album cover. The photo was either taken 50 years ago or she's related to Dorian Gray!
It's easy listening and I say that without any derogatory connotations. Ormandy's got an appealing voice and it's good to hear Houston Person.
No great surprises amongst the repertoire.
On the Sunny Side of the Street; It Had to be You; They Can't Take That Away From Me; I'll Be Seeing You; Autumn Leaves; Misty; Blue Skies; As Time Goes by; Summertime (natch!) and My Way
Lance.
Available Sept. 12 on Miles High Records.

5 comments :

ElizabethT said...

Thanks, Lance! I would suggest that the treatment of "My Way" qualifies as a surprise in the repertoire. :-)

Lance said...

Certainly does Elizabeth. It's perhaps my least favourite Sinatra number and yet, Masumi does draw something out of it. Perhaps she DID do it her way! The violin helps to make this interesting - As you say, Elizabeth T, a surprise.

Roseanna V said...

Thank you for your review of Masumi's first album. I'd like to note, the cover photo was taken a couple of months ago by John Abbott. John knows how to use lighting for the best images but Masumi really looks and acts 30 years younger than her age. I think it's a testament to good Japanese genes, a healthy diet and doing what you love. She was an inspiration to work with and super fun to produce. Thanks again, so glad you liked the music. Roseanna V

Holly Cooper said...

Thank you, Lance, for this terrific review! Will spread the word now!

David Owen said...

The album opens with "They Can't Take That Away", which is apt given that Masumi has held on to the dream of releasing a jazz album for all her life.
She delivers a delightful and laid back album, which I find I can listen to over and over again.
The standout tracks, in addition to the one already mentioned are "Misty," "It had To Be You" because I love the acoustic guitar which features throughout and "Blue Skies."
A fantastic realisation of a long held dream and dreamy vocals which force you to stop and just listen and relax.

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