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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 ...

June

Sat 03: Newcastle Record Fair @ Northumbria University, Newcastle NE8 8SB. 10:00am-3:00pm. Admission: £2.00.
Sat 03: Pedigree Jazz Band @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 03: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Sue Ferris. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 03: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 03: Papa G's Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sun 04: Smokin' Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm.
Sun 04: Central Bar Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00-4:00pm. £5.00. The Central Bar Quintet plays Sonny Rollins' Saxophone Colossus. Featuring Lewis Watson.
Sun 04: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 04: Struggle Buggy + Michael Littlefield @ Tyne Bar, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues.
Sun 04: Swinging at the Cotton Club: Harry Strutters' Hot Rhythm Orchestra @ The Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm.
Sun 04: Richard Jones Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 04: Jam No. 18 @ Fabio's Bar, Saddler Street, Durham. 8:00pm. Free. All welcome. A Durham University Jazz Society event.

Mon 05: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

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.
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.

Sunday, September 11, 2016

CD Review: Dyad Plays Jazz Arias

Lou Caimano (alt); Eric Olsen (pno) + Randy Brecker (tpt/flug); Ted Nash (ten).
(Review by Lance).
Jazz Arias! Seven instrumental takes on operatic arias by a duo who've already trod that road with their previous, critically acclaimed, release - Dyad Plays Puccini. Olsen arranged 5 and Caimano 2. both did a job.
Wolfgang provides a robust opening track, Fin ch'han dal vino which translates as Until they have become hot-headed with wine from the opera Don Giovanni. Brecker is on this one and, along with Caimano and Olsen, it's as fiery as the original with all three displaying a passion that conveys Mozart's intent - perhaps the guys had gotten into the mood with some Californian vino!
Alto and piano explore Habanero from Carmen. Olsen, spritely, lithe, dancing around Bizet's composition. Caimano, solemn at first then off to La Plaza Del Toros. 
Dyad continues its captivating romp with Massenet's Méditation from Thais. In the opera, the heroine reflects upon leaving her life of luxury and pleasure to find salvation through God - as one does - although I have my doubts as to whether these two guys were on the same train.
More Carmen, this time, it's Seguidilla in which Carmen flirts with her jailer and Caimano and Olsen flirt musically.
Randy Brecker enters stage left to rejoin Dyad, this time, on flugel, for Samuel Barber's Do not utter a word from his opera Vanessa. The V girl has covered up all the mirrors in her house, refusing to face her aging self (what a brilliant idea!) and not surprisingly it has a wailing blues feel to it with Brecker at the top of his game pouring out the plaintive feeling the aria demands.
Delibes provided The Flower Duet from Lakmé and Dyad added ace tenorman Ted Nash. The pleasant waltz proved to be fertile ground for the cool sounding Nash with Olsen weaving angular patterns and Caimano adding to the bouquet.
No operatic related performance would be complete with Verdi putting in an appearance. Guiseppe was my mother's favourite composer and, I'd like to think she'd have got something from this - perhaps not although it has to be said that her son did!
Nash stays on stage for a very dark piece from Otello where Desdemona is wrongly accused of infidelity (that Iago was a right stirrer!). Dio mi potevi scagliar (God, you could have thrown every evil at me). Even unsung, it's as dramatic a piece as you can imagine and the instrumentalists convey the mood without the need for words.
A Tour de Force.
Lance.
Available September 14.

1 comment :

Unknown said...

Thanks Lance! Your wonderful comments are much appreciated! For more information, please see www.dyadplays.com. Also a new video of DYAD Plays Jazz Arias is available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM2cfXoYuxA. Thank you again for your kind words about my album!
Sincerely,
Eric Olsen

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