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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

17346 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 630 of them this year alone and, so far, 35 this month (Sept. 11).

From This Moment On ...

September

Thu 12: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 12: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:30pm. £4.00. ‘A Great Day in Harlem’.
Thu 12: The Cuban Heels @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Pete Tanton & co.
Thu 12: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. Free. THC with guests Donna Hewitt, Bill Watson, Dave Archbold, Adrian Beadnell, Mark Hawkins.

Fri 13: Jeff Barnhart & Neville Dickie @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Two pianos, two pianists! SOLD OUT!
Fri 13: Noel Dennis Quartet @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Dilutey Juice @ Old Coal Yard, Byker, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £11.00. adv..
Fri 13: Ray Stubbs R & B All-stars @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm. Classic blues.

Sat 14: Jeff Barnhart’s Silent Film Fest @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 14: Customs House Big Band w. Ruth Lambert @ St Paul’s Centre, St Paul’s Gardens, Spennymoor DL16 7LR. 7:00pm (6:45pm doors). Tickets £10.00. from the venue or tel: 01388 813404. A ‘BYOB’ event.
Sat 14: Emma Wilson @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. £12.00. Acoustic blues.
Sat 14: Rat Pack - Swingin’ at the Sands @ Billingham Forum. 7:30pm.

Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Jude Murphy, Steve Chambers & Sid White @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 15: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Panharmonia @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 16: Swing Manouche @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00.
Mon 16: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 16: John Hallam with the James Birkett Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00. A Blaydon Jazz Club 40th anniversary concert!

Tue 17: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Victoria & Albert Inn, Seaton Delaval. 12:30pm. £13.00. Tel: 0191 237 3697. ‘Indian Summer Afternoon Tea’.
Tue 17: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels (guitar); Paul Grainger (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums).

Wed 18: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 18: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 18: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 18: Hot Club of Heaton @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘third Wednesday in the month’ session.

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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