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Bebop Spoken There

Art Blakey: "You [Bobby Watson] don't want to play too long, because you don't know they're clapping because they're glad you finished!" - (JazzTimes, Nov. 2019)..

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

15848 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 855 of them this year alone and, so far, 53 this month (Sept. 18).

From This Moment On ...

September

Sun 24: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.

Mon 25: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Mon 25: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 7:00pm.

Tue 26: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.

Wed 27: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 27: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 27: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 28: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 28: Alice Grace Quartet @ King's Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 28: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm. All welcome.
Thu 28: Faye MacCalman + Snape/Sankey @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 28: Zoe Rahman @ Jesmond United Reformed Church, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:30pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Thu 28: '58 Jazz Collective @ Hops & Cheese, Hartlepool. 7:30pm.
Thu 28: Speakeasy @ Queen's Hall, Hexham. 7:30pm. £15.00. A Southpaw Dance Company presentation. Dance, audio-visuals, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, swing dancers etc.
Thu 28: Mick Cantwell Band @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Ace blues band.
Thu 28: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 29: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 29: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 29: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.

Sat 30: John Pope Quintet + Late Girl + Shapeshifters @ Bobik's, Jesmond, Newcastle.
Sat 30: Papa G's Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Friday, September 02, 2016

Reflections on Ushaw by Steve T.

It restores your faith a little when sometimes, just sometimes, good things happen to good people.
In the late eighties, I was one of the chief architects of the Upnorth Soul (Jazz/ Funk) Weekenders which are now considered one of the best ‘party’ events in the world. Many people were involved in them but we did it because we wanted it to be brilliant, which for a time it was, and almost despite the organiser.
Many people helped to put the Ushaw Festival together and most of us, yes because we want it to be brilliant, but also because we wanted to help Paul.

The inaugural Upnorth Weekender was held in Berwick, but six months later it had moved to Fleetwood, then Morecambe before it settled for the next couple of decades in Southport.
For some reason, we in the North East never seem to have confidence in our own potential to do something extra special. However, we now have an inordinate number of musicians and bands, in no small part, because of people like Paul Edis, James Birkett, Shaune Eland and many others.
The first Ushaw Festival, at its best, was amazingly good, but we probably now know it was two, maybe three, North East Bands short of epoch defining.
We need to redress the balance between the generations with young people mostly represented by the Early Birds, some other musicians, Russell and a few couples, but with shifting population trends as the baby-boomers come through, this is going to be an issue everywhere
The location is amazing, the building resplendent, the theatre magical and the lounge just like sitting in your front room at home. Any Jazz musician who wouldn’t want to play in that theatre and jam in that lounge, you wouldn’t want.
If it can again attract national giants of the calibre of Alan Barnes, Bruce Adams, Nigel Price and Ross Stanley, and Paul has the respect nationally (not to mention his contacts in the House of Lords) to attract them, we could be looking at American acts in the future and, while I would hate to jinx it, knocking on the door of Cheltenham, Marsden and Ilkley (not forgetting GIJF!) as one of the best weekend Jazz Festivals in the country.
Steve T.

5 comments :

Hilary Say (on F/b) said...

All your hard work and organising skills paid off Paul. It was a great weekend hopefully repeated for many years to come. The musicians I know all have great respect for you. x

Pam Young (on f/b) said...

Yes it was a brilliant event, thanks to Paul and all the musicians. Only wish we had gone to the whole weekend but Saturday was so good. Hope it happens again x

Steven T said...

There was another name on my list of people who have made an enormous contribution to North East Jazz, Lance unfortunately deleted it.

Lance said...

I decided it was more suited to being one of the 'many others'

Steve Tulip said...

No chance.

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