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Bebop Spoken There

Wendell Brunious: "Because the blues is not 1,4 and 5 or 1,4,5,2,1. You could wake up with a flat tyre or a headache this morning, that's the blues, man" - (DownBeat, Oct. 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

15878 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 885 of them this year alone and, so far, 83 this month (Sept. 30).

From This Moment On ...

October

Tue 03: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 03: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Sid White (drums). CANCELLED!

Wed 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 04: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 04: Paul Skerritt @ Vespa Italian Bar & Steakhouse, Primrose Hill, Jarrow. From 7:00pm. To book a table - 0191 483 3355.
Wed 04: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 05: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 05: Sound the Trumpets @ King's Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 05: Hot Club du Nord @ The Lubetkin Theatre, Peterlee. 7:00pm. £10.00. POSTPONED!
Thu 05: Thursday Night Prayer Meeting @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 05: Tommy Bentz Trio + Mark Croft Duo + George Shovlin & George Lamb @ The Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Harbour View Speakeasy's USA blues double bill + Shovlin & Lamb!
Thu 05: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.
Thu 05: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 06: Alcyona Mick @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 06: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 06: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 06: WORKSHOP: Philosophy of Arts & Entertainment @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 2:00pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 06: Balo @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 6:20pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 06: Paul Skerritt @ 3Sixty Champagne Lounge, Hadrian’s Tower, Newcastle. From 7:00pm. To book a table - 0191 933 8591.
Fri 06: Lexer/Mayes/Noble + Semay Wu + Miman @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 7:20pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 06: Dulcie May Moreno @ The Vault, Hexham. 7:30pm. £20.00. Book in advance. Moreno with Alan Law, Paul Grainger & John Bradford.
Fri 06: Dean Stockdale Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. 'Celebrating Oscar'.
Fri 06: Nu Brass Sounds: Big Brass Bash @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: King Bees @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Blind Pig Blues Club. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sat 07: WORKSHOP: Philosophy of Arts & Entertainment @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 10:15am. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sat 07: Hot Club du Nord @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 07: Bugge & Niccols + Moore & Fairhall @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sat 07: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Steve Glendinning - All the Things You Are. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 07: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 07: Rie Nakajima @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 6:20pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sat 07: Paul Skerritt @ 3Sixty Champagne Lounge, Hadrian’s Tower, Newcastle. From 7:00pm. To book a table - 0191 933 8591.
Sat 07: Samuel Blaser Trio + Toxvaerd & Zeeberg + Muramatsu & Welch @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 7:20pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sat 07: Anth Purdy @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sat 07: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 08: Zoë Gilby Quintet + Ubunye @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Line-up inc. Tony Kofi. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sun 08: Tommy Bentz Band @ Tyne Bar, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. USA blues band.

Mon 09: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Mon 09: Cherise Adams-Burnett @ The Grove, Byker, Newcastle. 7:30pm. .

Tue 10: Abbie Finn Trio @ Forum Music Centre, Darlington. 7:30pm.

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Going Dutch @ The Lit & Phil (afternoon session) - January 22

(Review/photos courtesy of Ken Drew)
The expectations of this Dutch All-Dayer had been well and truly set the previous evening at the Jazz Café – what a Taster that was!
Now for the programme proper.  The format ran as 3 sets, each with one established group of players preceded by a new grouping.


2pm:  Oli Brice on bassJohn Dikeman on saxOnno Govaert on drums.  Dikeman was 'leading' but Brice and Govaert stuck to his heels and followed unrelentingly to the end.  Dikeman was certainly on form and overall it was a HUGE sound and a great opener.

2:20-3:00 Ab Baars on reedsWilbert de Joode on bassMartin van Duynhoven on drums. A quieter journey, again 'led' by the sax although this time there were music stands (and therefor some pre-arranged pieces) involved. The first piece lasted just a few minutes of very thoughtful and dynamic playing, but provided an excellent introduction for what was to follow. Baars moving from sax to clarinet lowering the pace even more.  Good use of the space for some quite dramatic silences, and crashes from van Duynhoven. This was inspired by Messiaen's musical fantasy of sonority - mostly birdsong, but maybe there was a hint of Rhapsody in Blue (to my ears!) but overall some very thrilling, dynamic and thoughtful playing, each player reading each other perfectly. One piece in particular was very quiet but all the more sonically interesting for it. The audience appreciated it all. 

3:15pm:  Reinier Baas - guitar solo.  Mesmeric, rhythmic, flowing and shimmering sounds - hints of John Renbourne and Gordon Giltrap (to name two non-jazz guitarists, for some of the playing techniques displayed) coupled with a generally subtle use of pedals. A very unique sound built on many techniques and simple use of a few pedals on the floor (apart from a short spell of over-use of the volume pedal at one point, tending to excess). The left hand chord fingering was a joy to watch, including the creation of harmonics from Reinier's right hand plucking & hammering the strings.  Towards the end de Joode joined in for a short lively piece - as if chasing each other!

3:40-4:15 "Feecho" - Kaya Draksler on grand piano and Onno Govaert on drums. A very long piece, reminiscent of Messiaen and Schnittke etc.  A wonderful duet, with beautiful playing and interpretation on the piano concluding with Messiaen flavours, including a perfect combination of low-end notes blended with high-end notes trembling then diminishing to quietness.
A joy to behold!

4:30: Oli Brice on bassFaye MacCalman on reedsWilbert de Joode on bass. Two Bass's plus sax!! Ok, so we'd had a brief insight into this at the Caff the night before. Starting with both basses, quickly bringing out rich harmonics from each.  MacCalman soon joining in with clarinet, diving in and out of the two complementary basses - bird-like effects and more. A free piece, yet well-structured in its delivery, with very nice interplay between all three. The second, shorter piece, was more frenetic and intense, and hung together well.

4:55-5:30: Ab Baars on reedsIg Henneman on viola.  Viola-with-clarinet, dancing around and following each other in a myriad of rhythms and exploring many sonic avenues. The second piece (around a Frank Schubert piece) saw viola now with sax from Baars much more pronounced and frantic, slowing to a meandering theme in the viola. Finally it is rudely joined by the sax providing a new theme, almost anthemic.  An odd (maybe?) but certainly workable collaboration but overall, quite delicate throughout.  The final piece saw Baars wield a bass recorder (?) but maybe a more compatible pairing of instruments for this style of music.  A nice combination.

And so ended the afternoon session. It was noted by many that the programme timing was very good through the day. Both for the start of the day, throughout the session, and at the end! Not sure if this was a Dutch effect or just a concerted improvement over last year’s All-Dayer.  The format was simple and worked really well - the first group of each set was allocated 20 minutes, yet despite the shortness of these, each group gave it their all and delivered quite exhilarating pieces whether short or long.
Ab Baars (reeds); Reinier Baas (guitar); Olie Brice (bass); Wilbert de Joode (bass); John Dikeman (sax); Kaja Draksler (piano); Onno Govaerts (drums); Ig Henneman (viola); Faye MacCalman (reeds); Jasper Stadhouders (guitar); Martin van Duynhoven (drums).

Ken Drew

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