Total Pageviews

Bebop Spoken There

Ambrose Akinmusire: “ I am certainly always aware of what the masses are doing. And when I see too many people going one way, I'm going another way - even when I don't know what's over that way". DownBeat, March, 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

16287 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 169 of them this year alone and, so far, 41 this month (Mar 18).

From This Moment On ...

March

Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Tim Johnston.

Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Castillo Neuvo Trio + Conor Emery & His ‘Bones Band @ The Grove, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £10.00. (£7.00. student).
Thu 21: Remi Banklyn + Chris Corcoran Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.50. Chicago blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Thu 21: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Ragtime piano.
Thu 21: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 22: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 22: Nauta + Remy CB + Last Orders @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 8:30pm (7:30pm doors). Free.
Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £15.00. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 22: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sat 23: Jambone @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 6:30pm. Free (ticketed). End of term performance in the Northern Rock Foundation Hall.
Sat 23: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 23: Red Kites Jazz @ Rowlands Gill Community Centre NE39 1JB. 7:00pm. Tickets: £12.00. (gibsidecommunityfarm@gmail.com). A ‘Build a Barn’ fundraiser. BYOB, tea/coffee available.
Sat 23: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00. + bf (book in person at venue - no booking fee!). Featuring pianist Martin Litton.
Sat 23: Pete Tanton’s Cuba Libre @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 24: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 24: Luis Verde @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Verde (alto sax); Joe Steels (guitar); John Pope (double bass); John Hirst (drums). Alto sax brilliance!
Sun 24: Elsie Franklin @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. £10.00. Country blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Sun 24: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: Las Vegas Live with the Rat Pack @ The Forum, Billingham.
Sun 24: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Otterburn Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Sun 24: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Note start time - 7:00pm.
Sun 24: Bold Big Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 25: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 25: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Friday, January 27, 2017

Mark Williams & Joel McCullough @ The Lit & Phil. January 27

Mark Williams (guitar) & Joel McCullough (guitar)
(Review by Russell/photo courtesy of Brian Ebbatson.)
Walking past St John’s Church on the way to the Lit & Phil a feathered friend left a large deposit on your reviewer’s head. Splat! Such an occurrence is said to bring good luck, so, make a note of the winning numbers on this weekend’s Lottery…4, 23, 24, 37, 42 and…onto more important matters.
On this bitterly cold January day, a good number of folk defied the elements, keen to hear some top quality jazz. Today’s lunchtime concert featured two fine guitarists – Mark Williams and Joel Byrne-McCullough. The Irishmen, friends from way back studied together in Newcastle on the BMus Jazz course, went their separate ways, recently reuniting as a working duo when McCullough decided to make his home in the region. Williams has been a welcome figure on the local scene for some time and now his fellow countryman is making his mark. 
Nine tunes in one hour, a jazz guitar treat.
The seated duo – Williams with his Heritage, McCullough playing a Gibson – played a set of choice material beginning with Peter Bernstein’s Little Green Men (a contrafact of a Grant Green number). Out of Nowhere and John Scofield’s Not You Again (another contrafact, this time There Will Never Be Another You) heard the duo taking it leisurely as if at home, running through a few tunes. Joel took the first solo on all but one of the nine compositions in the programme, Mark responding with an equally fine solo.
Steve Swallow and Joe Henderson were in the pad, as was Neal Hefti’s Girl Talk. The Chick Corea tour de force - Spain - featured, the boys quipping they had been trying to play the tune since their college days. A challenging tune at the best of times, they decided to reharmonise parts of it…just for fun! If it is possible to play a relaxed version of the number, this was it. Just Friends (apposite!), the one number to feature Mark as first soloist, just about took the honours as tune of the day. The Lit & Phil audience sat rapt throughout the hour-long performance. Our guitar wizards said goodbye with I’ll Be Seeing You. A wonderful start to this year’s lunchtime jazz at the Lit & Phil. Next month: Hand to Mouth. A recently established partnership featuring vocalist Lindsay Hannon and guitarist Bradley Johnston, GASbook, Ella, Carmen McCrae and some more contemporary material will be on the menu on Friday 24 February. One o’clock start, a bargain fiver admission.            
Russell.

1 comment :

Lance said...

That's friends, feathered or otherwise, for you - always end up shitting on you! Wear a hat next time.

Blog Archive