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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

Sat 23: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Tanfield Railway, Gateshead. 2:00-4:00pm. Free. A '1940s Weekend' event.
Sat 23: Jason Isaacs @ Stack, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free.
Sat 23: Andrew Porritt & Keith Barrett @ Cullercoats Watch House, Front St., Cullercoats NE30 4QB. 7:00pm.
Sat 23: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig. Country blues.

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.

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Cookin’ @ The Jazz Café - May 16

(Review by Russell)
The superlatives have been exhausted. A regional jam session can’t be this good. People would pay good money to hear Mark Williams, Paul Grainger and Rob Walker. The trio played three or four numbers before guitarist Williams and drummer Rob Walker stood down to allow an endless parade of first rate musicians to sit in. A piano player just turned seventeen, a drummer eighteen, joined by a twenty-ish trumpet-playing university science undergraduate, an early twenties guitar virtuoso…who needs Messrs Williams and Walker? Rumour has it they went for a curry.
A string thing to begin…Bradley Johnston, guitar, and, first time participant, folk fiddler of national renown, Andy Lawrenson playing Night and Day and A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square with Johnston’s considered intro to the latter number. West End resident (that’s West End, Newcastle, somewhat different to the London parish of the same name) Paul Ruddick joined the party, taking his customary window seat to blow some feverish alto on Nature Boy. Young bucks Joel Brown, piano, Matt MacKellar, drums, and guitarist Johnston were in on it. Terrific it was.

Matt vacated the drum chair for Matt to sit-in on a couple. That’s Berklee-bound M MacKellar out, M Fairhurst in. Spot the difference…in terms of ability, none. JP, that’s John Pope, allowed Paul Grainger to go to the men’s room, and the newly formed quintet gave a sensitive reading of John Lewis’ Skating in Central Park. Folk/jazz violinist Lawrenson returned to feature on an up-tempo After You’ve Gone with Fairhurst accenting here and there and, as the mood took him, taking an accomplished, extended solo.

Showtime! David ‘Showtime’ Gray was in the house. St Thomas, that’s the infectious St Thomas, DG is good value, every time. Waiting in the wings…Julija Jacenaite and Paul Gowland. Bradley returned to the stand, as did Matt MacKellar, to play Wave. Jacenaite’s scatting vocals, Gowland on soprano, Johnston’s killing solo…is anyone recording this stuff?

You’d be so nice to come home to sang Julija accompanied by a real find, Newcastle University student trumpeter Joe Davies, and a fizzing MacKellar on kit. It couldn’t get any better! Oh, yes it could! And it did! Vying for performance of the year, Jacenaite singing Angel Eyes with the brass boys Gray and Davies pitching in and Gowland’s soprano taking it to the summit. Almost time to get out of here…swing-time Joel Brown, cookin’ Matt MacKellar, Gowland in there, and the main man Mr Paul Grainger insisting there will never be another you.
There will never be another jam session like it…until next time!
Russell    
Mark Williams (guitar), Paul Grainger (double bass) & Rob Walker (drums) + Bradley Johnston (guitar), Andy Lawrenson (violin), Paul Ruddick (alto saxophone), Paul Gowland (soprano saxophone), Joe Davies (trumpet), David Gray (trombone), Joel Brown (piano), John Pope (double bass), Matthew MacKellar (drums), Matthew Fairhurst (drums) & Julija Jacenaite (vocals)

2 comments :

Anonymous said...

I'm getting unwarranted generosity. That solo was only 'extended' because I had no idea how many bars were in the form!

Anonymous said...

From Ann Alex, Ms Jacenaite was absolutely brilliant, the best singer I've heard this year. I'm not that fond of scat but hers fitted well into the songs, especially on 'Wave'. She 'acted' the songs well, with great aplomb and sometimes humour. I wouldn't be surprised if she's a trained actor as well.

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