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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).

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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

17421 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 695 of them this year alone and, so far, 100 this month (Sept. 30).

From This Moment On ...

October

Tue 08: ???

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. Wed 09: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 5:00-7:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 09: The Tannery Jam Session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. A ‘second Wednesday in the month’ jam session.
Wed 09: Shunya, Dudù Kouate & Seb Rochford @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 8:30pm (7:30pm doors). £21.00.

Thu 10: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 10: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. ‘Collaborations - it happened all the time’.
Thu 10: Indigo Jazz Voices w. the Little Big Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.
Thu 10: Side Cafe Orkestar @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 10: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. With guests Donna Hewitt (sax); Bill Watson (trumpet); Graham Thompson (keys); Ron Smith (bass). Free.

Fri 11: Dulcie May Moreno @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 11: The Jazz Quartet + Stratosphonic @ Tynedale Rugby Club, Corbridge. 7:00pm. £15.00. A Rotary Club of Hexham event. The Jazz Quartet (Jude Murphy & co), Stratosphonic (blues/rock).
Fri 11: Joe Steels Trio @ The Pele, Market Place, Corbridge NE45 5AW. 7:30pm. Free.
Fri 11: Crooners @ Tyne Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Fri 11: Mo Scott Band @ Blues Underground, Nelson St., Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free.

Sat 12: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 12: Michael Woods @ Victoria Tunnel, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £12.00. (£10.00. adv.). Country blues guitar & vocals.
Sat 12: Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £13.28, £11.16, £9.04. A two-track recording launch gig.
Sat 12: Stuart Turner @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Rockabilly, rhythm & blues etc. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 12: Lapwing Jazz Trio @ The Ship Inn, Low Newton. 8:00pm. Free. New trio: Paula Whitty, Richard Herdman, Jude Murphy.

Sun 13: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 13: Emma Wilson @ Tyne Bar, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sun 13: Catfish Keith @ The Cluny. 7:00pm. Country blues.
Sun 13: Cath Stephens & Paul Grainger @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Stephens & Grainger, one third of a triple bill.
Sun 13: Dulcie May Moreno Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 14: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 14: Black is the Color of My Voice @ Hippodrome, Darlington. 7:30pm. Apphia Campbell’s one-woman show inspired by Nina Simone, performed by Nicholle Cherrie.

Tue 15: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law (piano), Paul Grainger (double bass), Bailey Rudd (drums).

Reviewers wanted

Whilst BSH attempts to cover as many gigs, festivals and albums as possible, to make the site even more comprehensive we need more 'boots on the ground' to cover the albums seeking review - a large percentage of which never get heard - report on gigs or just to air your views on anything jazz related. Interested? then please get in touch. Contact details are on the blog. Look forward to hearing from you. Lance

Tuesday, June 06, 2017

Notes from day two of Durham City Jazz Festival - June 2

(Review by Steve T/Photos courtesy of Carlo Viglianisi)
The day I was reunited with my old mate Al Cohol. The day the focus shifted from Empty Shop to the festival hub at Fowlers Yard, away from the clutches of Carlo to his (if not silent then less noisy) partner Nick and Festival Mistress-mind Heather Spencer, who had the initial vision of a multi-venue festival of Jazz and other underground Black Music in the heart of Durham, aimed at the student population and yokels young and old alike.  
But first a detour to the fabulous Miners Hall, hidden away in Durham, yards away from where I grew up and yards away, in the opposite direction, from a former home of a certain Lord and Lady; so good stock.
I'm not a big Big Band man but anybody who’s seen the Durham Uni Big Band knows they're one of the hottest around with a cabinet full of awards. I knew I would have to cut it short and Eleanor Rigby (mercifully not something from Dr Pepper or something or other fizzy, soft and sickly) seemed an appropriate time to head to the hub. 
Essex girl via Durham Uni DJ WZK was doing some amazing, seamless mixing. I remember when DJs were making tentative steps towards this and it's moved on enormously. 
Next a pop-up Early Bird Band featuring FDT and Lawrence Brothers Dan and Ben. Older brother Dan got the call at lunchtime and winged his way from Manchester with a final exam on Monday, and it's acts of heroism like this that make small festivals so special and Heather and Carlo were suitably impressed and grateful. A drummer proved problematic but five minutes ahead, there was a choice of three, and a young man from Gateshead, a regular of the Globe, fit like a glove (I was notebook-less throughout the weekend so please feel free to furnish any names).
It was billed as a jam but only Early Jambone Bird James Metcalf stepped up to play trumpet on a few. The set was fairly straightforward stuff and these future stars can do this in their sleep, but it gave them a chance to show off their chops, Francis playing seated with a much cleaner sound than his general preference nowadays.
Budtet played a customary mix of instrumentals and the ladies splitting vocals, Fiona  fragile and sensitive and Jude assured with lots of oomph and showmanship. They know what they're doing and do it well.
Then me. Never a happy DJ - I do it cos I have to, not cos I want to - I played Jazz, funk, fusion, Latin and soul from the likes of Esperanza Spalding, Return to Forever, Bataan, JBs, Sly and Family Stone, Platinum Hook, Kool and his Gang, Fatback Band, Gilberto Gil, Roy Ayers and Flowers, but didn't have time to go further into soul for my lot, or do some West Coast Get Down for the Early Birds, or any reggae or Afro-Beat, which I think have a place at a festival of this type.
Over to the Empty Shop for another jam session and this is about to get embarrassing, but he probably played more across the festival than anybody else.  Tonight he found himself paired with an amazing alto player from Surrey via Durham Uni who took it to the next level, Francis with nothing more than his Gibson and an amp finding sounds from the next planet, together making music which could be from the next century. Imagine what might have happened if Hendrix had played with Bird.
DJ Mattu played a brief set including Thundercat and some Hip Hop but taking DJing to a level of creativity and performance art towards a whole new field of music. 
I love festivals where you have to make choices - like Lance missing Alphonse Mouzon to watch Dizzy - and I missed Group Theory and Redemption Jazz at Empty Shop, and Lindsay Hannon and Bradley Johnson at the Barber of Neville, but Sunday would present the trickiest choice of the festival. 
Steve T.

2 comments :

Russell said...

Another nice review Steve. I'm guessing the drummer from the Globe was Matthew Fairhurst, and the amazing alto player was Zach Fox (he is very good, 1st alto with DUBB).

Steve T said...

Just been going through my stuff and was reminded I played a Pharaoh Sanders track. I wanted to draw attention to this because some people think you can't play Real Jazz as a DJ.
First time I heard Miles from the album Milestones was at a nightclub in Stockton. I've heard Mr PC, Art Blakey and there'll be others someone with a better memory than me could summon.

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