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Bebop Spoken There

Abbie Finn: "Even though there's a lot of great work being done to promote women in jazz, I still come up against some attitudes! I pulled up at a recording session with my drums in the car and the studio owner said, 'I'm sorry, this space is reserved for the drummer!'" - (Jazzwise April 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

15245 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 264 of them this year alone and, so far, 77 this month (March 25).

From This Moment On ...

March

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm.
Sun 26: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Mar 26: Pop Jazz @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. 'Jazzified' tunes by the likes of Sylvester, Bowie, the Monkees etc., feat. Alan Law, David Gray, Richard Herdman & Jude Murphy.
Sun 26: Outlines @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. JNE promotion (upstairs).

Mon 27: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 28: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 28: Sanaz Lavasani Trio @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 8:00pm. £12.00 (£10.00. adv).

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 29: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 30: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library. 2:30-4:30pm. £2.00. All welcome.
Thu 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. Back to 1:00pm stomp off. Free.
Thu 30: '58 Jazz Collective @ Hops & Cheese, Hartlepool. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 30: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm.
Thu 30: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 31: Lewis Watson Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Town Hall. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 31: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 31: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 31: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm. CANCELLED! Back next week (April 7).
Fri 31: Jasmine Myra + Waclaw Zimpel @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Fri 31: The Revolutionaires @ The Shack, Boldon Colliery. 7:30pm. £10.00. The Revolutionaires' big band (horn section) line-up.
Fri 31: Andrew McCormack @ Maltings, Berwick. 8:00pm. £20.00.

April
Sat 01: The Big Easy @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 01: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Steve Glendinning - In a Minor Key. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 01: Hot Club du Nord @ Pleased to Meet You, Bridge St., Morpeth. 8:00pm. £79.00. A charity fundraising event.
Sat 01: Boys of Brass @ Stack, Seaburn. 7:00-9:00pm.
Sat 01: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00. RESCHEDULED to next week (Sat 08).

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Jam session @ The Jazz Café - July 18

(Review by Russell)
A jam session debut for Stuart Collingwood. Been there, done that, has Stuart, so this jam session held no fears. Ain’t Misbehavin’ (true, he wasn’t), A Foggy Day (anything but), Come Rain or Come Shine, proper piano playing, likewise bass and drums courtesy of Paul Grainger and Russ Morgan.   The evening’s ‘guests’ as Collingwood called them – the sitters-in – were rather thin on the ground, at least initially.
One such sitter-in who clocked-on early was Newton Aycliffe-based drummer Abbie Finn. On hearing the news that Ms Finn was in the house, one of the house rhythm section said: Oh, good! Finn played a few numbers, stood down, to return later. First Russ Morgan then Abbie Finn, a frighteningly high standard had been set. A glance around the room…Where had all this lot come from? Suddenly a thinly populated Jazz Café was now heaving. Why settle for two fabulous drummers when you can have four? The Matts had arrived.
First up M MacKellar. And, long time no see pianist Vince Webb gave Collingwood the chance to get to the bar as the ever-changing stand welcomed John Pope. A few tunes later – including But Not for Me – M MacKellar vacated the drum chair for M Fairhurst. A young man of (very) few words, Matt F is soon to depart for university. A mainstay of Dave Weisser and co at the Globe, he’ll be a big loss. On this session he got on board The A Train and knocked out a classy solo on The Sidewinder which, by this time, featured the one and only David Gray. A trombone player who plays with commitment and verve, Gray is made for a jam session*.

At some point – the timeline somewhat vague with the profusion of talent on show – our four young guns took over…James Metcalf, trumpet, Ben Lawrence, piano, Michael Dunlop, double bass, and Matt Mackellar, drums. Metcalf didn’t shirk, opting to take on Herbie Hancock’s Maiden Voyage. An impressive shot at a fiendishly difficult tune, Metcalf is getting there. Pianist Ben Lawrence, a sixth former, has all the makings, is he going to go to music school? Bassist Michael Dunlop is a year or two ahead of him, at the Guildhall, no less, and drummer Matt MacKellar’s immediate future (USA here he comes!) has been well documented. The median age of jam session participants seems to be getting lower and lower and it’s thanks to the likes of these lads.

JJ Johnson’s In Walked Horace shuffled the pack again. Collingwood returned, so too Abbie Finn, and, waiting in the wings (waiting at the bar, to be precise!), Ms Julija Jaicenaite. JJ wrung Cry Me a River dry, accompanied by Ms Faye MacCalman, tenor saxophone, and another Guildhall under graduate, the explosive trumpeter Jack ‘Banjo’ Courtney. Julija (JJ) went for One Note Samba and Collingwood played lots of them. To close an over-running night (the best nights do) we set off on a dizzying Caravan.

* Another top trombone player (Mr BC) was in the house. If he brings his trombone on 1 August…                        
Note the date of the final jam session of the summer – Tuesday 1 August.      
Russell

Stuart Collingwood (piano), Paul Grainger (double bass) & Russ Morgan (drums) + more or less in order of appearance: Abbie Finn (drums), Matt MacKellar (drums), Vince Webb (piano), Matt Fairhurst (drums), John Pope (double bass), David Gray (trombone), Faye MacCalman (tenor saxophone), Ben Lawrence (piano), Michael Dunlop (double bass), James Metcalf (trumpet), Julija Jaicenaite (vocals) & Jack ‘Banjo’ Courtney (trumpet)   

1 comment :

Steve T said...

Sadly (for us) Ben's been torn between music and maths but, being something of a mathematical genius, looks like he's going to opt for the latter, and who can blame him when he can play Jazz on evenings and weekends, and (hopefully) earn a fortune mon to fri.

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