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Bebop Spoken There

Kurt Elling: ''There's something to learn from every musician you play with''. (DownBeat, December 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

17630 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 904 of them this year alone and, so far, 49 this month (Dec. 20).

From This Moment On ...

December

Fri 20: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 20: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 20: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 1:00-3:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 20: Baghdaddies @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 20: Smokin’ Spitfires @ Platform 1, East Bedlington Community Centre. 7:00pm.
Fri 20: Pete Tanton’s Christmas @ 1719, Hendon, Sunderland. 7:30pm. CANCELLED!
Fri 20: Alligator Gumbo @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 20: Abbie Finn’s Finntet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 20: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

Sat 21: Lindsay Hannon Quartet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £15.00. ‘Swinging with Christmas Songs’.
Sat 21: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 21: Jackson’s Wharf Xmas Party @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 7:00pm. Free. Featuring the New ’58 Jazz Collective.
Sat 21: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

Sun 22: Hot Club du Nord @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £15.00. + bf. Xmas party. SOLD OUT!
Sun 22: Red Kites Jazz @ Gibside Chapel, nr. Rowlands Gill. 1:00pm. Admission charge applies.
Sun 22: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 22: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Revolutionaires @ Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Superb rhythm & blues outfit.
Sun 22: Laurence Harrison, Paul Grainger & Mark Robertson @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Line-up TBC.
Sun 22: The Globe Xmas Party @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Live music (musicians TBC).
Sun 22: Ray Stubbs R & B All-Stars @ Zerox, Sandhill, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors).

Mon 23: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Wheatsheaf, Benton Sq., Whitley Road, Palmersville NE12 9SU. Tel: 0191 266 8137. 1:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Mon 23: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 4:00pm. Free.
Mon 23: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Mon 23: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.

Tue 24: Lindsay Hannon & Mark Williams @ Ernest, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 11:00am-1:00pm. Free.
Tue 24: Paul Skerritt @ Mambo Wine & Dine, South Shields. 1:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.

Wed 25: Wot? No jazz!

Thu 26: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free. TBC.
Thu 26: The Boneshakers @ Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. The 17th annual Boneshakers’ Shindig.

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

Sunday, July 02, 2017

Matthew’s Farewell Jazz Party @ The Jazz Café

(Preview by Russell)
Matthew MacKellar first came to the attention of the jazz world sitting-in at Dave Weisser’s Take it to the Bridge weekly jazz workshop. Matthew, at the time perhaps all of fourteen, said little, a mere nod of the head to indicate he was comfortable with the next tune drawn from Weisser’s extensive pad. Wednesday evenings in the upstairs function room of the Chillingham pub house became the essential night out. Drummers Eric Stutt and Paul Wight were fulsome in their praise of Matthew.
In establishing a Saturday morning workshop band at Newcastle’s Lit and Phil, pianist, bandleader and educator Paul Edis offered Matthew the drum chair. The Early Bird Band (a Saturday morning workshop starting at the early hour of 9:30ish gave the band its name!) worked on established jazz tunes, and before long a paying public began turning up at eleven o’clock eager to hear a half-hour set by the young musicians. One Tuesday evening Matthew turned up at the Jazz Café’s top flight jam session looking to sit in. The session takes no prisoners and Matthew more than held his own. Regulars asked: Who’s he? Soon those same regulars would say: I hope Matthew turns up tonight! The house rhythm section was impressed and on more than one occasion Matthew has played the session as a member of the house band.
 In recent times Matthew has sat in with tenor saxophonist Vasilis Xenopoulos, played several sets at the Jazz Co-op’s International Jazz Day celebrations and worked with Sue Ferris at the Durham Jazz Festival. Now Matthew has good reason to celebrate. He has received an offer to study at the world-famous Berklee College of Music. In a few weeks, he will head off to Boston, Massachusetts, USA for what is sure to be a once in a lifetime experience. Matthew invites you to join him and his jazz friends for an evening of non-stop music at the Jazz Café on Thursday 13 July. Upstairs and downstairs, there will be jazz, jazz, jazz! A cast of thousands will be in attendance, this is an event you cannot afford to miss. Admission on the night is £6.00. Proceeds to the Early Birds’ youth jazz development project.

Matthew’s development as a musician is, in part, due to expert tuition. His drum tutors Dave Lourie and Geoff Hutchinson should take a bow, so too guitar tutor John Wilson. These are the behind the scenes characters who don’t seek the spotlight but are deserving of recognition.

The timetable of events on the evening, with, perhaps a little tweaking here and there, is as follows:

19:00 Doors
19:10 – 19:30 Ben Lawrence Trio (downstairs)
19:35 – 20:00 Early Bird Band (upstairs)
20:05 – 20:30 John Wilson Trio (Wilson, Deon Krishnan, Matthew MacKellar, downstairs)
20:35 – 21:00 Francis Tulip Quartet (upstairs)
21:05 Announcements & raffle draw
21:20 – 21:45 Paul Edis Trio (Edis, Deon Krishnan, John Pope TBC, Russ Morgan TBC, downstairs)
21:50 – 22:15 Dave Weisser Combo (upstairs)
22:20 – close Jam session (downstairs)

So, put the date in the diary – Thursday 13 July. Seven o’clock start. Unmissable.

2 comments :

Sylvia Truscott (on F/b) said...

I remember Ray coming home from the Chilli and telling me about this amazing young drummer who sat in...I think you were younger than 14!!....so sorry I can't be at your party......bad timing....story of my life!!...have a ball...xxxxx

George MacKellar said...

Many thanks for your good wishes Sylvia. Ray was one of the individuals who gave Matthew great encouragement over the years; Matthew and I were both very fond of him. Best wishes George xx

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