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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

15867 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 874 of them this year alone and, so far, 72 this month (Sept. 25).

From This Moment On ...

September

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.

Sat 30: John Pope Quintet + Late Girl + Shapeshifters @ Bobik's, Jesmond, Newcastle.
Sat 30: Papa G's Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

OCTOBER

Sun 01: Smokin' Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm.
Sun 01: Dulcie May Moreno sings Portrait of Sheila @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Moreno sings Sheila Jordan with Giles Strong, Mick Shoulder & John Bradford.
Sun 01: Middlesbrough Jazz & Blues Orchestra @ Saltburn Community Hall. 2:00pm.
Sun 01: The Easy Rollers @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £13.70., £11.55.
Sun 01: Brand/Roberts/Champion/Sanders @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sun 01: Papa G's Troves @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 02: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Mon 02: FILM: Wattstax; 50th Anniversary @ Forum Cinema, Hexham. 8:00pm.

Tue 03: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 03: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Paul Wight (drums).

Friday, July 28, 2017

Misha Mullov-Abbado Group @ the Jazz Café , Newcastle – July 25

Liam Dunachie (piano); Misha Mullov-Abbado (bass); James Davison (trumpet, flugel); Matthew Herd (alto sax); Alex Hitchcock (tenor sax); Scott Chapman (drums)
(Review/photos courtesy of Ken Drew)
Jazz North East's end-of-the-month Schmazz concert (and the end of JNE's Summer season too) concluded with a performance from another young, vibrant group of musicians with the focus again entirely on their own original material. A London based sextet led by double bassist and composer Misha Mullov-Abbado, son of Russian classical violinist Viktoria Mullova and the late Italian conductor Claudio Abbado (who’s own father was a violinist). Yet despite his distinguished classical upbringing, Mullov-Abbado chose to pursue a career in jazz and, in 2014, he became a winner of the Kenny Wheeler Music Prize (he also picked up a Dankworth Prize for jazz composition). To date, MM-A has released 2 CDs (the first with a little help from his Mum on one track).
Tonight’s line up included album personnel Davison, Herd, Dunachie and  Chapman with Alex Hitchcock (tenor sax) standing in for Sam Rapley, and of course the man himself  Misha Mullov-Abbado on double bass. Over the course of two sets of material written exclusively by Mullov-Abbado the group presented compositions from both albums, as well as some newer, as yet unrecorded pieces.
 First set, first tune was fast and energetic. A breath of fresh air. Second tune - a slow one. Then continuing with a nice variety and contrasting styles, with various rhythms, pace, energy and fun. Good occasional solos across the band giving each an opportunity to breathe and stretch. The flugel was used sparingly but provided a good soft contrast to the trumpet, although their playing by Davison was never in doubt.  Comments overheard after their first set were very positive and complimentary. In fact a great first set.  We shouldn't have been too surprised, the pre-publicity was very enticing, and after that first set it was obvious that 'it does what it says on the tin' .... and a lot more as it turns out !! 

Second set - tunes played included the title track from their latest CD New Ansonia (reviewed previously by BSH on its release). Lil'  Bear (unrecorded as of yet) - slow & steady, raunchy rhythmic bass and slightly more edgy than previous tune. The repetitive bass line gave an edgy/moody feel along with some improvised sounds from drums & saxes, yet totally accessible through the melodic threads. To me it was fleetingly reminiscent of Nature Boy in parts but it had a unique and solid feel to it overall.  Gromit's Grand Outing is a very lively and fun tune, which segued into the next, starting with a superb extended solo from Hitchcock, then supported by the bass and developing further. What a great sounding and fun tune. Hair of the Bop (or was it ...of the Fox?) from the second CD Cross-Platform Interchange starting with a fine bass intro.  Finally ending with a very lively tune with a deceptively simple melody with good interchange across the band with long solos from Dunachie and Chapman. The audience were engaged throughout and delighted by what they saw (enthusiastic and often smiling musicians, especially Mullov-Abbado) and heard. They demanded more through their rapturous applause and were rewarded by an encore (see video on JNE page).

What a great set of varied compositions brilliantly played by a band 'in concert' with each other. Good sound from the brass section individually and collectively (aren't trumpets rather loud at times!!) and each piece was brought alive by a superb set of musicians all enjoying the ride.  Overall, straight ahead jazz, all original material and a truly well synchronised set of musicians who collectively provided much more than the simple sum of the parts. Excellent music, pure jazz, and an excellent night. This had a really good Jazz Club feel to it throughout. Noted that the audience was swelled by quite a few new faces for a Schmazz concert - the pre-publicity must have had some attraction - let's hope it sticks.

The next Jazz North East performance is after the Summer break on Sunday 3rd September at The Bridge with The Improvisors' Workshop on the afternoon and 'The Spirit Farm' in the evening. Then look out for 'Perpetual Motion Machines' and a brand new Trio from Adam Sinclair featuring Paul Edis and Jon Proud, plus at the end of September it's the 'Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music' with a heap of great artists including Zoe Rahman, Troyka, Schnellertollermeier, Mette Rasmussen and Julien Desprez to name but a few .... phew !!! 
Ken Drew
Video (the encore after the 2nd set):


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