Total Pageviews

Bebop Spoken There

Branford Marsalis: "As ignorance often forces us to do, you make a generalisation about a musician based on one specific record or one moment in time." - (Jazzwise June 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

15478 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 499 of them this year alone and, so far, 120 this month (May 27).

From This Moment On ...

May 2023

Wed 31: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 31: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 31: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 31: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

June
Thu 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 01: Thursday Night Prayer Meeting @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Donations.
Thu 01: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.
Thu 01: Jake Leg Jug Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Thu 01: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 02: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 02: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 02: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 02: Joseph Carville Trio @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 02: Claire Martin & Her Trio @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 7:30pm. £25.00., £20.00. Feat. Jim Mullen, Alex Garnett & Jeremy Brown.
Fri 02: Guy Davis + Michael Littlefield & Scott Taylor @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. Doors 7:30pm. Blues double bill.
Fri 02: Anders Ingram @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Blind Pig Blues Club. Country blues. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sat 03: Newcastle Record Fair @ Northumbria University, Newcastle NE8 8SB. 10:00am-3:00pm. Admission: £2.00.
Sat 03: Pedigree Jazz Band @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 03: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Sue Ferris. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 03: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 03: Papa G's Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sun 04: Smokin' Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm.
Sun 04: Central Bar Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00-4:00pm. £5.00. The Central Bar Quintet plays Sonny Rollins' Saxophone Colossus. Featuring Lewis Watson.
Sun 04: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 04: Struggle Buggy + Michael Littlefield @ Tyne Bar, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues.
Sun 04: Swinging at the Cotton Club: Harry Strutters' Hot Rhythm Orchestra @ The Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm.
Sun 04: Richard Jones Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 05: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 06: Jam session @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. House trio: Stu Collingwood (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Sid White (drums).

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Crooners - Whitley Bay Playhouse - February 16


Roman Marek, Jim Whitley. Phil Barley (singers).
Chris Hibbard (trombone); Jon Hibbard (alto); Jim Corry (alto); Simon Kaylor (tenor); Damian Bell (trumpet); Daniel Hammerton (trumpet); Jason Scott (piano); Paul Baxter (bass); Dave Hockman (drums).
(Review by Lance).
A fun evening packed with pratfalls, bawdy humour, fine singing and a stonkingly good band. The band were deserving of a feature, perhaps in the form of an overture; all good musicals have an overture* and, on the strength of the occasional short solo these guys, co-led by the Brothers Hibbard, were well up to the task.
The three singers did the job effectively being themselves or, as the occasion demanded, Frank, Dean and Sammy.
The plot was slender to nonexistent - the last three crooners in the world discovered in the sleepy hamlet of Whitley Bay (next week Billingham). Michael Bublé was mentioned but he didn't count as he was Canadian. Although the fine auditorium wasn't full -"Fancy all these people coming dressed as empty seats" quipped one of the stars - those present had a ball.
Apart from the solo features most of the numbers were in trio form with the crooners seamlessly switching the lyric between them. Whitley and Barlow also did some fancy hoofing on Cute.
One minor irritant was 'the business' during the vamp till ready intros which invariably went on too long making this listener impatient for the song to begin. Fly me to the Moon in particular springs to mind.
However, a mere fly in the ointment of the overall picture which was one of great songs beautifully sung and played and a lot of humour.
Catch them when you can.
Lance.
How Do You Do; Come Fly With Me; You Make me Feel so Young; My Kind of Girl; How Are Ya' Fixed For Love?; L.O.V.E; Give me the Moonlight; When You're Smiling; You're Awful; Cute; Nice and Easy; Blues in the Night; As Long as I'm Singing; Ain't That a Kick in the Head?; Mr Bojangles; Fly me to the Moon; It Had to be You; I Get a Kick Out of You; On the Street Where You Live; The Lady is a Tramp; I'm Gonna Live Till I Die; Mack the Knife; The Curtain Falls.
*Blues in the Night which opened the second half was close to being an overture with some fine tenor sax from Simon Kaylor.

No comments :

Blog Archive