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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).

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

17444 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 718 of them this year alone and, so far, 100 this month (Oct. 10).

From This Moment On ...

October

Fri 11: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
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). CANCELLED!
Fri 11: Joe Steels Trio @ The Pele, Market Place, Corbridge NE45 5AW. 7:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: Crooners @ Tyne Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Fri 11: Mo Scott Band @ Blues Underground, Nelson St., Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!

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).

Wed 16: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 16: Cath Stephens’ improvisation workshop @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 4:30-6:00pm. Collaborative group focusing on vocal improvisations.
Wed 16: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 16: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 17: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 17: Olivia Cuttill Quintet @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 17: Moonlight Serenade Orchestra UK: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Phoenix Theatre, Blyth. 7:30pm.
Thu 17: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. Ragtime piano. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 17: Niffi Osiyemi Trio @ The Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 17: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. Guests Jeremy McMurray (keys); Richie Emmerson (tenor sax); Mark Toomey (alto sax); Adrian Beadnell (bass). 8:30pm. Free.

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, April 10, 2018

GIJF Day 3: The Interchange Dectet Led By Issie Barratt – Sage Gateshead, April 8

Brigitte Beraha (voice); Yazz Ahmed (trumpet, electronics); Helena Kay (clarinet, alto sax); Tori Freestone (flute, ten, sop sax, violin); Issie Barratt (bari sax, bandleader); Carol Jarvis (trombone); Shirley Smart (electric cello); Karen Street (accordion); Charlie Pyne (double bass); Katie Patterson (drums, percussion)
(Review by Ann Alex/photo courtesy of Ken Drew).
Issie Barratt explained that she usually works as a composer who is given commissions to complete, but she decided that she wished to work with musicians of her own choosing to see what they could all come up with. And this is it. Ten very talented musicians, playing 10 works, which will eventually result in a CD to be called Donna’s Secret, which is also the title of a novel which has influenced one of the pieces. 
All the pieces were composed by band members or other women, and I’d describe the music as world music, influenced by jazz. I use the word pieces, rather than tunes, as each piece is complex, about ten minutes long, programmatic, as each section is descriptive of the title to some extent, and there appears to be much improvisation. Many different influences are present, Arabic and Middle Eastern tunes, folk tunes, poetry and Shakespeare.
And there is the added attraction of the (mostly) wordless vocals from Brigitte Beraha, who sings expressively in rich tones, an integral part of many of the pieces. The electronic effects also add much, such as the voices of women calling the cattle home across the valleys, in the final piece.
The piece entitled Caliban by Cassie Kinoshi, was being played for the first time ever. It began with a bowed bass and low horns in a lumbering rhythm, as you’d imagine Caliban to appear, then multi-tracked vocals and a trombone rhythm accompanying the horns, followed by accordion music.
To try to get the ‘feel’ of the music, I’ll simply list the pieces with the composer’s name.

Still Here by Karen Street, which referred to her mother, who has Alzheimer’s disease.
An Ocean Formed of Stars by Yazz Ahmed, with quotations from the poetry of Rumi, and an ethereal sound.
Spontaneous Symmetry by Tori  Freestone, luscious music.
To The Power of Ten by Nikki Yeoh.
Negomi by Nikki Iles.
Caliban as above.
Donna’s Secret by Brigitte Beraha, with sweet singing from Brigitte and the bass player.
Palmyra by Shirley Smart, my favourite piece, with a very eastern-sounding cello, concerning the recent destruction of ancient monuments.
Samla Korna Med Kulning by Issie Barratt.

There may have been another piece, Hope by Carol Jarvis, which was introduced when I was distracted by my reviewer’s pen running out!  Every reviewer’s nightmare, sorry about that.

I guess that this music would especially please jazz lovers of wide tastes who like something out of the ordinary, and also classical music fans who are familiar with programmatic music. An interesting evening’s music.
Ann Alex

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