Total Pageviews

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

17372 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 656 of them this year alone and, so far, 61 this month (Sept. 17).

From This Moment On ...

September

Thu 19: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 19: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 19: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. Free. THC with guests Kevin Eland, Dan Johnson, Jeremy McMurray, Ron Smith.

Fri 20: Lindsay Hannon’s Tom Waits for No Man @ Gala Theatre, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 20: Rob Hall & Chick Lyall @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free (donations). 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: Leeway @ 1719, Hendon, Sunderland. 7:30pm. The Old Black Cat Jazz Club. CANCELLED!
Fri 20: Gaz Hughes Trio @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 21: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 1:00-2:45pm. Free.
Sat 21: Vieux Carré Hot Four @ The Beehive, Hartley Lane, Earsdon Whitley Bay NE25 0SZ. 4:30pm-6:30pm.
Sat 21: Baghdaddies @ Two by Two, Albion Row, Byker, Newcastle NE6 1RQ. 6:00pm.
Sat 21: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Northumberland Club, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Sat 21: Jude Murphy & Alan Law @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 22: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 2:30-4:30pm. Free.
Sun 22: Dulcie May Moreno Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 22: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Richard Herdman @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 22: Remy CB Band @ Blues Underground, Nelson St., Newcastle. 8:30pm. Free. Remi, 2024 Newcastle Uni graduate, superb soul/blues voice!

Mon 23: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 23: Paul Booth with the Paul Edis Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00. A Blaydon Jazz Club 40th anniversary concert! SOLD OUT!

Tue 24: Dulcie May Moreno Quartet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £12.00. (£10.00. adv. from Tully’s of Rothbury). Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 24: Sarah Gillespie @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £16.50. Duo performance with Chris Montague.

Wed 25: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 25: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 25: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 25: Moonlight Serenade Orchestra UK: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Middlesbrough Theatre. 7:30pm.

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

No comments :

Blog Archive