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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

15491 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 512 of them this year alone and, so far, 133 this month (May 31).

From This Moment On ...

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).

Wed 07: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 07: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 07: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 07: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 08: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free. CANCELLED! BACK ON JUNE 15.
Thu 08: Easington Colliery Brass Band @ The Lubetkin Theatre, Peterlee. 7:00pm. £10.00.
Thu 08: Faye MacCalman + Blue Dust Archive @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 08: Dilutey Juice + Ceramic @ The Ampitheatre, Sea Road, South Shields. 7:00pm. Free. A South Tyneside Festival event.
Thu 08: Lara Jones w. Vigilance State @ Lubber Fiend, Blandford Square, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 08: Michael Littlefield @ the Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Country blues.
Thu 08: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 09: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 09: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 09: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 09: Castillo Nuevo @ Revolución de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30-8:30pm.
Fri 09: Emma Rawicz @ Sage Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 10: Miners' Picnic @ Woodhorn, Ashington. Music inc. Northern Monkey Brass Band (3:00-3:50pm); New York Brass Band (4:00-4:55pm).
Sat 10: Front Porch Three @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Americana, blues, jazz etc.
Sat 10: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sun 11: WORKSHOP: Tim Richards' Jazz Piano Workshop @ JG Windows, Newcastle. Time TBC. Further details tel. 0191 232 1356.
Sun 11: Jeremy McMurray's Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Ropner Park, Stockton TS18 4EF. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 11: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 11: Groovetrain @ Innisfree Sports & Social Club, Longbenton NE12 8TY. Doors 6:30pm. £15.00 (£7.00. under 16).
Sun 11: Jeffrey Hewer Collective @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 12: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Sunday, April 15, 2018

The Postmodernaires @ Hoochie Coochie - April 15.

Ross Laing (trumpet/MD); David Gray (trombone); Johnny 'Blue Hat' Davis (tenor); Andrew Richardson (keys); Rev Parker (bass); Tom Shorten (drums); Gina Lou (vocals).
(Review by Lance).
This band don't take no prisoners - this band. They go for the jugular right from the off. and the Hoochie regulars weren't complaining - Palm Court orchestras not welcome here!
Sing, Sing, Sing somehow merged into Take Five and ended up as George Michael's Never Gonna Dance Again, This is what The Postmodernaires are all about, taking pop classics and transforming them into earlier settings which usually seem to end up as 1950s' rock and roll.
Feeling Good; I'm Losing My Senses (Megadeth?); All About the Bass. Rev Parker and Gina Lou had some nice unison moments on this one and Rev had an excellent solo on the pogo-stick bass.
Sam Smith's I'm Not the Only One featured some good trumpet. The Cardigans' Love me Love, Say That You Love Me - these are all songs that are mainly new to me but Gina Lou sings them well and, with the horns, the arrangements and a stonking rhythm section they sound good. Imelda May provided Big Bad Handsome Man and, like I'm Never Gonna Give You Up and Hold on to What We've Got, the dancers loved them.
During the interval I found myself wishing they weren't quite so full on. Most numbers begin at double forte and end up with a whole lot more fortissimos than any normal eardrum can handle. Also, Gina Lou is a great singer with lots of potential but, I think she doesn't engage with the audience enough - she obviously has the personality to do so.
Minnie the Moocher got the second set rolling, the Dervishes occupied the dance floor and everyone was hi-di-hi-ing and ho-di-ho-ing.
That good old karaoke favourite I Will Survive had a blistering solo from 'Blue Hat' who, along with Gray, repeated the solar plexus punch on The Bare Necessities - 'A tune you will remember from your childhood days' said Gina Lou - I wish! 
The set rolled on eventually pulling two encores. These saw the horns down on the dance-floor and beyond, parading and blowing like as if it was a Lionel Hampton gig. The final Hit the Road Jack had David Gray up in the posh end (the booths) blowing like a man possessed - they don't call him Showtime for nothing!
Entertaining and, maybe, a work in progress? Whatever, catch them when you can.
Lance.

2 comments :

David Gray said...

Quick correction, before this post gains traction: the vocalist for tonight was Gina Lou. Thanks for showing up today, and for the kind words!

Lance said...

Will correct asap. However, does prove my point about lack of communication between band and audience. In fact, it's the first gig I've ever been to where the spieler didn't give a name check!

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