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Bebop Spoken There

Béla Fleck: “ And that's the great thing about live performances, you take people on a journey. It doesn't have to be like something else they've heard. It's not supposed to be". DownBeat, April, 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

16287 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 169 of them this year alone and, so far, 41 this month (Mar 18).

From This Moment On ...

March

Thu 28: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 28: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm.
Thu 28: Richard Herdman Quartet @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 28: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Guests: Josh Bentham (alto sax); Alan Marshall (tenor sax); Neil Brodie (trumpet); Adrian Beadnell (bass); Graham Thompson (keys); Steve Hunter (drums).

Fri 29: FILM: Soul @ The Forum Cinema, Hexham. 12:30pm. Jazz-themed film animation.
Fri 29: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 29: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free. POSTPONED!
Fri 29: Thundercat @ Newcastle City Hall.
Fri 29: John Logan @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sat 30: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 30: Pete Tanton’s Cuba Libre @ Whitley Bay Library, York Road, Whitley Bay. 8:00pm.

Sun 31: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 31: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields NE30 1HJ. 3:00pm. Free. Lambert, Alan Law & Paul Grainger.
Sun 31: Sid Jacobs & Tom Remon @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. USA/London jazz guitar duo.
Sun 31: Bellavana @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

April
Mon 01: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 02: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Dean Stockdale, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 03: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 03: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 03: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Friday, May 04, 2018

Binker and Moses: Poetry in Motion @ Sage Gateshead - May 3

(Review by Russell)
Crossings: Newcastle Poetry Festival isn’t, at first glance, an obvious event for review by Bebop Spoken Here. The participation of the much-hyped British saxophone and drums duo Binker and Moses flagged up the prospect of some ‘jazz’ content at this year’s Newcastle Poetry Festival. In the event, their input was if not minimal then certainly limited. The Londoners were in Gateshead sharing a stage with New York-based poet Tyehimba Jess. The other half of this double bill – the second half of the evening – would feature poetry, singing and flamenco guitar.
Tyehimba Jess (readings); Binker Golding (tenor saxophone); Moses Boyd (drums)

A moody, smoky, dry ice stage set welcomed Tyehimba Jess. Standing tall, an assured character positioned behind an Apple Mac generation lectern, Jess read from his Pulitzer Prize-winning Olio collection with the tenor sax and drums element there to top and tail the American’s three-quarters of an hour performance in Sage Two. Examining and commenting upon nineteenth-century African American lives, Jess revealed the experience of slavery, emancipation and the ongoing struggle of those living today in difficult times.

Tyehimba Jess offered an insight into his working methods. A precis will prove to be inadequate – Jess writes lines which can be read from the left to the mid-way point of the line, the eye darting to the line below, the remainder of the line (to the right of the mid-way point seemingly unconnected, to be read as a separate, stand-alone line). So far, so good. But there’s more, much more to Jess’ thinking. As he demonstrated, lines, half lines, can be read from any point on the page. Start from the last line and read up, skip a line, pick up at a random point in the text, amazingly, somehow it works. Copies of Olio were on sale outside Sage Two. Unsurprisingly all copies sold. And, as and when Binker Golding and Moses Boyd were pressed into action, they did the ‘jazz’ business.
 
Fernando Valverde (readings); Juan Pinilla (singing); David Caro (flamenco guitar)

Following a short interval, poet Fernando Valverde walked onto stage alongside singer Juan Pinilla and – this would prove to be a real bonus – flamenco guitarist David Caro. Valverde recited poems from Jugar con Fuego, a Latin Grammy-nominated collaborative work with Pinilla.

As one would perhaps expect Valverde read in Spanish. A screen behind, high above projected an English translation of the text. At first, this was a welcome aide, yet, after a while, it didn’t matter that much, as Juan Pinilla’s impassioned singing stole the show. And speaking of stealing the show the brilliant flamenco guitarist David Caro just about stole the show himself, and, if he returned to Sage Gateshead to give a solo recital your Bebop Spoken Here reviewer would be first in the queue.  

An interesting and certainly very different evening’s entertainment at Sage Gateshead. 
Russell      

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