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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, May 27, 2018

BSH Interviews Zoë Gilby

(Interview by Russell/ Photo from GIJF 2018 courtesy of Ken Drew)
On Friday (June 1) you have the honour, alongside Andy Champion (pictured), of opening this year’s DJazz: Durham City Jazz Festival. Your voice and double bass duo set is well suited to a smaller, intimate space, and Friday’s concert in the atmospheric setting of Durham Castle’s Norman Chapel has all the makings of a memorable evening. The building dates from about 1080. Can you recall playing in such an ancient venue?

We are super excited to be opening the festival and performing our voice and double bass duo in the Norman Chapel. I understand it is the first time it has been used as a venue for the festival, so it’ll be a pretty special occasion. We haven’t performed in anywhere so ancient with such a rich history. As part of the Ellington Sacred Concerts in 2017, I performed with Jambone in the astonishing St Cuthbert’s Chapel at Ushaw College (dating back only to 1808 I believe). The acoustics and ambiance were unbelievable. My quartet often performs around the country as part of the rural touring scheme. Some of those venues have been beautiful village churches, tucked away in the countryside. I think it’s fantastic that these amazing spaces are being transformed into venues and that we have the opportunity to perform there too. Durham’s Norman Chapel on Friday 1st June is going to be epic!!


Earlier this year Gateshead and Darlington, Durham this week, later in the year Ushaw, Newcastle and Whitley Bay (and an as yet unannounced Teesside event), jazz festivals appear to be thriving! 
You’re well acquainted with the jazz scene in the north east of England. The demise of Jazzaction (the regional jazz development agency), never-ending ‘austerity’ cuts, many promoters existing on shoestring budgets, are you surprised that new festivals and venues (seemingly against all odds!)  continue to emerge?

No, I’m not surprised but I am beyond impressed. The dedication and hard work it requires to successfully organise any live music event especially on the level of DJazz is astounding. The quality and diversity of DJazz festival programming is exceptional and thankfully there are many other festivals and venues like it across the UK. As long as there are musicians to perform, promoters willing to organise and the audiences who are thirsty to experience live music, then it doesn’t matter what budget cuts are made. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

You maintain a number of projects – Family Jazz All-Stars, Pannonica, Watching Sideways, Rural Touring, Newcastle University Group, not to mention duo, trio and quartet gigs – ranging from solo to large ensemble performances. Does any particular one take priority or are you happy to mix and match?

All of the projects are very special to me. They each give me a unique creative outlet to express myself. Having a strong band of musicians to work with on these projects is so important too. Not to mention all of the wonderful different performance settings I have had the pleasure to showcase these projects. Churches, schools, art centres, libraries, you name it, the list goes on. It’s never a dull life.

Beatles Bossa and Beyond is your duo gig with pianist Alan Law (next one National Glass Centre, Sunderland on July 20) must be fun. How did it come about?

I’ve known and worked with Alan for a few years now, performing the Great American Songbook. We were asked by Jazz Cafe to perform as a duo a couple of years back and we decided to make it “a thing” Often Alan and I would talk about how excellent The Beatles catalogue is and how brilliant it would be to give them our own treatment and perform them. It’s seemed like a no-brainer. We compiled a list of some of our favourite Beatles tunes, arranged them and thanks to the quality of the original compositions (thanks to Lennon/McCartney) we were able to generate our own sound. Very much like the Great American Songbook, a huge collection of songs that act as a blank canvas for our musical expression. We’re really excited to be performing at National Glass Centre in July. It’s another fabulous space.

Speaking of the duo format…the great Sheila Jordan had something to do with the development of your voice and bass duo with Andy Champion. You have been fortunate to spend time with Sheila. On stage she comes across as a warm, encouraging individual. Is she much the same off stage?

She is brilliant! An inspiring educator as well as being a legendary jazz artist. So encouraging, she really knows how to light the fire within the vocalist and the musicians. Her wealth of experience, her personality, her humour just warms your heart and makes you want to push yourself and be fearless. With Sheila’s guidance, anything is possible.
As a globetrotting musician you must be looking forward to the Jazz in July Festival on Crete, then the little matter of a tour of Ukraine! How does it work…fly in, hire a car and hit the road?

It’s really quite bonkers. Planes, trains and automobiles. I am so blessed to get these opportunities to travel and share our music abroad. A little nerve-wracking too, flight schedules, lost luggage, a lot can go not exactly to plan but it’s always 100% worth it. Seize the chances and live for the moment on and off stage. The adventure is what life is all about.

A favourite of Bebop Spoken Here is the too-little-heard trumpeter Noel Dennis. It is good to see a Tom Harrell project is in the offing. Tell us about your involvement?

Noel Dennis is an incredible musician and a joy to work with. He has suggested putting together a Tom Harrell project for ages. Tom Harrell is Noel’s trumpet/flugelhorn/composer hero. His body of work is so lyrical and melodic, Noel has always felt that it is crying out for a vocal interpretation. I love to compose lyrics and this venture is no exception. Debuting at the 2nd Newcastle Jazz Festival on Saturday 6th October with a spectacular band. Mark Williams on guitar, Andy Champion on double bass and of course Noel Dennis on trumpet and flugelhorn.

Three albums in - Now That I Am Real, Looking Glass and Twelve Stories - is there another one in the pipeline? What can you tell us about Living in Shadows or are you keeping it under wraps?

Andy and I indeed have a new project in the pipeline. We’re buzzing about it. A new direction, a new sound. All original compositions and it is mind blowing how it is coming together. It’s our next musical chapter.... watch this space.


Thanks Zoë, we’ll see you at DJazz (Friday June 1) in Durham Castle!  

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