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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

17421 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 695 of them this year alone and, so far, 100 this month (Sept. 30).

From This Moment On ...

October

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. Wed 09: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 5:00-7:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 09: The Tannery Jam Session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. A ‘second Wednesday in the month’ jam session.
Wed 09: Shunya, Dudù Kouate & Seb Rochford @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 8:30pm (7:30pm doors). £21.00.

Thu 10: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 10: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. ‘Collaborations - it happened all the time’.
Thu 10: Indigo Jazz Voices w. the Little Big Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.
Thu 10: Side Cafe Orkestar @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
The 10: Classic Swing @ Carlisle Rugby Club, Warwick Rd., Carlisle. 8:30pm. £9.
Thu 10: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. With guests Donna Hewitt (sax); Bill Watson (trumpet); Graham Thompson (keys); Ron Smith (bass). Free.

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. 7:30pm. Free.
Fri 11: Crooners @ Tyne Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Fri 11: Mo Scott Band @ Blues Underground, Nelson St., Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free.

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).

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, May 15, 2018

CD Review: Beverley Beirne - JJWTHF*

Beverley Beirne (vocals); Sam Watts (piano); Flo Moore (bass); Ben Brown (drums/perc.); Rob Hughes (sax/flute) + Jason Miles (B3 - 2 tks); Romero Lumbambo (guitar - 1 tk); Dean Brown (guitar - 1 tk).
(Review by Lance).
Jazz and pop music have always been unlikely bedfellows and rarely compatible. Even such greats as Sinatra and Ella never sounded comfortable when dipping their toes into the more contemporary chart-infested waters. Likewise, Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart and, more recently, Bob Dylan were only moderately successful at interpreting GASbook material.
Never the twain shall meet, has always been my reaction despite an increasing tendency amongst the current crop of jazz singers to tackle post-Beatle material. With the possible exception of Postmodern Jukebox, I don't think it ever quite works.
Until now that is!
Beverley Beirne has nailed it. Twelve pop-hits from the 1970s and 1980s that respond 100% to being jazzified.
Noddy Holder commented on Slade's Come (sic) On Feel The Noize: "I love the jazz version of  'Noize' and reckon it shows how a fab singer can come up with a totally different version of the song and make it work".

Prince Charming by Adam Ant. As recently as a couple of night's ago I never dreamt that AA would be mentioned in these pages but it's a great song that has completely passed me by - until now.
Bette Davis Eyes - wow! this is the one. I've listened to composer Jackie DeShannon's version and Kim Carnes' 1981 smash hit and Beverley Beirne's take is right up there with them.

There's also The Specials' Ghost Town; Deeply Dippy from Right Said Fred; When Smokey Sings by ABC; Bananarama's Cruel Summer and Robin Scott's Pop Muzik. 
Too Shy prompted Kajagoogoo's former lead singer, Limahl, to say, "It's raw, energetic and her vocal is both sassy and commanding". 
Beverley's version is also available as a single

Billy Idol's Not in the City; Waiting For a Girl Like You by Foreigner and Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Want to Have Fun complete an album that already looks likely to take root on my player.

Of course, there's more to it than BB's wonderful vocals (including some effective scat blasts) there's also Sam Watt's piano accompaniment, his solos, and his hand in the arrangements. Gutsy tenor playing and fine fluting from Rob Hughes. Flo Moore's basswork on Shy, Ben Brown's drumming on the same number (and throughout), the guitarists in their cameo roles - and then there's Jason Miles. Jason not only produced the album, he also wrote the sleeve notes and augmented a couple of tracks from the cockpit of a Hammond B3!
Love it!
Lance.
*JJWTHF = Jazz Just Wants To Have Fun.
Thanks to Beverley and the band, jazz got its wishes and so will you come the album's release which the promotional blurb quotes as June 15 although BB's website gives the release date as May 15 (that's today!)

1 comment :

mark.beirne.smith@gmail.com said...

Thanks for the review Lance
The release date is 15th June, I have updated the web site accordingly!
Mark

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