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Bebop Spoken There

Billy Boy Arnold: “As long as you don't think old you're good.” - DownBeat, December, 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!"

Simon Spillett: A lovely review from the dean of jazz bloggers, Lance Liddle...

Postage

16051 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 1058 of them this year alone and, so far, 12 this month (Dec. 6).

From This Moment On ...

December

Thu 07: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free CANCELLED!
Thu 07: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay, Newcastle. 12 noon - 4:00pm. £26.00 (inc 3-course meal in in St Mary's Lighthouse Suite). SOLD OUT!
Thu 07: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm. All welcome.
Thu 07: Thursday Night Prayer Meeting @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.Donations. Feat. Mark Sanders. CANCELLED!
Thu 07: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00. Downstairs. CANCELLED!
Thu 07: Tees Hot Club: Just Friends @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. Guest band night w. Richie Emmerson, Ian Bosworth, Dave Archbold, Ron Smith, Mark Hawkins. 9:00pm.

Fri 08: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 08: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 08: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 08: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle. 1:00pm. £7.00.
Fri 08: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Woodland Village Hall, Bishop Auckland. 7:00pm. £12.00.
Fri 08: Sleep Suppressor + Redwell @ Head of Steam, Neville St., Newcastle. 8:00pm. £10.00. (£8.00. adv); £5.00. student.
Fri 08: Hot Club du Nord @ St Cuthbert's Church, Shadforth, Co. Durham.
Fri 08: Têtes de Pois + Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £8.00.

Sat 09: Prudhoe Community Band @ Central Station, Newcastle. 10:00am - 12 noon. Charity fundraiser.
Sat 09: Durham Alumni Big Band @ Number One Bar, Skinnergate, Darlington. 1:00pm.
Sat 09: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 09: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Middleton & Todridge Village Hall, Morpeth. 7:30pm. £12.00., £6.00.
Sat 09: Paul Skerritt @ Slaley Hall, Hexham NE47 0BX. 7:30pm. From £42.00.

Sun 10: Musicians Unlimited’s Xmas Party with Zoë Gilby Quartet @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. MU 1:00-3:00pm; Zoë Gilby Quartet 4:00-6:00pm. Tickets: £7.50.
Sun 10: Alan Law, Paul Grainger & Abbie Finn @ Darlington Market, Market Square, Darlington. 1:00pm. Free. A ‘Christmas Market’ outdoor gig. Wrap up warm!
Sun 10: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
Sun 10: Funk Soul Sista @ Stack, Seaburn. 5:00-7:00pm. Free.
Sun 10: Beth Clarke @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 10: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Whittingham Memorial Institute, Alnwick. 7:30pm. £12.00., £10.00.
Sun 10: Tele-Port @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Line-up inc. Zhenya Strigalev.

Mon 11: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 11: Interim Final Recitals @ Newcastle University. Details TBC.

Tue 12: Stu Collingwood Organ Trio @ Forum Music Centre, Darlington. 7:00pm. £10.00.

Wed 13: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 13: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 13: Bold Big Band @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Wed 13: Giles Strong Quartet @ Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Monday, June 04, 2018

DJazz: Durham City Jazz Festival - Bits and Pieces (and still great value at £10)

(Musings of Ann Alex/photo of organiser Carlo outside of Empty Shop by Russell).
I arrived in Durham on Saturday afternoon and was met with a woman singer who was doing quite well with jazz standards, at one end of the marketplace. I’m still not sure whether she was part of the festival – I suspect not, as she appeared to be accompanied by canned music.  My luck was in as Tony Eales then appeared, as if by magic, and he directed me to the Empty Shop venue, which I’ve wanted to visit for ages. I just wished to check it out, but of course, I stayed for half an hour, I just couldn’t stop listening to Francis Tulip’s Quartet (reviewed elsewhere). I did worry that if they played any louder, we might all be buried in rubble if this very old building collapsed!

I left before the end and was met this time by heavy rain, which impeded my travels to The Claypath Delicatessen. I was quite unable to get through the door of this venue, which was blocked by the (er) rear end of a man who was very busy taking official photos of the band’s performance until an organiser asked him to move out of the way for a minute. Amusing stuff like this adds fun to festivals, for me it does, anyway. 
The Julija Jaciente Trio (Julija on vocals, with Steve Glendinning on guitar and Paul Grainger on bass) were just rounding off their first set. The second set opened with Misty, with very skilled scat from Julija. I’m not into scat all that much, but Julija’s is very acceptable as it really fits into the song well and it isn’t just an add-on, but an integral part of the music. There’ll Never Be Another You followed, with really wild scat this time, but it worked well as it came across as humorous, almost as if our singer was making fun of herself. And we had the added attraction of a bass solo, and of course Steve’s wonderful guitar.

Then came the audience participation. I’m used to this from folk music clubs, but it’s more unusual in jazz circles. However Julija has the right sort of personality to make this a success. We were taught a simple song with the words ‘O adiar, adio, opa, opa opa’, two people were given shakers to play, and we were off. Then dancing was suggested by our singer, so a couple got up and did just that. The set was rounded off with a heartwarming version of What a Wonderful World, which is the first jazz song that Julija heard, many years ago. I guess that the first half must have been much longer and I’d missed it, and I wished I could be split in two. Julija's new CD of originals will be reviewed shortly by Lance.

I was interested to realise that at this venue, most of the audience was young, with many, being in Durham, students, whereas at the Empty Shop, the audience was older, mostly people I knew from the Gateshead Jazz Festival.

I then wandered vaguely in the direction of the Redhills Durham Miners Hall, and soon met others going there to hear Soweto Kinch (reviewed elsewhere).  I sat in the seat of the delegate for pit number 35 (I wonder which pit that was?) and enjoyed the gig, and also found out what Freestyle (from hip hop culture) actually is. You learn lots at festivals. This one was wonderfully well organised, and the people on duty were very helpful.
I’ll be back next year!
Ann Alex

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