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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 ...

June

Sat 03: Newcastle Record Fair @ Northumbria University, Newcastle NE8 8SB. 10:00am-3:00pm. Admission: £2.00.
Sat 03: Pedigree Jazz Band @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 03: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Sue Ferris. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 03: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 03: Papa G's Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sun 04: Smokin' Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm.
Sun 04: Central Bar Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00-4:00pm. £5.00. The Central Bar Quintet plays Sonny Rollins' Saxophone Colossus. Featuring Lewis Watson.
Sun 04: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 04: Struggle Buggy + Michael Littlefield @ Tyne Bar, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues.
Sun 04: Swinging at the Cotton Club: Harry Strutters' Hot Rhythm Orchestra @ The Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm.
Sun 04: Richard Jones Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 04: Jam No. 18 @ Fabio's Bar, Saddler Street, Durham. 8:00pm. Free. All welcome. A Durham University Jazz Society event.

Mon 05: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

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.
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.

Thursday, June 07, 2018

DJazz: The Durham City Jazz Festival: Fowler’s Yard Sunday - June 3

(Review by Russell)
Following Saturday’s frustrating washout, Sunday in Fowler’s Yard went ahead as scheduled. The DJazz free stage programme attracted a crowd despite the rather cool conditions. Fowler’s Yard’s Hill Island Brewery was open for business and a pint of Brubeck brewed especially for the festival was the obvious choice (see photo)!

Durham University student band WTFunk? opened the afternoon’s entertainment. An enthusiastic outfit, WTFunk? delivered an upbeat set as the audience grew minute by minute. Anyone strolling across Framwellgate Bridge couldn’t fail to hear the jazz emanating from below and doubtless the curious wandered down to see what was going on. 
On paper, Zach Fox with Strings looked like an interesting project. The Durham University student saxophonist had put together a regulation jazz group with the addition of a string quartet. Fox plays alto and tenor and the likelihood was alto sax would be his preferred horn – a la Bird – for this performance. Sure enough, Fox appeared with his alto case. Sound levels outdoors can be difficult at the best of times and the altoist took the time to get the balance right. The set comprised material by contemporary composers – Moonchild’s Cure, Christian Scott’s Perspectives, Ben Williams’ Lost and Found – together with two well-loved tunes,   Laura and Kamasi Washington’s arrangement of Clair de Lune. Perhaps it was the cool conditions and the distinct threat of rain but Fox’s set didn’t quite take off. Perhaps an indoor performance of this project could be the answer without any of the many on-street distractions.

Debra Milne and Steve Glendinning have been writing material together for some time. Voice and guitar duos are commonplace so perhaps original material is the way to go in an attempt to stand out from the crowd. From Show Me the Man to The Blame Game the Milne and Glendinning songbook formed the bulk of their set, vocalist Milne standing, guitarist Glendinning seated throughout. Milne chose to open their set with a Milne-Bradley Johnston composition titled The Pick Up. Later Milne turned to veteran pianist Alan Glen’s Dawn at Sunset. Perhaps it was the lack of the familiar – ie the GASbook – or perhaps it was the glowering rain clouds over Fowler’s Yard, but again the set didn’t quite hit the heights.

In recent times, Niffi Osiyemi has made a big impression at the Jazz Café’s bi-monthly jam session. The Newcastle based medical student arrived at Fowler’s Yard in good time, as did Paul Grainger. Five minutes before Osiyemi was due on stage there was no sign of pianist Alan Law. Hmm. Jazz musicians improvise, don’t they? Guitarist Steve Glendinning was still around so he readily agreed to play the set. The reformed Tyneside based trio took to the stage and, as Osiyemi counted in the first number, bassist Paul Grainger’s mobile rang. Guess who? Alan Law, that’s who! He’ll be here in five minutes, said Osiyemi. The trio didn’t hang around preferring to be Makin’ Whoopee. Pianist Alan Law duly arrived – better late than never! – and as he sat down at the piano received a round of applause prompting him to take a bow! Osiyemi’s swing dance friends got to their feet to swing it as the now quartet played Don’t Get Around Much Anymore. Well, things had certainly livened up, the weather was holding off, the bar was still open for business, so Osiyemi decided it was time to  Let the Good Times Roll. Glendinning and Law know each other from old so the quartet format was right up their street. As Osiyemi introduced Cry Me a River your correspondent made his excuses and headed for the barbershop…more about that in another review.  

Fast forward an hour or so, back in Fowler’s Yard, Stu Collingwood’s smokin’ Jimmy Smith organ sound echoed around Back Silver Street. Working with Collingwood on this DJazz date was Russ Morgan, surely the most in-demand drummer on the northeast scene. And there she was, petite, dressed in black, the one and only Mo Scott, singing Rockin’ Chair. If Mo Scott’s on the gig it can’t be anything other than a good one. Fever, Unchain My Heart, God Bless the Child, all very familiar yet, when Scott is the vocalist, let’s hear them one more time. But Beautiful then Mercy, Mercy, Mercy and she was gone.   
Russell

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