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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

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.

Thu 14: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Hot Fingers @ The Lubetkin Theatre, Peterlee. 7:00pm. £10.00.
Thu 14: After Hours Student Jazz Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. . Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 14: Niffi Osiyemi Trio @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Mo Scott ‘Little Mo’s Festive Appearance’ @ The Schooner, Gateshead. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Tees Hot Club w. Kevin Eland, Josh Bentham, Garry Hadfield, Adrian Beadnell @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Monday, August 20, 2018

CD Review: Sara Dowling - Two Sides of Sara

Sara Dowling (vocal) + Gabriel Latchin (piano) or Bill Mudge  (Hammond)
(Review by Lance).
When a CD/artist arrives on the back of endorsements by Guy Barker, Nigel Price, Sebastian Scotney, Jazz Journal and Mojo the least I can do is check it out before sending it down to the local Oxfam shop.
I'm rather glad I did!
Sorry Oxfam, but charity begins at home and this one's staying at home - mine!

One of the current trends amongst jazz vocalists is to draw from the Ella/Joe Pass albums but, great as those albums are, the earlier collaboration between Ella and pianist Ellis Larkins topped them. The First Lady was at her absolute peak in the years before Granz turned her into a songbook-churning machine and Larkins was, arguably, the finest accompanist she ever recorded with and I haven't forgotten Peterson, Tommy Flanagan, Paul Smith, Don Abney and the others but with Larkins, the chemistry was there.
So, when I read that Sara Dowling loved the Ella/Larkins' recordings that was another strike against Oxfam and when I actually listened, it was game, set and match Ms. Dowling.
The UK, Europe, the World, maybe even Mars, has more jazz singers per unsquare mile than we could ever have dreamed of back in Ella's day. Not all are wonderful, some are average and some are downright awful.
Sara fits into the Wonderful category.
If you doubt me, listen to Sara and Gabriel Latchin doing: Isn't it a Lovely Day; It's Crazy; I'm Glad There is You; After You Get What You Want You Don't Want it; Lost in the Stars; Will You Still be Mine? and Some Other Time and you'll die happy.
Unfortunately, should you depart this mortal coil at this point you will miss the next 7 tracks which have Bill Mudge on Hammond B3.
More superb singing with the Hammond adding a different dimension without detracting from Latchin's performance on the piano tracks.
You Turned the Tables on me; Mountain Greenery; I Guess I'll Hang my Tears Out to Dry; Miss Brown to You; Great Day; You Came a Long From St. Louis; Sleepy Time Down South. If anything, Sara is even jazzier on these tracks - well she had to be hadn't she? When you pit yourself against Mel Tormé, Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee and Louis Armstrong there's no time for coasting.
Sara isn't coasting!
A 5 star and counting album.
You can check it out here and whilst you're there listen to her first album and the (after Jon Hendricks) definitive version of Gigi Gryce's Social Call - this lady is going to be big!
Lance.

2 comments :

Martin Hummel said...

Lovely album. Well-deserved review. Good stuff, Lance!

Anonymous said...

Great review and a perfect summary of this young lady who has a great future ahead of her.

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