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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

17444 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 718 of them this year alone and, so far, 100 this month (Oct. 10).

From This Moment On ...

October

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: Lindsay Hannon + Eleanor Adams @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig. Note, this is a change to the previously advertised gig.
Sun 13: Dulcie May Moreno Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 13: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A DUJS event. All welcome.

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).

Wed 16: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 16: Cath Stephens’ improvisation workshop @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 4:30-6:00pm. Collaborative group focusing on vocal improvisations.
Wed 16: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 16: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 17: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 17: Olivia Cuttill Quintet @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 17: Moonlight Serenade Orchestra UK: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Phoenix Theatre, Blyth. 7:30pm.
Thu 17: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. Ragtime piano. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 17: Niffi Osiyemi Trio @ The Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 17: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. Guests Jeremy McMurray (keys); Richie Emmerson (tenor sax); Mark Toomey (alto sax); Adrian Beadnell (bass). 8:30pm. Free.

Fri 18: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 18: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 18: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 18: Hot Club du Nord @ St Cuthbert’s, Crook. 7:30pm.
Fri 18: Chet Set @ Seventeen Nineteen, Hendon, Sunderland. 7:30pm. Pete Tanton & co.
Fri 18: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. Doors 7:30pm (upstairs). A Hoodoo Blues dance & social event. £10.00. class & social (£10.00., £7.50., £5.00. social only). Michael Woods (country blues guitar) on stage 9:00pm.
Fri 18: East Coast Swing Band @ Hexham Abbey. 7:30pm. £9.00.
Fri 18: Ben Crosland Quartet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 18: Durham University Jazz Society’s ‘High Standards’ @ Music Dept. Music Room, Divinity House, Palace Green, Durham University DH1 3RS. 8:009-30pm. Tel: 0191 334 1419. £7.00., £5.00.
Fri 18: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Blues Underground, Nelson St., Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free.

Sat 19: Sat 19: Paula Jackman’s Jazz Masters @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 19: Howlin’ Mat @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Country blues guitar & vocals. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

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

Saturday, August 25, 2018

Nicola Farnon Trio & Early Bird Big Band @ Ushaw, Durham - August 24

Nicola Farnon (vocals/bass); Paul Edis (piano); Phil Johnson (drums)
(Review by Lance).
Headlining day one of Ushaw Jazz Festival 2018, and, because of an imminent power cut, the trio gave a stunning, albeit abbreviated, performance in the august setting of the historic building's Exhibition Hall.
To refer to Ms. Farnon as someone who sings and plays the double bass simultaneously is to do the artist a disservice unless you add that she does both things brilliantly and seamlessly.
A choice selection of GASbook gems plus one of her own compositions had the audience enraptured. All the usual suspects were represented: Gershwin, Porter, Berlin, Duke (V); Duke (E); Rodgers and Hart - particularly Rodgers and Hart. For me, the song of the evening in an evening full of super songs, was the Broadway duo's You Are Too Beautiful. Like Nicola Farnon, I too have loved this song since hearing Johnny Hartman do it with John Coltrane. That is the benchmark and, in its own way, so is Nicola's version. Sung with a delicate, almost ethereal quality, it was as if she was singing to you alone - or so we all thought until we got home and looked in the mirror - such was the emotional impact of her rendition.
Apart from the voice, her bass playing was well up to scratch and her inter-song patter both amusing and informative.
On drums, Phil Johnson did the business exploding when explosions were called for particularly when exchanging fours with Nicola during scat choruses. The pair work well together and by adding the ubiquitous Paul Edis you have a trio - and boy what a trio!

Earlier, Paul had helped to move chairs to accommodate more people in the Francis Thompson Room where he led and played alto with the Early Bird Big Band - more about that shortly. Being the prime organiser of the festival, the news of the impending power cut or 'outage' as the bright sparks ('sparks' get it?) called it might have detracted a lesser person from the business in hand. Not Paul, he played his customary blinder, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by either Nicola or the audience.
A truly magical evening.
Lance.
That Old Devil Moon; Day in, Day Out; The Summer Wind; Taking a Chance on Love; A Foggy Day; The More I See You; This Can't Be Love; It's Just Got To Be That Way (original); Just in Time; You'd Be So Nice to Come Home to; One Note Samba; You Are Too Beautiful; Don't Get Around Much Anymore: Cheek to Cheek.
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Early Bird Big Band: Paul Edis (MD, alto); Haaruun Miller (alto, soprano); Alex Thompson (tenor); Megan Robinson (flute); Ryan de Silva (baritone); Andrew Hedges (trombone); James Metcalf, Graham Hardy (trumpets); Ben Lawrence (piano); Matthew Downey (guitar); Alex Shipsey (bass guitar); Dylan Thompson (drums).
Six O'Clock and the third Ushaw Jazz Festival was underway. Maestro Edis, as Nicola Farnon was to refer to him later, announced that apart from himself and guest trumpet player Graham Hardy all of the band were 18 or under and, not only that but four of them were also composers of very demanding scores - don't they grow up fast these days!

James Metcalf provided Lincoln's Lament, Alex Thompson chipped in with In a Distant Dream, flautist Megan asked Where's it All Leading? and Ben Lawrence gave us the picturesque titled Soft Hazel, inspired, I was told by some hazelnut painted walls!.
In a band of this nature it would be unfair to single out individual soloists - they all soled bar one so I'll mention him.

On drums, Dylan Thompson proved his worth by handling the different rhythms and time signatures thrown at him with the ease of a seasoned professional. Having heard him in different settings I know what an accomplished soloist he is and a couple of choruses on the 12 bar finale would have told the audience just that.
Nevertheless, it was an enlightening set and an eyeopener to anyone hearing these young musicians for the first time.
Lance.
Photos.

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