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Bebop Spoken There

Abbie Finn: "Even though there's a lot of great work being done to promote women in jazz, I still come up against some attitudes! I pulled up at a recording session with my drums in the car and the studio owner said, 'I'm sorry, this space is reserved for the drummer!'" - (Jazzwise April 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

15245 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 264 of them this year alone and, so far, 77 this month (March 25).

From This Moment On ...

March

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm.
Sun 26: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Mar 26: Pop Jazz @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. 'Jazzified' tunes by the likes of Sylvester, Bowie, the Monkees etc., feat. Alan Law, David Gray, Richard Herdman & Jude Murphy.
Sun 26: Outlines @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. JNE promotion (upstairs).

Mon 27: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 28: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 28: Sanaz Lavasani Trio @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 8:00pm. £12.00 (£10.00. adv).

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 29: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 30: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library. 2:30-4:30pm. £2.00. All welcome.
Thu 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. Back to 1:00pm stomp off. Free.
Thu 30: '58 Jazz Collective @ Hops & Cheese, Hartlepool. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 30: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm.
Thu 30: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 31: Lewis Watson Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Town Hall. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 31: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 31: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 31: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm. CANCELLED! Back next week (April 7).
Fri 31: Jasmine Myra + Waclaw Zimpel @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Fri 31: The Revolutionaires @ The Shack, Boldon Colliery. 7:30pm. £10.00. The Revolutionaires' big band (horn section) line-up.
Fri 31: Andrew McCormack @ Maltings, Berwick. 8:00pm. £20.00.

April
Sat 01: The Big Easy @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 01: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Steve Glendinning - In a Minor Key. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 01: Hot Club du Nord @ Pleased to Meet You, Bridge St., Morpeth. 8:00pm. £79.00. A charity fundraising event.
Sat 01: Boys of Brass @ Stack, Seaburn. 7:00-9:00pm.
Sat 01: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00. RESCHEDULED to next week (Sat 08).

Friday, November 23, 2018

Alison Rayner Quintet @ the Globe Jazz Bar, Newcastle - Nov. 22

Alison Rayner (bass); Deirdre Cartwright (guitar); Diane McLoughlin (tenor/soprano saxes); Steve Lodder (piano); Buster Birch (drums)
(Review by Lance/Photos courtesy of Ken Drew).

You wait 11 months for a 'Quintet of the Year' to come along and, within less than a week, you have two of them!

Nothing could ever top Sunday's session at the Black Bull with the Mick Shoulder Quintet but, and here's the rub, nor could anything top the Alison Rayner Quintet at the Globe last night. Two great bands, one updating the past and one bringing the future closer. Let's just say that I wouldn't have missed either.

A co-promotion by the Jazz Coop and JNE as part of the latter's Women Make Music series, this was an unmissable event and the crowded Jazz Bar seemed to agree.

Two sets of originals, mainly by leader/bassist Rayner, demonstrated the wide cross-section of the band's repertoire drawn from their two previous CDs* as well as some yet to be recorded material.

A floating, almost ephemeral, feeling came across even on some of the more forceful numbers. Hard blowing tenor that wouldn't have been out of place on a Blue Note album from McLoughlin contrasted with the wistfulness of her soprano playing. The soprano is my least favourite of the saxophone family. Too often it brings to mind snake charmers! Diane avoided this stereotype even on a number Alison composed that was related to Indian elephants (Trunk Call) and went a long way to dispelling my saxist prejudices.


Lodder too had an amazing solo on the Indo/Bop number perhaps best described as Monkish (Buddhist?). His solos were all on the money and then some.

Cartwright played with minimal use of foot pedals. Fast-fingered and cleanly articulated runs that surely was an object lesson to any aspiring guitar players in the audience. They'd be easily recognised by the way their mouths hung open and their jaws dropped. Given the chance, they'd use her plecs for toothpicks (I cleaned that one up!)

Buster Birch - a jazz name if ever there was one, said a member of Team Bebop - was mega impressive. Solos, support he went with the many mood changes. When it said swing, he swung, when it said rock, he rocked, when it said fuse, he fused - a man for all seasons.

As for Alison Rayner, sound throughout and particularly during one number where piano and bass had a lovely duo moment. Just the two - it was sublime.

During the interval, Ken Drew took this shot of Alison Rayner, Chi Onwurah (Newcastle's jazziest MP) and myself reunited after last month's APPJAG awards ceremony in London.

A brilliant night.
Lance.
Photos.

*August and A Magic Life.

4 comments :

Pam Young (on F/b) said...

Fabulous band! We are so lucky in Newcastle to have heard such amazing music. In the last few weeks alone we have been in the presence of genius.

Anonymous said...

Loved it.

Phil D said...

Loved it.

Alison Rayner said...

Wow, Lance, thank you for a lovely review. It was so nice to see you again – and Chi too – especially so soon after our recent Awards successes! Thank you to everyone who came and made us feel so welcome in Newcastle. Cheers!

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