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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

17372 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 656 of them this year alone and, so far, 61 this month (Sept. 17).

From This Moment On ...

September

Thu 19: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 19: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 19: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. Free. THC with guests Kevin Eland, Dan Johnson, Jeremy McMurray, Ron Smith.

Fri 20: Lindsay Hannon’s Tom Waits for No Man @ Gala Theatre, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 20: Rob Hall & Chick Lyall @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free (donations). SOLD OUT!
Fri 20: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 20: Leeway @ 1719, Hendon, Sunderland. 7:30pm. The Old Black Cat Jazz Club. CANCELLED!
Fri 20: Gaz Hughes Trio @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 21: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 1:00-2:45pm. Free.
Sat 21: Vieux Carré Hot Four @ The Beehive, Hartley Lane, Earsdon Whitley Bay NE25 0SZ. 4:30pm-6:30pm.
Sat 21: Baghdaddies @ Two by Two, Albion Row, Byker, Newcastle NE6 1RQ. 6:00pm.
Sat 21: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Northumberland Club, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Sat 21: Jude Murphy & Alan Law @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 22: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 2:30-4:30pm. Free.
Sun 22: Dulcie May Moreno Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 22: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Richard Herdman @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 22: Remy CB Band @ Blues Underground, Nelson St., Newcastle. 8:30pm. Free. Remi, 2024 Newcastle Uni graduate, superb soul/blues voice!

Mon 23: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 23: Paul Booth with the Paul Edis Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00. A Blaydon Jazz Club 40th anniversary concert! SOLD OUT!

Tue 24: Dulcie May Moreno Quartet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £12.00. (£10.00. adv. from Tully’s of Rothbury). Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 24: Sarah Gillespie @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £16.50. Duo performance with Chris Montague.

Wed 25: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 25: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 25: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 25: Moonlight Serenade Orchestra UK: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Middlesbrough Theatre. 7:30pm.

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

CD Review: Flavio Lira - Coffee Gold Sugar Cane

(Review by Max G)

Hailing from Brazil, Flavio Lira is based in New York City, active in a wide variety of genres and musical forms. This policy is present throughout the album which Lira refers to as ‘a rhythmic fusion of samba, baiao, regional folklore, tumbao, clave, Partido Alto, jazz influence from the north, classical fugue, and more.’

This sounds like an ambitious mix, and perhaps an album which brings together 38 different musicians from 15 different countries might struggle to maintain a clear identity if each of their musical personalities is simultaneously foregrounded. However, the album’s identity retains a central core of, in the broadest terms, Latin influence.


The album is also defined by Lira’s dense arrangements, featuring a mass of different instruments and timbres. For example, on the album’s second track, his highly original and complex arrangement of All the Things You Are. However, in this track, the constant chopping and changing of sounds, feels, and his intense melodic interplay and elaborations at times become overwhelming. The same could also be said of Sol no Frio

Whilst Lira’s ambition, which leads him to attempt the broad synthesis of styles and musical backgrounds he describes, should undoubtedly be applauded, perhaps that ambition should be reined in slightly.

Despite these criticisms, the album does definitely have some nice moments. 5 to 9 grooves really naturally, with a great vibes solo from Ryan Fedak. I personally am often suspicious of attempts to cross the classical-jazz divide. However, the album’s concluding Bass Fugue is executed with originality and showcases Lira’s excellent bass playing – something which perhaps could be more prominent through the album as a whole.

Overall, this is a fun, thoroughly enjoyable album. But just perhaps not quite a classic.
Max G.

Coffee Gold Sugar Cane is available on Interrobang Records.

Flavio Lira (bass); Ryan Fedak (vibraphone); Anibal Cruz (piano); Takafumi Nikaido (congas, cajon); Graciliano Zambonin (drums); Kan Yanabe (pandiero, tamborim, clave); Edmar Colon (alto sax, bari sax); Gaciliano Zambonin (drums);  Nella Rojas (vocals); Yoshie Nakayama (trombone); Jon Weidley (trumpet); Juan Ruiz (alto sax); Anggie Obin (flute); Nacho Gonzaled (guitar); Julio Santos (pandeiro); Martin Musaubach (Rhodes, organ); Yaure Muniz (trumpet); Xito Lovell (trombone); Howard Levy (harmonica); Kevin Scollins (guitar); Eduardo Mercuri (guitar); Naty Hernandez (vocals); Valentine Komissarouk (vocals); Vitor Goncalvez (e-piano); Livio Almeida (soprano sax); Laura Crespo (bongo, guiro); Thiago Vitori (synths, pads); Clay Steininger (guitar); Alexi Tsiganov (piano); Raphael Lehnen (bombo leguero); Catherine Bent (cello); Leandro Pellengrino (guitar); Fernando Brandao (flute); Keisel Jiminez (tishbales, congas, vocals); Ronaldo Andrade (surdo, cavaco, banjo, vocals); Bruno Brandalise (trombone).

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