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Bebop Spoken There

Steve Fishwick: “I can’t get behind the attitude that new is always somehow better than old” - Jazz Journal, April 15, 2019,

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

16034 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 1041 of them this year alone and, so far, 73 this month (Nov. 27).

From This Moment On ...

December

Sun 03: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:30pm. £7.50.
Sun 03: The Central Bar Quartet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. The Central Bar Quartet plays Lou Donaldson’s Gravy Train. Featuring Jamie Toms.
Sun 03: Paul Skerritt @ Smith’s Arms, Carlton, Stockton-on-Tees. 7:00pm.
Sun 03: Johnny Hunter Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 03: Jam session @ The Schooner, Gateshead. 8:00pm. Free.

Mon 04: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Mon 04: Northern Monkey Brass Band @ People’s Kitchen, Bath Lane, Newcastle. From 5:30pm. On-street gig supporting the work of the People’s Kitchen charity. Wrap up warm! Donate!
Mon 04: Michael Young Trio w Lindsay Hannon @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 7:00pm. Free.
Mon 04: James Birkett Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £8.00.
Mon 04: Durham University Jazz Orchestra + Durham University Big Band @ Durham Castle DH1 3RW. 8:30pm. £6.00.; £5.00. concs; £4.00. DSM. ‘Jazzy Christmas’.

Tue 05: Customs House Big Band @ All Saints Church, Cleadon. 7:00pm. Concert in the church hall. BYOB.
Tue 05: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Sid White. The best free show in town!

Wed 06: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 06: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 8:00pm. Free. Note later start time, concert performance (open to the public).
Wed 06: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 07: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free CANCELLED!
Thu 07: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay, Newcastle. 12 noon - 4:00pm. £26.00 (inc 3-course meal in in St Mary's Lighthouse Suite). SOLD OUT!
Thu 07: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm. All welcome.
Thu 07: Thursday Night Prayer Meeting @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.Donations. Feat. Mark Sanders.
Thu 07: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00. Downstairs.
Thu 07: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

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: 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: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 09: Abbie Finn Trio @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm.
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.

Saturday, November 24, 2018

CD Review: Kenny Carr - Departure

Kenny Carr (guitars, synthesisers); Donny McCaslin (tenor sax); Kenny Wollesen (drums, percussion); Hans Glawischnig (bass).
(Review by Max Goodall).

Departure is Kenny Carr’s sixth LP as a leader and the second in a row with this line-up. Having spent the early part of his career as lead guitarist in the Ray Charles live band, Carr seems to have manoeuvred himself slightly since Charles’ passing, spending a greater amount of time in more traditional jazz contexts.

Despite this, his style still retains the rocky, bluesy, accessible elements of Ray Charles’ music which enabled his incredible worldwide success. These are strong particularly in the ostinato and riff-driven tunes which periodically appear throughout Departure, such as Tell Me I Can’t, and D&P. At times, these simpler harmonic frameworks are highly successful. For example, on the album’s sixth track Evolutions; the uncomplicated undulations between chord one and chord four in the solo section acting as a perfect frame for Carr and Donny McCaslin’s (tenor saxophone) improvisations. The harder end of this scale though is also felt on tunes such as Time Change. Here the frequent returns to the opening ¾ ostinato almost begin to verge on monotony.

Carr’s guitar playing throughout the record also bears out his influence from Charles. He draws on two distinct sounds, an effect driven and distortion-heavy tone (heard on tunes such as Tell me I Can’t, D&P and Bear Call) and a more percussive, traditional jazz tone (which appears on Warmth, Departure and Parallels). I must express a personal preference for the latter, which I feel contains so much more depth and weight, giving Carr’s melodic lines substance. Moreover, at times Carr’s distortion driven sound becomes jarring alongside the acoustic timbre of the rest of the band – particularly noticeable on D&P. Although, the problem is sometimes addressed by Carr’s original introduction of synths into the album’s sound world which, on tracks such as Evolutions, create a nice blend between the styles.


The album’s best moments come in Carr’s more relaxed, thoughtful compositions. The opening of Warmth features some really lovely ideas, as does the title track, and the closer, Parallels. Their gentle chord sequences lead you down a path, which Carr and McCaslin tread admirably, with a feeling of movement, rather than just cycling through a short idea over and over. These tunes also feature some lovely textural ideas, particularly Carr’s chordal melodies, often with McCaslin floating above. A mention should also be given to Hans Glawischnig on bass, who solos well whenever given an opportunity, such as an on the eighth track Waiting.

Overall, this is a sweet album, with some great moments. While I’m not always convinced by some of its harsher and louder tracks, the lighter side to Kenny Carr’s compositions are infectious, mysterious, and at their best really quite beautiful.
Max G.
Departure was released on Zoozazz Music on Nov. 1.

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