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Bebop Spoken There

Art Blakey: "You [Bobby Watson] don't want to play too long, because you don't know they're clapping because they're glad you finished!" - (JazzTimes, Nov. 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!"

Postage

15848 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 855 of them this year alone and, so far, 53 this month (Sept. 18).

From This Moment On ...

September

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: La Malbec Orchestra @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Thu 21: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.
Thu 21: Linsday Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Ray Stubbs R & B All Stars @ The Schooner, Gateshead. 8:30pm. Free.
Thu 21: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 22: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 22: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 22: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 22: Brief Encounter @ Bardon Mill Village Hall, Northumberland. 7:00pm. Tickets: £10.00. adv from 07885 303166; £12.00. on the door. Chris & Veronica Perrin improvising to a screening of the 1929 'Jazz Age' silent film Piccadilly (Dir. Ewald André Dupont).
Fri 22: Paul Edis & Graeme Wilson + Three Tsuru Origami @ Jesmond United Reformed Church, Newcastle. 7:30pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 22: Crooners @ Tyne Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Fri 22: Abbie Finn's Finntet @ Traveller's Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 23: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Tanfield Railway, Gateshead. 2:00-4:00pm. Free. A '1940s Weekend' event.
Sat 23: Jason Isaacs @ Stack, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free.
Sat 23: Andrew Porritt & Keith Barrett @ Cullercoats Watch House, Front St., Cullercoats NE30 4QB. 7:00pm.
Sat 23: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig. Country blues.

Sun 24: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.

Mon 25: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Mon 25: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 7:00pm.

Tue 26: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.

Wed 27: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 27: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 27: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Sunday, November 04, 2018

Review: Charkie Parlour @ the Globe - November 1

John Garner (violin, composer); Mark Williams (guitar); John Pope (bass); Russ Morgan (drums)
(Review by Ann Alex).
This was a thrilling evening of music, especially from a band which, according to Mr Garner, doesn’t actually exist, because they don’t have a website, haven’t yet produced a CD, and this was their first gig anyway! 

How best to describe this very varied music, all band originals, with influences from free jazz, classical, folk, Eastern music and South African music? I’ll start with the musicians themselves who are known to jazz fans from other bands. John Garner is a classically expert violinist who produced sounds which no violin ought to make, long slides, weeping, squeaking, scratching, besides the more ‘normal’ lyrical tunes, pizzicato, double-stopped chords, and even a cadenza which would have fitted well into a violin concerto by Beethoven.

Mark was quieter than other times I’d seen him, but giving us flowing tunes or jagged effects as required and lots of call and response with the violin. John simply did all sorts, sometimes down at the dusty end of the bass, tweaking, clapping, bowing,  much improvised I’d guess, and with quite a bit of comedy. Our drummer was a million miles away from swing for much of the time, sticks, brushes, mallets, hands, very adaptable and varied.

The sound was great, but even if you hadn’t liked the sound, it was so, so interesting to watch. The free end of jazz is very visual.

So what was played? Twelve or so long pieces, three of them from a suite composed by Garner. Garner explained that the suite was influenced loosely by the writings of Kahlil Gibran in his meditative book The Prophet. Garner had also thrown a dice to help decide the notes and chords to be used.

So Love began with a bowed bass and ‘scratchy’ violin, rather Schoenberg-like, rumbling drums, then pizzicato violin and lots of guitar riffs. The description doesn’t do it justice and it all worked well. The other two pieces from the suite were called Children and Giving.

The first tune of the night was a bit more conventional, opening with riffs and grooves from bass and drum, then a beautiful flowing folky tune from violin, bell-like guitar, a long guitar solo, ensemble climax, and repeated riffs at the end. The Bump, ‘to do with pregnancy’ said Garner, was amusing, with sliding violin, mad guitar, sounds which reminded me of a plane landing or of the music which goes with cartoons.

Foot Fluff was also funny, a short piece with, to my ears, Klezmer effects. Have Violin Will Travel featured ‘travelling’ music, lines of melody appearing to move along, and this morphed at some point into a John Pope composition called Ing. A tune for Halloween was followed by the final piece, There’s No Time Like The Future, which was a lovely hymn-like melody on violin, with improvisation from the others.  

The band play in Edinburgh early in the New Year and a CD is in the pipeline. I spoke to many of the audience who said how much they had enjoyed the performance, so I predict that this band has a promising future. A great evening, with much to interest lovers of more conventional jazz as well as those who like the more ‘free’ style.
Ann Alex

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