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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

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.

Thu 28: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 28: Alice Grace Quartet @ King's Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 28: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm. All welcome.
Thu 28: Faye MacCalman + Snape/Sankey @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 28: Zoe Rahman @ Jesmond United Reformed Church, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:30pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Thu 28: '58 Jazz Collective @ Hops & Cheese, Hartlepool. 7:30pm.
Thu 28: Speakeasy @ Queen's Hall, Hexham. 7:30pm. £15.00. A Southpaw Dance Company presentation. Dance, audio-visuals, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, swing dancers etc.
Thu 28: Mick Cantwell Band @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Ace blues band.
Thu 28: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 29: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 29: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 29: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Jam Session @ The Black Swan - Jan. 22

Mark Williams (guitar); Paul Grainger (bass); Russ Morgan (drums) + Elliott Todd (flugel); Graham Easthope, Ian White (tenor sax); Steve Summers (soprano sax); Jordan Alfonso, Faye Thompson (alto); Abbie Finn (drums); Poppy (flute/vocal); Minnie Fraser, Rob (from Derbyshire (vocals); John Pope (bass).
(Review by Lance).
View PHOTOS.
Like many a jam, this one began low key with only a spirited version of April in Paris to keep the customers from nodding off. Mark Williams in fine form and Russ Morgan having a burn whilst Paul Grainger bass-fiddled. 

The mellow mood continued as Elliott Todd, toting a newly acquired flugelhorn, waxed lyrical on Misty. Graham Easthope, who looks nothing like Michael Caine, upped the ante with Alfie's Tune before the gender balance was evened out when Abbie took over on drums and Minnie sang Lullaby of Birdland and Stardust complete with verse. 
By now, the room was fairly crowded as bods with bags and cases materialised. Amongst these was Jordan Alfonso who dazzled on Sister Sadie and jam session perennial There Will Never Be Another You

Enter Steve Summers. You could tell he was serious - he had a quick tune-up before joining Jordan for an emotive rendition of I Remember Clifford. This was 5-star stuff with both players showing mutual admiration. Older fans will remember the late Bobby Carr's version and this was way up in that league.

Faye Thompson replaced Jordan for a groove-based number that I recognised but couldn't name - help needed! The girl was in good form.

Next up Pope and Poppy. Apart from name similarity they were colour co-ordinated (see photo). Pope on bass, Poppy on flute and vocals for The Shadow of Your Smile and Wave.
A melodic interlude before the impending storm with which all self-respecting jam sessions conclude with.

Ian White and Faye hit the funk trail with Road Song, Steve made it six on Four and then all hell broke loose!

Just about each and everyone was up there jamming like it was the eve of Armageddon with the addition of Rob (from Derbyshire), an unassuming chap who had been sitting at our table nursing a cup of tea (or maybe it was something more blues orientated such as black coffee), who joined the fray and hollered the blues as if he was  Blind Lemon Hooker up from Georgia after selling his soul to the devil at a crossroads.

A fitting finale although I felt I should have been going home on a Greyhound bus rather than the 27 Crusader.
Lance.

1 comment :

Rob Cockayne said...

Thoroughly enjoyed this session Lance. All the players were superb; Ron, Linda & Cec were great company. This will be an abiding memory of my visit to Newcastle.

Rob

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