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Bebop Spoken There

Ambrose Akinmusire: “ I am certainly always aware of what the masses are doing. And when I see too many people going one way, I'm going another way - even when I don't know what's over that way". DownBeat, March, 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

16287 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 169 of them this year alone and, so far, 41 this month (Mar 18).

From This Moment On ...

March

Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Tim Johnston.

Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Castillo Neuvo Trio + Conor Emery & His ‘Bones Band @ The Grove, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £10.00. (£7.00. student).
Thu 21: Remi Banklyn + Chris Corcoran Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.50. Chicago blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Thu 21: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Ragtime piano.
Thu 21: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 22: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 22: Nauta + Remy CB + Last Orders @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 8:30pm (7:30pm doors). Free.
Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £15.00. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 22: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sat 23: Jambone @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 6:30pm. Free (ticketed). End of term performance in the Northern Rock Foundation Hall.
Sat 23: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 23: Red Kites Jazz @ Rowlands Gill Community Centre NE39 1JB. 7:00pm. Tickets: £12.00. (gibsidecommunityfarm@gmail.com). A ‘Build a Barn’ fundraiser. BYOB, tea/coffee available.
Sat 23: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00. + bf (book in person at venue - no booking fee!). Featuring pianist Martin Litton.
Sat 23: Pete Tanton’s Cuba Libre @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 24: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 24: Luis Verde @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Verde (alto sax); Joe Steels (guitar); John Pope (double bass); John Hirst (drums). Alto sax brilliance!
Sun 24: Elsie Franklin @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. £10.00. Country blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Sun 24: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: Las Vegas Live with the Rat Pack @ The Forum, Billingham.
Sun 24: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Otterburn Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Sun 24: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Note start time - 7:00pm.
Sun 24: Bold Big Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 25: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 25: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Monday, March 04, 2019

Postmodern Jukebox @ Sage Gateshead - March 3

Breathless! That's how I felt after Scott Bradlee's all-action, pot-boiling extravaganza, Postmodern Jukebox, reached its climactic conclusion. "Phew!" I said to no one in particular. There was no other word to describe the heat generated from the stage to the audience and back.

It wasn't as jazzy as I'd expected although every single performer had jazz chops to spare the name of the game was entertainment in the form of a hypnotic blend of jazz, soul and rock 'n' roll. It was no surprise that tickets had sold well - they'd been here before!
I didn't know many of the songs although, Shout, Africa, I Will Survive and Is There Life on Mars? struck a chord with me. Nor did I catch the names of all the participants - this was one show where that relic of the past - a programme - wouldn't have gone amiss.

LaVance Colley who emceed the show has a vocal range Charlotte Church could only dream about his falsetto high notes would have cracked glasses had there been any in the hall.

Dancer Kenny (Alex MacDonald?) clogged it like Bojangles might have done had he hung out in Haarlem instead of Harlem.

The girls were 'bootiful' the hemlines rising with every costume change - what's not to like about that? And they can sing! Hannah Gill's scat exchanges with tenor and trombone on Katy Perry's Last Friday Night possibly the jazz highlight of the evening.

Newcomer Tia Simone out-souled the whole of Philly and Detroit combined whilst Olivia Kuper Harris, described as a mix of Ella Fitz, Sarah Vaughan and Peggy Lee excelled on Sunday Morning and many other numbers.

Audience/band interaction was immediate and, by the third number, we had standing ovations and dancing in the aisles. Not by everyone but most certainly by the lady seated (occasionally) in front of me - Gerri, I gather, was her name.

I didn't catch the names of all of the musicians. The tenor/clarinet/flute player may have been Ben, the trombone player may have been King and the guitarist's name sounded like Lou Pino but I could be wrong. The drummer was definitely Dave Tedeschi, piano Todd Schroeder and bassist/bandleader Adam Kubota. 

My apologies if this review seems somewhat sketchy but, with so much going on at both sides of 'the footlights' taking notes was impossible - I needed my hands for applauding!

Over in Sage Two Laura Jurd was playing leaving me with a feeling of guilt at having to miss her but you can't be in two places at once! But, isn't it wonderful that we can have two choices in the one building other than at a jazz festival? Full marks to Sage Gateshead.
Full marks also to Scott Bradlee (wherever he was last night) for turning his dream into a worldwide phenomenon. 
Lance.

2 comments :

Anonymous said...

Lance we were there last night as well. Agree entirely with you to . Your review sums it up perfectly
We had a great night seeing the PMJ.
If pushed we thought Nina Simone kusj took the cake. A big star in the making. Brilliant.
Ron Ainsborough

Lance said...

Well, there I was, still wallowing in the joy of last night, whilst enjoying a pint of Abbott Ale in my local hostelry and, at the same time, reading André Previn's 'No Minor Chords' when a guy asks me what I'm reading. I mutter, "A book by André Previn" thinking that that will shut him up and avoid a discussion on the merits or otherwise of Stephen King.
To my amazement, he says, "I was at a great concert at The Sage last night. You've probably never heard of them but..." I interrupted him - "Postmodern Jukebox, I was there!"
We then discovered he was sitting but a couple of rows in front of me - ships that pass in the night!
If you read this Gary, nice to have met you and, if you like Julie London, check out a CD review a couple of posts down.

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