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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.

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

CD Review: Steve Lipman - Hats Off


(Review by Ann Alex)

I was fascinated to read that this singer works as a dentist. What is it about jazz that attracts the medical profession? Quite a few local musicians are doctors – is it the fact that jazz is maybe a more numerate and scientific type of music that encourages clinicians to play?  In fact, our singer is quoted as saying ‘The creativity demanded by a fluid jazz arrangement is no less than what is required for the art of dentistry.’ Interesting!  I must persuade my dentist to take up the saxophone. I digress, but maybe this is a talking point for BSH. Anyway, our singer performs throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts and this is his third album since 2011. The album is a collection of Gasbook standards, mixed with a couple of more modern songs and two songs of American patriotism.

I enjoyed the music and was even intrigued by one or two of the tracks. Lipman’s voice is a rich smooth baritone and he sings with feeling. He says he was originally influenced by Sinatra but now has very much his own style. The musicians do their stuff admirably. The album gives a ‘hats off’ to the greats such as Sinatra and Cole Porter, but this singer has now outgrown the hat he used to wear in homage to Sinatra.

Night And Day is sung to a Latin guitar accompaniment, No One Ever Tells You is a blues sung to a saloon piano accompaniment, The Way You Look Tonight features a ska beat, The Coffee Song (about all the coffee  in Brazil)  is a Latin number with amusing lyrics such as ‘a politicians daughter was accused of drinking water’. One of my favourite tracks is Leonard Cohen’s Dance Me to the End of Love, done as a sinuous klezmer tune played on saxophone. The rest of the tracks were: You Make Me Feel So Young; Orange Colored Sky; Come Rain Or Come Shine.

One of the tracks that intrigued me was The Sound Of Music, not my favourite song, and nor was it helped by rather sentimental backing singers and a melodica solo. Then came the last 2 tracks, in which the speech about ‘Give me your poor from all nations’ etc was spoken. I’d enjoyed the rest of the CD so I could deal with this, but I was dreading the final track, which was the Battle Hymn Of The Republic. But guess what? I loved this version, it was rock-influenced, with guitars, saxes and percussion, a tasteful down to earth way of interpreting the song, and an interesting way to conclude an enjoyable listening experience.

The CD was self-released on March 18 and is available at all fine online retailers. See www.stevelipmanmusic.com
Ann Alex (contract not yet terminated. Perhaps you can’t manage without me!)

Steve Lipman (vocals) + (on various tracks): Dan Thomas (electric guitar); Colin Jalbert (drums); J Witbeck, Reed Sutherland (bass); John Corda, Zach Cross (piano); Nick Borges (trumpet); Steve Yarbro, Ryan Emken (sax); Ryan Palkoff, Kathryn Rapacki (trombone); Nate Christy, Ben Falkoff (acoustic/electric guitars); Sara Hill (violin); Dan Prindle (cello, piano, bass); Mary Corso, Beth Harvey (backing vocals); Jimmy Robitaille (percussion); Glen Nelson (melodica); Jim Arment (clarinet)

2 comments :

Lance said...

Yes, Ann, you're still on the team. As it happens, I've got a dental appointment this afternoon. If I'd had your review earlier I'd have booked a flight to Connecticut or Massachusetts and have Steve perform whatever procedure is needed. Perhaps he could put me to sleep with a lullaby instead of an anaesthetic...

Anonymous said...

If you want a Jazz playing dentist try the Denmark Street Dental Practice in Gateshead. The first time I went there the background music was Bessie Smith singing Give Me a Pig's Foot etc. Naturally I got chatting with Neil Paterson,the senior partner once he had finished torturing me and he explained that on quiet days he played jazz saxophone. I have never been there on a quiet day so haven't heard him play but the background music soothes me.

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