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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.

Tuesday, May 07, 2019

Darlington Jazz Festival: Sebastiaan de Krom Quintet @ The Market Square Marquee - May 4


Martin Shaw (trumpet); Brandon Allen (tenor saxophone); Gareth Williams (piano); Steve Watts (double bass); Sebastiaan de Krom (drums)
(Review by Russell)

The idea of a town centre marquee to help promote this year's jazz festival to a wider public must have seemed like a good idea...on paper. What the festival organisers couldn't have bargained for were near Arctic conditions on the middle evening of the three-day event. An industrial size heater intermittently pumped hot air into the tent. As the audience huddled together coats remained firmly buttoned. 


Friend of Darlington Jazz Festival Sebastiaan de Krom returned to the County Durham town with his all-star band in tow. The band leader and three of his buddies opted for jackets, the odd one out, the hard man of the quintet, Steve Watts, played it in shirt sleeves. The easy-going de Krom spoke warmly (warmly!) of the work put in by festival director Shaune Eland and his team to make the event the success it is and the many friendly faces he encountered around town.

Drummer de Krom selected an all Miles' programme. Two sets of music written by, or associated with, trumpeter Miles Davis proved to be a popular draw. Miles' musical partner from way back - Charlie Parker - provided an early highlight (Ah-Leu-Cha), similarly Jackie McLean's Little Melonae with solos spread across the quintet; the horns - Martin Shaw (trumpet) and the musically muscular Aussie tenor saxophonist Brandon Allen - flanked on their right by a rather frozen-looking Gareth Willams (piano), de Krom himself operating in the shadows to their left with hard man Watts surveying all before him from the back of the stage.

As the cold set in pianist Williams stopped mid-solo to blow on his hands - the group huddle sympathised! Budo (comp. Miles Davis and/or Bud Powell) led into modal-era Miles on Dear Old Stockholm featuring a fine solo from Watts who was a tower of strength all night. The setlist
 contained a string of numbers recorded by de Krom's subject; Our Delight (Tadd Dameron), All of You (Cole Porter) with Williams sufficient warmed-up to knock out a great solo, the ostensibly odd choice of Sweet Sue, Just YouRound Midnight and, to close, Teo, Miles' tribute to influential producer Teo Macero. 

It had been a night for hardy souls, those who stuck with it heard some tremendous jazz from the ensemble and its A-list soloists. Sebastiaan de Krom is a man of sunny disposition, just what Dr Jazz ordered on a night such as this.     
Russell

1 comment :

Jim Hall (on F/b) said...

How these guys played such mesmerising jazz when the temperature must have been close to freezing beggars belief true pros, that’s why they’re at the top of the tree. Must mention Gareth Williams great chordal and solo work.

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