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Bebop Spoken There

Béla Fleck: “ And that's the great thing about live performances, you take people on a journey. It doesn't have to be like something else they've heard. It's not supposed to be". DownBeat, April, 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

Thu 28: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 28: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm.
Thu 28: Richard Herdman Quartet @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 28: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Guests: Josh Bentham (alto sax); Alan Marshall (tenor sax); Neil Brodie (trumpet); Adrian Beadnell (bass); Graham Thompson (keys); Steve Hunter (drums).

Fri 29: FILM: Soul @ The Forum Cinema, Hexham. 12:30pm. Jazz-themed film animation.
Fri 29: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 29: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free. POSTPONED!
Fri 29: Thundercat @ Newcastle City Hall.
Fri 29: John Logan @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sat 30: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 30: Pete Tanton’s Cuba Libre @ Whitley Bay Library, York Road, Whitley Bay. 8:00pm.

Sun 31: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 31: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields NE30 1HJ. 3:00pm. Free. Lambert, Alan Law & Paul Grainger.
Sun 31: Sid Jacobs & Tom Remon @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. USA/London jazz guitar duo.
Sun 31: Bellavana @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

April
Mon 01: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 01: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 3:00pm. Free.

Tue 02: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Dean Stockdale, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 03: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 03: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 03: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Saturday, May 25, 2019

Giles Strong Trio @ Bishop Auckland Town Hall - May 24.


Giles Strong, Roly Veitch (guitars); Ian Paterson (bass).
(Review by Jerry/ Photos courtesy of Chris Whittle)

As a nod to the Laurel and Hardy connection (we were in the Laurel café), I had wanted to use the headline, “Another Fine Gig”, but for fear that it might be misconstrued as anything other than a compliment, I decided against it. But it was a fine gig, anyway – a mixture of (mostly) standards and a couple of originals, beautifully performed.

The standards were mostly arranged by Giles Strong, for which he received well-deserved applause at the first name-check and the originals held their own amidst familiar names like Kern and Porter as well as less familiar names (to me) such as Dietz and Schwartz, whose gentle, soothing, Alone Together, closed the gig. I had been looking forward to the performance as, although I have seen all three musicians before, I have never seen Ian Paterson on double bass and had never seen the two guitarists other than with vocalists or playing “gypsy-jazz”, Suffice to say, I was not disappointed!



First up was I’ll Remember April (Gene de Paul) which set the pattern for things to come, with a bass intro and then the two guitarists alternating lead. Nature Boy was written by eden ahbez who insisted on lower case letters for his name as “only God and Infinity deserve capitals”! I’ve heard the song countless times before, but never knew that! I mention that in passing – the knowledge does not change the song or my appreciation of its gentle, Latin-ish rhythms. Cole Porter’s Love for Sale had me noticing the absence of sheet-music today – who needs it when you are this comfortable with the material?

Giles Strong’s Everything Was Beautiful, was the first original – a lovely song, with or without lyrics. Ian Paterson’s solo here caught the attention – closely following the main harmony, all played towards the top end of the double-bass range. Very difficult, I imagine, and very effective here. It was a couple of tunes later before he got any applause for a solo, on Roly’s original, WT Blues (what’s the WT for, Roly?) which is a new tune to me – a nice, funky(?) foot-tapper. He deserved applause at various earlier points in the gig, providing many of the intros and endings to numbers, as well as soloing pleasantly. I suppose applause for every solo would be intrusive in a gig described as “chamber-jazz” where the mood is quite intimate and the volume level almost acoustic?

It wasn’t all about the bass, though, the two guitarists were on top form whether on blues or ballads with clean harmonies and gentle rhythms. On Jerome Kern’s Yesterdays, the bass went silent for a spell and we were treated to a guitar duo exchange which sounded more classical than either of the aforementioned genres. Great!

Unmentioned so far were the gentle Johnny Green ballad, Body and Soul and (another new name to me) George Fragos’ I Hear a Rhapsody which reminded me, obscurely, of the Beatles track, And I Love Her. Not sure why! The penultimate number was introduced as “a simple blues” – Billie’s Blues – on which Giles Strong and Roly Veitch both got a nice groove going and the bass gave us intro, solo, and final notes, again.

Promoter, Mick Shoulder, had introduced the trio as “the smartest band we’ve had here”- all three were suited and Roly even had a tie! Regardless of sartorial elegance he is to be congratulated for bringing such excellent music to Bishop Auckland on a regular basis. There may be a change of venue later this year when the Town Hall undergoes refurbishment, but the gigs will hopefully continue elsewhere. Watch this space…..
Jerry.

2 comments :

JERRY said...

Apologies to the musicians, I seem to have missed a few numbers in my review - ALL OF ME being one (there may have been more).

Roly said...

Thanks Jerry. No you didn't miss any of the set list. WT stands for Whole Tone as the tune is based on a music scale of that name. The town hall is a really lovely venue and well worth a visit to hear the jazz concerts there. Ample cheap parking very close by too.
Roly

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