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Bebop Spoken There

Branford Marsalis: "As ignorance often forces us to do, you make a generalisation about a musician based on one specific record or one moment in time." - (Jazzwise June 2023).

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

15491 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 512 of them this year alone and, so far, 133 this month (May 31).

From This Moment On ...

Mon 05: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 06: Jam session @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. House trio: Stu Collingwood (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Sid White (drums).

Wed 07: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 07: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 07: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 07: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 08: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free. CANCELLED! BACK ON JUNE 15.
Thu 08: Easington Colliery Brass Band @ The Lubetkin Theatre, Peterlee. 7:00pm. £10.00.
Thu 08: Faye MacCalman + Blue Dust Archive @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 08: Dilutey Juice + Ceramic @ The Ampitheatre, Sea Road, South Shields. 7:00pm. Free. A South Tyneside Festival event.
Thu 08: Lara Jones w. Vigilance State @ Lubber Fiend, Blandford Square, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 08: Michael Littlefield @ the Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Country blues.
Thu 08: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 09: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 09: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 09: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 09: Castillo Nuevo @ Revolución de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30-8:30pm.
Fri 09: Emma Rawicz @ Sage Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 10: Front Porch Three @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Americana, blues, jazz etc.
Sat 10: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sun 11: WORKSHOP: Tim Richards' Jazz Piano Workshop @ JG Windows, Newcastle. Time TBC. Further details tel. 0191 232 1356.
Sun 11: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 11: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 11: Groovetrain @ Innisfree Sports & Social Club, Longbenton NE12 8TY. Doors 6:30pm. £15.00 (£7.00. under 16).
Sun 11: Jeffrey Hewer Collective @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 12: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Jam Session @ the Black Swan - May 28

(Review by Lance).

The thing about jam sessions is the unexpected. The outside observer may dismiss them as the same old faces playing the same old songs which can sometimes be true. However, at the Black Swan and its predecessor, the Jazz Café, this is rarely the case and last night was no exception.

Normally it's horn-players who are patiently awaiting their turn but, although there were four of the finest brass and reedmen up for it, on this occasion it was drummers and vocalists who ruled - ok?

It all began low key with the house trio allowing us to settle in with I Let a Song Go Out of my Heart, Joyspring and Soon. Johnston belying his 24 years (gosh! is he that old already?) with some of the tastiest guitar playing this side of the Atlantic. Walker suitably sympathetic with Grainger the musical sealant.



Johnston without the t was first up electing to blow flugel on Wayne Shorter's Black Nile. A new number to me although Ray informed me that it dated back to Shorter's Jazz Messenger days. This present-day messenger delivered before following up with Jimmy Van Heusen's Like Someone in Love.

Ben Richardson occupied the vacant piano/keyboard stool, Abbie Finn moved in behind the kit and the first of the evening's assortment of voice merchants, Jan Spencelayh, took centre stage. What a Difference a Day Made and Bye Bye Blackbird her chosen arias. 

If Jan is subtle and sensitive in her interpretation Niffi Osiyemi offers contrast with her no-holds-barred full-on approach. Taking a Miles Davis back to the audience stance, she belted the living daylights out of Work Song and Orange Colored Sky - the crowd loved it!

More shuffling around and it was Matt MacKellar's turn on the traps along with Paul Ruddick on alto. Not surprising, given that Ruddick is a Baghdaddian, Caravan had a distinctly eastern flavour - my acute ear immediately identified it as a variation on the Phrygian mode (thank you Google) and for a while, I could have been in a jazz bazaar in Cairo. However, All the Things You Are steered my magic carpet back to Westgate Rd.

Interval time with all the noisy backchat and hail fellow well-met bonhomie that rises after the second or third drink until - Suddenly!!! the room fell silent and a pin dropping would have been like a Rob Walker explosion. From the silence emerged Bradley's choice guitar chords and then, from a diminutive figure came Sophisticated Lady. Kyriaki Pantelidou - Kyri - had lifted the bar almost out of sight. Guitar and voice blended perfectly - time for another remake of A Star is Born. Desifinado with the full rhythm section met the demand for more but, good as it was, Sophisticated Lady was the one that stuck.

To ask another singer to follow that was tempting fate. Fortunately, Jen Errington was up to the task not least because she sang the verse (singing the verse is always a matchwinner) to Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered - for a moment I thought that it was Jen who'd dubbed the vocal for Rita Hayworth in Pal Joey until I realised she wasn't born when that film was made! Watch What Happens also sounded good although, in truth, I think she needed a tad more volume on the mic.
More vocals, this time from Kerry McCullough - Rockin' Chair and Makin' Whoopee. A bit too young to sing about the former but maybe just right for the latter!

Back to the blowers - Steve Summers on tenor and Showtime on trombone and The Chicken (or was it Canteloupe Island?) Both of them went for the jugular as befitted the approaching curfew time. Showtime came on like Trummy Young, both of them had bypassed Tommy Dorsey. A human battering ram playing muted and unmuted and back again during the course of his blistering solo. Not to be outdone, Summers did some paint stripping himself and the result was a (very high) score draw. The melee continued with Blue Train this time with Mo on drums.

Then, just when we thought it couldn't get any better, Jan and Kyri duetted on Cheek to Cheek. Johnson, Summers and Gray the horns.

That was it, or was it? Someone in the audience wanted his money's worth even though it was free and pointed out there was still 3 minutes to go! So we had a short take on Body and Soul. Summers couldn't resist this one and it all ended happily.
Full marks, as always, to the trio and a special word of praise for Ben Richardson (photo by Russell) who was outstanding throughout.

More good/bad news when I went for the 27 bus. Timetable changes meant it now arrives ten minutes later which means I don't get home till 'round midnight but it also means I don't have to leave if the session overruns by a chorus or two.
Lance.
Photos will be added to album when changes at FLIKR are sorted.
Bradley Johnston (guitar); Paul Grainger (bass); Rob Walker (drums) + Ray Johnson (flugelhorn); David 'Showtime' Gray (trombone); Paul Ruddick (alto sax)Steve Summers (tenor sax); Ben Richardson (keys); Abbie Finn, Matt MacKellar, Hazam Mohammed (drums); Jan Spencelayh, Niffi Osiyemi,  Kyriaki Pantelidou, Jen Errington, Kerry McCullough (vocals).

2 comments :

David Gray said...

Great, detailed review of a surprisingly varied session. Catching a little bit of 'Body and Soul' with Steve was a really nice way to unwind as well--having such an attentive listening audience really allowed all the players to relax into it too.

To spare the confusion, the first tune with Steve and me was Herbie Mann's 'Coming Home Baby'--though one'd be forgiven for the confusion, as it's a piece that isn't called very often at all. Full credit to Steve for calling it, as it's a fantastic groover.

Looking forward to the Dun Cow jam!

Lance said...

Thanks David, I should have recognised it - I have a vocal version by Mel Tormé.

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