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Bebop Spoken There

Spasmo Brown: “Jazz is an ice cream sandwich! It's the Fourth of July! It's a girl with a waterbed!”. (Syncopated Times, July, 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

17372 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 656 of them this year alone and, so far, 61 this month (Sept. 17).

From This Moment On ...

September

Thu 19: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 19: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 19: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. Free. THC with guests Kevin Eland, Dan Johnson, Jeremy McMurray, Ron Smith.

Fri 20: Lindsay Hannon’s Tom Waits for No Man @ Gala Theatre, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 20: Rob Hall & Chick Lyall @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free (donations). SOLD OUT!
Fri 20: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 20: Leeway @ 1719, Hendon, Sunderland. 7:30pm. The Old Black Cat Jazz Club. CANCELLED!
Fri 20: Gaz Hughes Trio @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 21: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 1:00-2:45pm. Free.
Sat 21: Vieux Carré Hot Four @ The Beehive, Hartley Lane, Earsdon Whitley Bay NE25 0SZ. 4:30pm-6:30pm.
Sat 21: Baghdaddies @ Two by Two, Albion Row, Byker, Newcastle NE6 1RQ. 6:00pm.
Sat 21: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Northumberland Club, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Sat 21: Jude Murphy & Alan Law @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 22: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 2:30-4:30pm. Free.
Sun 22: Dulcie May Moreno Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 22: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Richard Herdman @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 22: Remy CB Band @ Blues Underground, Nelson St., Newcastle. 8:30pm. Free. Remi, 2024 Newcastle Uni graduate, superb soul/blues voice!

Mon 23: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 23: Paul Booth with the Paul Edis Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00. A Blaydon Jazz Club 40th anniversary concert! SOLD OUT!

Tue 24: Dulcie May Moreno Quartet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £12.00. (£10.00. adv. from Tully’s of Rothbury). Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 24: Sarah Gillespie @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £16.50. Duo performance with Chris Montague.

Wed 25: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 25: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 25: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 25: Moonlight Serenade Orchestra UK: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Middlesbrough Theatre. 7:30pm.

Thursday, May 30, 2019

The Levee Ramblers @ Springwell Village Community Venue - May 29

Mick Hill (trumpet, vocals); Liz Bacon (clarinet); Jim Blenkin (trombone, vocals); Dave Rae (banjo, guitar, vocals); John Robinson (double bass); Paul Bacon (drums)
(Review by Russell)

It had been a while. An enforced absence obliged the Levee Ramblers to take a vacation, then, as word spread on the jazz grapevine that the sextet was about to resume its Wednesday evening residency Springwell Village Community Venue opened its doors to welcome home Dave Rae and co.

It was as if the band had never been away with regulars claiming their favourite seats and catching up on the gossip before settling down for an evening of New Orleans jazz. Sam Morgan's Bogalusa Strut for starters - yes, it was business as usual! Band leader Dave Rae is one of the region's classiest banjo players and, by way of a bonus, sings a few numbers with an affecting, plaintive delivery which was perfectly illustrated as the Ramblers played Johnny Wiggs' Postman's Lament
Versatile veteran trumpeter Mick Hill took a brief vocal chorus on Swanee River leading on to some serious ensemble playing on Jelly Roll Morton's Pontchartrain Blues. A spiritual is an essential component of a Levee Ramblers' gig and it came to pass that Rae sang Walking with the King. Bunk Johnson is a staple and we heard One Sweet Letter (Rae vocals) and later in the set Tiger Rag á la the trumpeter's mid-forties recording with, as our banjoist band leader was quick to point out, the indispensable contribution of Lawrence Marrero!  

Hill's strong lead trumpet and Rae's spot-on vocals accompanied by his four string (tenor) guitar playing featured on Punch Miller's Long Distance Blues and, with the interval fast approaching, Rae stuck with his guitar as Hill sang Dinah

The interval: the real ale revolution has yet to penetrate the far reaches of the Borough of Gateshead thus a bottle of Brown Ale was the order of the day (evening). An apposite choice given that early in the second set Ken, friend of Springwell jazz, got to his feet to deliver one of his occasional monologues, the title...Geordie Broon from Backworth. Your reviewer's companion for the evening won a raffle prize. Hooray! A CD and a box of chocolates the prizes on offer, surely the former would be claimed. Nope, the latter - oh, well!

The Weary Blues welcomed back the anything but weary supporters of Springwell Jazz Club. A stomper, an uptempo take on Brown Skin Mama, Ellington's Saturday Night Function (Rae, guitar), yes, a choice selection here on Fell Road. The Bacons - Liz (clarinet) in the frontline alongside Jim Blenkin's robust trombone playing and trumpeter Hill's measured lead, and drummer Paul, as steady a hand as one could wish for, surveying the scene in front of him with trusty sidekick John Robinson (string bass) at his side - are dyed-in-the-wool students of all things New Orleans. It's 2019, what's the betting Dave Rae's Levee Ramblers will still be flying the Crescent City flag in Springwell in 2029? Short odds, that's for sure.
Russell      

1 comment :

Dave Rae said...

Cheers Russell, it's good to be back. Dave

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