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Bebop Spoken There

Wendell Brunious: "Because the blues is not 1,4 and 5 or 1,4,5,2,1. You could wake up with a flat tyre or a headache this morning, that's the blues, man" - (DownBeat, Oct. 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

15878 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 885 of them this year alone and, so far, 83 this month (Sept. 30).

From This Moment On ...

October

Sun 01: Smokin' Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm.
Sun 01: Dulcie May Moreno sings Portrait of Sheila @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Moreno sings Sheila Jordan with Giles Strong, Mick Shoulder & John Bradford.
Sun 01: Middlesbrough Jazz & Blues Orchestra @ Saltburn Community Hall. 2:00pm.
Sun 01: The Easy Rollers @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £13.70., £11.55.
Sun 01: Brand/Roberts/Champion/Sanders @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sun 01: Papa G's Troves @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 02: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Mon 02: FILM: Wattstax; 50th Anniversary @ Forum Cinema, Hexham. 8:00pm.

Tue 03: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 03: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Sid White (drums). CANCELLED!

Wed 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 04: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 04: Paul Skerritt @ Vespa Italian Bar & Steakhouse, Primrose Hill, Jarrow. From 7:00pm. To book a table - 0191 483 3355.
Wed 04: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 05: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 05: Sound the Trumpets @ King's Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 05: Hot Club du Nord @ The Lubetkin Theatre, Peterlee. 7:00pm. £10.00. POSTPONED!
Thu 05: Thursday Night Prayer Meeting @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 05: Tommy Bentz Trio + Mark Croft Duo + George Shovlin & George Lamb @ The Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Harbour View Speakeasy's USA blues double bill + Shovlin & Lamb!
Thu 05: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.
Thu 05: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 06: Alcyona Mick @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 06: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 06: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 06: WORKSHOP: Philosophy of Arts & Entertainment @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 2:00pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 06: Balo @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 6:20pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 06: Paul Skerritt @ 3Sixty Champagne Lounge, Hadrian’s Tower, Newcastle. From 7:00pm. To book a table - 0191 933 8591.
Fri 06: Lexer/Mayes/Noble + Semay Wu + Miman @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 7:20pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 06: Dulcie May Moreno @ The Vault, Hexham. 7:30pm. £20.00. Book in advance. Moreno with Alan Law, Paul Grainger & John Bradford.
Fri 06: Dean Stockdale Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. 'Celebrating Oscar'.
Fri 06: Nu Brass Sounds: Big Brass Bash @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: TBC @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Blind Pig Blues Club. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sat 07: WORKSHOP: Philosophy of Arts & Entertainment @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 10:15am. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sat 07: Hot Club du Nord @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 07: Bugge & Niccols + Moore & Fairhall @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sat 07: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Steve Glendinning - All the Things You Are. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 07: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 07: Rie Nakajima @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 6:20pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sat 07: Paul Skerritt @ 3Sixty Champagne Lounge, Hadrian’s Tower, Newcastle. From 7:00pm. To book a table - 0191 933 8591.
Sat 07: Samuel Blaser Trio + Toxvaerd & Zeeberg + Muramatsu & Welch @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 7:20pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sat 07: Anth Purdy @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sat 07: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Monday, June 24, 2019

Strictly Smokin' Big Band @ Hoochie Coochie - June 23.

(Review by Lance).

Never has the phrase 'hit the deck running' been more apt than at Hoochiee last night! SSBB did that and more on the opener Fast Cars the title of which would come back to bite me later on...

Spurred on by super-dep stickman McKeague this band wasn't smokin' it was burnin' and leader Lamb and guitarist PJ fanned the flames - phew, it's 'ot in 'ere! Things cooled down with a couple of vocals from Ms. Grace - Blue Skies and Mad About the Boy - our girl was in good voice on a night when she had to be! Jamie Toms blew tenor on Blue Skies. He too had to be on his metal for the next number - Grand Central.

A good olde-style tenor joust between Toms and Kerridge that had the two saxes slugging it out in the manner of a pier 6 brawl or a Cameroonian 'ladies" soccer match - the return bout came in the second set.

More Alice, Oh What a Beautiful Morning and The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else before the set closed with Bemsha Swing. This had been Guy Fawkes Night come early and there were still two sets to go.

A time to meet old friends and new ones. Our dear friend Liz from York texted me to say the Kenton branch of her family was at the gig and to introduce myself. Easier said than done in a room packed wall to wall with bodies. However, the task was accomplished and it was a pleasure to meet up with Andy Kavanagh, Muriel and Eddie Luck.

Back to the music and Alice set the scene with her own composition Travelling Light. An instrumental, Catch as Catch Can, before singer number two exploded with Higher Ground. Carly McKee has a full-toned soul-sounding voice and it became obvious she wasn't here just to make the numbers up - two great singers and one to go.

Kerridge and Toms squared up for the return bout - Jammer Time -  and once again it was the Thriller in Manila and the score is one all - this is what jam sessions should be like!

Big Time brought Jennifer Davies to the mic. Having heard her at a recent jam session I had no doubts that she'd deliver and she did - big time!

Alice finished the set off with Spanish Joint and that good old Al Dubin/Harry Warren classic Lullaby of Broadway still a great song and Alice did it no harm at all.

Final set and nobody was leaving which is just as well otherwise they'd have missed Sing, Sing, Sing by the three sing sing singers and this was an absolute treat. The Boswells, the Andrews, the Puppinis and now the as yet unnamed trio - surely they can't just leave it at that?!

Jennifer stayed on board for Rainbows in my Teacup, a song with lyrics by another past SSBB guest, Joe Stilgoe. Nice trombone by Barnes and clarinet by Summers (pictured below playing flute).

Strasbourg - St. Denis featured ace solos from first-timer James Peacock and Pete Tanton, Carly hit us with I Wanna Talk With You, Dave McKeague kicked seven shades out of the kit on Crawlin' - this solo even had the band applauding! and, natch, the audience too.

Comes Love sang Alice before the three singers reunited to bring the show to a close with Feelin' Good which we most certainly were! 

My apologies to those guys I haven't mentioned everyone contributed massively.

The evening had begun with Fast Cars but didn't end that way when the normally reliable number 27 bus spluttered to a halt just short of Heworth Interchange. "The brakes aren't working" explained the driver, "I'll have to send for a replacement bus". Fast cars and slow buses - quite a contrast so, rather than wait for a bus whose brakes did work I walked to the Interchange and jumped into a taxi. It hadn't spoiled my night. However, if the bus had been going downhill when the brakes failed...
Lance
PHOTOS.

Michael Lamb (MD), Pete Tanton, Gordon Marshall, Dick Stacey (trumpets); David Barnes, John Flood, Chris Grey, Mark Ferris (trombones);  Steve Summers, Keith Robinson, Jamie Toms, Dave Kerridge, Laurie Rangecroft (reeds); James Peacock (piano); Pawel Jedrzejewski (guitar); Michael Whent (bass guitar); Dave McKeague (drums); Alice Grace, Jennifer Davies, Carly McKee (vocals).

3 comments :

Liz said...

So good that you met up with my relatives Lance, just wish I could have been there.

Lance said...

The band are back in October with Claire Martin...

Lance said...

Turns out, I've since discovered, that Muriel and I both attended Jarrow Central School!

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