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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

15516 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 536 of them this year alone and, so far, 25 this month (June 7).

From This Moment On ...

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: Miners' Picnic @ Woodhorn, Ashington. Music inc. Northern Monkey Brass Band (3:00-3:50pm); New York Brass Band (4:00-4:55pm).
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: Jeremy McMurray's Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Ropner Park, Stockton TS18 4EF. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
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.

Tue 13: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 13: Infusion Trio @ Forum Music Centre, Darlington. 7:30pm.
Tue 13: Alice Grace & Pawel Jedrzejewski @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 8:00pm. £12.00 (£10.00. adv.).

Wed 14: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 14: NUJO Final Jazz Jam @ Bar Loco, Newcastle. 6:30pm. Free. Newcastle University Jazz Orchestra's final jam session of the academic year. All welcome.
Wed 14: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 14: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
. Wed 14: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Saturday, August 03, 2019

CD Review: Northern Monkey Brass Band - Northern Monkey Business


Northern Monkey Brass Band: Graham Hardy (trumpet); Alastair Lord (trumpet); Jamie Toms (tenor sax); Mark Ferris (trombone); David Gray (trombone); Phil Rosier (tuba); Adam Sinclair (snare drum); Brendan Murphy (bass drum) + George Welch (vocal)
(Review by Russell)

Graham Hardy's Northern Monkey Brass Band is one of Tyneside's most accomplished outfits coming up with the goods time and again on the local gig circuit. Northern Monkey Business is the eight piece band's second CD release. If there is such a thing as the 'difficult' second album then it definitely doesn't apply to this one. It's every bit as good as the first one (High on Life) and the tunes are, as some might say, 'bangers', in a street brass band sort of way!


Ten tracks, seven composed and arranged by Hardy, three 'traditional' numbers arranged by the trumpet playing bandleader, Northern Monkey Business comes in at around fifty two minutes and there is never a dull moment. The band members' jazz credentials have been well documented but it is their collective cv encompassing rock, pop, orchestral, experimental and more which gives the Northern Monkey Brass Band a distinctive edge.

Attitude, the opening track, has just that, 'attitude'. Not in tiresome 'big I am' style, far from it, rather eight excellent musicians deciding they'll have a good time and this recording suggests they did just that. Hardy's sleeve notes identify the soloists track by track although those who've heard the band live - that's quite a few of us! - will have little difficulty identifying who's who. In short, trumpeter Alastair Lord invariably hits the high Cs and the big, boistrous trombone blasts come courtesy of David 'Showtime' Gray. That said, Mark Ferris has been known to plunger with the best of the 'bone battalion. 

The percussion boys - Adam Sinclair and Brendan Murphy - feature on Monkey Blood and, it should be said, these two radiate enjoyment. Go hear the band at a gig and see for yourself! Simian Ska is a skanking vehicle for first, bandleader Hardy, then Gray, it's right up his street is this one! Come to think of it, Showtime is from the same school of musical thought as our percussionists - good time playing with chops to back it up. 

A Northumbrian folk song features a guest appearance by George Welch. Water of Tyne is afforded a stately treatment (solos from Hardy, Jamie Toms, tenor sax and Gray) to accommodate the legendary folk singer's vocals.    

Northern Monkey's Second Line is on a par with material from the likes of the Dirty Dozen and the Youngbloods and Hardy's arrangement of the closing track, What a Friend (opening with marvellous analogue recording-like crackles!), would go down well on the streets of N'Awlins. Perhaps one day the Northern Monkey Brass Band will make it to the Crescent City. Now then, wouldn't that be something?! 
Russell
Northern Monkey Business (NMBB 002) is available from: 

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