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Bebop Spoken There

Billy Boy Arnold: “As long as you don't think old you're good.” - DownBeat, December, 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!"

Simon Spillett: A lovely review from the dean of jazz bloggers, Lance Liddle...

Postage

16034 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 1041 of them this year alone and, so far, 73 this month (Nov. 27).

From This Moment On ...

December

Sun 03: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:30pm. £7.50.
Sun 03: The Central Bar Quartet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. The Central Bar Quartet plays Lou Donaldson’s Gravy Train. Featuring Jamie Toms.
Sun 03: Revolutionaires @ The Water House, North Road, Durham. 4:00pm. Rock 'n' roll excellence! Line-up inc. Pete Tanton.
Sun 03: Paul Skerritt @ Smith’s Arms, Carlton, Stockton-on-Tees. 7:00pm.
Sun 03: Johnny Hunter Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 03: Jam session @ The Schooner, Gateshead. 8:00pm. Free.

Mon 04: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Mon 04: Northern Monkey Brass Band @ People’s Kitchen, Bath Lane, Newcastle. From 5:30pm. On-street gig supporting the work of the People’s Kitchen charity. Wrap up warm! Donate!
Mon 04: Michael Young Trio w Lindsay Hannon @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 7:00pm. Free.
Mon 04: James Birkett Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £8.00.
Mon 04: Durham University Jazz Orchestra + Durham University Big Band @ Durham Castle DH1 3RW. 8:30pm. £6.00.; £5.00. concs; £4.00. DSM. ‘Jazzy Christmas’.

Tue 05: Customs House Big Band @ All Saints Church, Cleadon. 7:00pm. Concert in the church hall. BYOB.
Tue 05: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Sid White. The best free show in town!

Wed 06: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 06: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 8:00pm. Free. Note later start time, concert performance (open to the public).
Wed 06: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 07: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free CANCELLED!
Thu 07: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay, Newcastle. 12 noon - 4:00pm. £26.00 (inc 3-course meal in in St Mary's Lighthouse Suite). SOLD OUT!
Thu 07: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm. All welcome.
Thu 07: Thursday Night Prayer Meeting @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.Donations. Feat. Mark Sanders. CANCELLED!
Thu 07: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00. Downstairs.
Thu 07: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 08: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 08: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 08: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 08: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Woodland Village Hall, Bishop Auckland. 7:00pm. £12.00.
Fri 08: Sleep Suppressor + Redwell @ Head of Steam, Neville St., Newcastle. 8:00pm. £10.00. (£8.00. adv); £5.00. student.
Fri 08: Hot Club du Nord @ St Cuthbert's Church, Shadforth, Co. Durham.
Fri 08: Têtes de Pois + Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £8.00.

Sat 09: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 09: Abbie Finn Trio @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm.
Sat 09: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Middleton & Todridge Village Hall, Morpeth. 7:30pm. £12.00., £6.00.
Sat 09: Paul Skerritt @ Slaley Hall, Hexham NE47 0BX. 7:30pm. From £42.00.

Thursday, August 01, 2019

Malta Jazz Festival 2019 - Nights July 20.

(Review by Steve T)

Once I'd discovered there's a jazz scene in Malta, I found an album by Dominic and Benedict Galea called Mnajdra Jazz Suite, which seemed to achieve a spot-on blend of tradition and the future. On my next visit I found one called Tribute, to the pioneers of jazz in Malta, also featuring Dominic prominently.

One of the daytime acts at this year’s festival was Francesca Galea and the Saturday night opening set - led by Dominic - featured guitarist Karl Galea. Bit of a dynasty going on I assumed until enquiries to Francesca by one of the coffee and Campari set confirmed that Galea is a bit like Smith in England.

Nevertheless, it seems Dominic has been a big deal in Malta for years (and had a British band which once played the Malta Festival) - a bit like Paul Edis in the northeast - and he assembled a band of upcoming young musicians called the Dominic Galea Generation for the opening set of the final night.

It featured him on piano, Karl on guitar who, with Carlo Muscat on sax, provided great soloing throughout, a busy upright bass player in Dean Montanaro and subtle, un-intrusive, understated drumming from Manuel Pulis.

The set began with the band augmented by two young Maltese men reciting spoken word in Maltese, before going into a series of lesser known jazz pieces, including one by Wayne Shorter. Galea's (that's Dominic) introductions were entirely in Maltese and I don't know if this is how he always does it or was something of a political statement to take a stab at Brexit; who knows?     

Jazzmeia Horn was much anticipated and arrived onstage with a great pianist, bass player and drummer for an extended workout of a Betty Carter piece I didn't know, complete with vocal gymnastics, extended scatting, bird songs, animal noises and screeching. One of the afternoon crowd left claiming it was rubbish and I confess I found it excessive, but it settled down for the rest of the set, enhanced significantly by the arrival of seriously dreadlocked Irwin Hall on sax and flute.

Coming from a soul background, I'm not much of a fan of jazz singers, but Sarah Vaughan - perhaps the most soulful - is probably my favourite, and Horn delivered a track from an album Vaughan made with Clifford Brown, which I must check out. The rest of the set came from her debut album and the forthcoming follow-up, due out in August.

She's a good singer but not the most remarkable I've ever heard, though her scatting seems to me to be second to none, and I can't help feeling she's destined for big things.

Of course Kenny Garrett was a large part of the attraction this year; one of the greatest living jazz saxophonists and one of the most important jazz musicians on the planet right now. His quintet featured another brilliant pianist - Vernell Brown - taking the bulk of the soloing on the odd, brief moments Garrett took the horn out of his mouth.  

The set was essentially in two parts, slipping seamlessly from post-Trane to his more recent forays into funk-jazz. The former was almost beyond belief, especially when it went down to just sax and drums - and he seems to have found his Elvin Jones in Sam Laviso - or when it went down to lone sax. Trane references came thick and fast and it's easy to imagine this is where he might have been had he played alto during his golden years. 

Life doesn't get better than this.

Part two left the hard-core jazzers a little disappointed but the rest elated, with me somewhere in-between; (dammit, I am a Lib Dem!). Think Maceo Parker with unlimited chops. 

I was happy with the change of direction but, with so much back-catalogue to choose from, I found it wasteful to play such an extended version of his recent Do Your Dance, complete with audience participation that almost everybody ignored.

Although it in no way spoilt anything, it was a shame because it had been a stunning set and a wonderful festival.     
Steve T 

1 comment :

Steve T said...

While I wouldn't normally recommend Blues and Soul mag even to soul folk, much less jazz people, the current issue has reviews of both the Malta Jazz Festival and the jazz and soul Love Supreme Festival.
If this was an off-night for Kurt, bring on the Northern Rock Foundation Hall on 28th, but I suspect that may be symptomatic of what's wrong with B + S these days.

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