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Bebop Spoken There

Abbie Finn: "Even though there's a lot of great work being done to promote women in jazz, I still come up against some attitudes! I pulled up at a recording session with my drums in the car and the studio owner said, 'I'm sorry, this space is reserved for the drummer!'" - (Jazzwise April 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

15245 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 264 of them this year alone and, so far, 77 this month (March 25).

From This Moment On ...

March

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm.
Sun 26: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Mar 26: Pop Jazz @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. 'Jazzified' tunes by the likes of Sylvester, Bowie, the Monkees etc., feat. Alan Law, David Gray, Richard Herdman & Jude Murphy.
Sun 26: Outlines @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. JNE promotion (upstairs).

Mon 27: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 28: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 28: Sanaz Lavasani Trio @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 8:00pm. £12.00 (£10.00. adv).

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 29: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 30: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library. 2:30-4:30pm. £2.00. All welcome.
Thu 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. Back to 1:00pm stomp off. Free.
Thu 30: '58 Jazz Collective @ Hops & Cheese, Hartlepool. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 30: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm.
Thu 30: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 31: Lewis Watson Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Town Hall. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 31: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 31: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 31: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm. CANCELLED! Back next week (April 7).
Fri 31: Jasmine Myra + Waclaw Zimpel @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Fri 31: The Revolutionaires @ The Shack, Boldon Colliery. 7:30pm. £10.00. The Revolutionaires' big band (horn section) line-up.
Fri 31: Andrew McCormack @ Maltings, Berwick. 8:00pm. £20.00.

April
Sat 01: The Big Easy @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 01: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Steve Glendinning - In a Minor Key. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 01: Hot Club du Nord @ Pleased to Meet You, Bridge St., Morpeth. 8:00pm. £79.00. A charity fundraising event.
Sat 01: Boys of Brass @ Stack, Seaburn. 7:00-9:00pm.
Sat 01: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00. RESCHEDULED to next week (Sat 08).

Thursday, August 01, 2019

Review: Claire Martin & Jim Mullen - Bumpin'

Claire Martin (vocal); Jim Mullen (guitar ); Mads Bærentzen (piano); Thomas Ovesen (bass); Kristian Leth (drums).
(Review by Lance).

Still the CDs arrive - the chances of an artist getting a review are now down to about 1% unless more reviewers come forth. I know I could just cut and paste the press releases which, to me, is the easy way out but not necessarily the ethical one.

However, because of this selectivity, when a CD does grace these pages you can guarantee that it's 5* and counting.

This is just such an album. I know the girls are on the march and I don't think the UK has ever had such a formidable distaffian army storming the jazz citadel. Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Manchester, Barnsley, Chesterfield, London, Canterbury and - in this case - Brighton, the jazz voice lives.
Claire Martin has it all - perfect pitching, intelligent interpretation of the lyric, the ability to convey the words in a meaningful manner. Truth is, I think Claire could make How Much is that Doggie in the Window? sound like something by Cole Porter or George Gershwin! 

Fortunately, that challenge doesn't arise here, instead the album is dedicated to Wes Montgomery and who better to assist her in this endeavour than Jim Mullen?

As with jazz singers, there is no shortage of jazz guitarists. Where the line thins out is when it comes to the Jim Mullens of this world - just as there is only one Claire - so there is only one Jim.

Put this duo on top of an ace Danish rhythm section, add the inspiration of Wes Montgomery's recordings to the mix and you have l'elisir d'amore jazzwise.

Surprisingly, most of the tracks are standards that, presumably, Wes recorded during his short but prolific (and influential) lifetime. The only  actual Wes compos are Road Song, West Coast Blues, I Could Get Used to This (Bumpin'), Back in the Room (Bock to Bock).  This latter track is actually by Wes' brother Buddy and the words are by Claire's fellow Brightonian singer/songwriter Imogen Ryall described by Claire in the August edition of Jazzwise as "A hidden diamond".

The others are exquisite interpretations of : Willow Weep For Me, 'Round Midnight, If You Could See me Now, Goin' Out of my Head, Born to be Blue, The End of a Love Affair.

It doesn't come any better than this.
Claire Martin can be heard with SSBB at Hoochie Coochie on October 20 - book now!
Lance.
Available on Stunt Records - CD or LP - release date August 23.
Try/buy.

1 comment :

Unknown said...

Oh my! Jeff Brown played 'I could get used to this - bumpin' on Jazz FM yesterday and it made my day. I agree with your review - Claire Martin is pitch perfect
and together with Jim Mullen has made a great album. 5*

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