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Bebop Spoken There

Ambrose Akinmusire: “ I am certainly always aware of what the masses are doing. And when I see too many people going one way, I'm going another way - even when I don't know what's over that way". DownBeat, March, 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

16287 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 169 of them this year alone and, so far, 41 this month (Mar 18).

From This Moment On ...

March

Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Tim Johnston.

Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Castillo Neuvo Trio + Conor Emery & His ‘Bones Band @ The Grove, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £10.00. (£7.00. student).
Thu 21: Remi Banklyn + Chris Corcoran Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.50. Chicago blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Thu 21: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Ragtime piano.
Thu 21: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 22: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 22: Nauta + Remy CB + Last Orders @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 8:30pm (7:30pm doors). Free.
Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £15.00. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 22: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sat 23: Jambone @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 6:30pm. Free (ticketed). End of term performance in the Northern Rock Foundation Hall.
Sat 23: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 23: Red Kites Jazz @ Rowlands Gill Community Centre NE39 1JB. 7:00pm. Tickets: £12.00. (gibsidecommunityfarm@gmail.com). A ‘Build a Barn’ fundraiser. BYOB, tea/coffee available.
Sat 23: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00. + bf (book in person at venue - no booking fee!). Featuring pianist Martin Litton.
Sat 23: Pete Tanton’s Cuba Libre @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 24: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 24: Luis Verde @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Verde (alto sax); Joe Steels (guitar); John Pope (double bass); John Hirst (drums). Alto sax brilliance!
Sun 24: Elsie Franklin @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. £10.00. Country blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Sun 24: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: Las Vegas Live with the Rat Pack @ The Forum, Billingham.
Sun 24: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Otterburn Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Sun 24: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Note start time - 7:00pm.
Sun 24: Bold Big Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 25: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 25: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Sunday, September 08, 2019

Artephis @ The Globe Jazz Bar, Newcastle – September 7. A joint venture by Jazz North East and the Jazz Co-op in connection with Jazz North 'Northern Line'

Aaron Wood (trumpet, flugelhorn, electronics); James Girling (guitar); Ali Roocroft (keyboard); Alasdair Simpson (bass guitar); Matt Brown (drums)
(Review by Ann Alex/ Photos courtesy of Ken Drew).
Well, what a brilliant evening of music is all I can say, and I'm sure the full house Globe audience would agree! This was listed as 'contemporary progressive jazz' so I was unsure if I'd latch onto it, but by the second piece I was hooked. See the quotation currently shown in the Bebop Spoken There box above, something about harming musicians by categorising them, how true in this case. This was simply (but not simple) great music, describe it how you will.
Mostly original pieces and the first tune Feroz (composed by Aaron Wood) took a while to bed down in my brain; it began with grooves and a trumpet line, then a keys one, a slowing down into snatches, guitar and trumpet call and response, trumpet leads, then all play to a sudden stop, the kind of sudden stop you get from many rock bands nowadays.

Tabula Rasa (comp. Girling) began with a beautiful cool, calm 'landscape' type of feeling tune on keys, building up to a heavier, louder sound as the whole band joined the theme, with steady drumbeats towards the ending.

I hope these descriptions give readers some 'feel' for the music played. The next piece was Chagrin; Know Her (comp. Girling) and was mainly drums led. The first set concluded differently and more traditionally with a boppy number Inner Urge (Joe Henderson), which could have been sung by the likes of Sheila Jordan, and with solos all round.

I was kindly supplied with the set list during the interval and my informant declared that he would announce the tunes in the second set, which he did in an amiable manner, so full marks for communication as well as music. So he first announced Glow (comp. Aaron Wood) a slow build-up of layers of sound with a skilled guitar prog rock type solo which took me back to 1970's evenings of music and wine.

 Treading Water was influenced by a musical partita (sounds more like an Italian meal) and ended with an interesting gruff-sounding guitar. Herbie Hancock's Eye Of The Hurricane ended with a superb drum solo; February (comp Girling) was loud and wild like that month's weather and Quinoa (comp. Girling) started with rumbles, then a strong tune and 'growling' guitar. That tune came about when Girling visited a quinoa-growing region of the world and realised the problems that the farmers had to deal with.

We all demanded an encore, which was the band's take on Caravan, over a strong Latin beat.
Then we all went home, very musically satisfied.
Ann Alex

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