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Bebop Spoken There

Art Blakey: "You [Bobby Watson] don't want to play too long, because you don't know they're clapping because they're glad you finished!" - (JazzTimes, Nov. 2019)..

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

15867 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 874 of them this year alone and, so far, 72 this month (Sept. 25).

From This Moment On ...

September

Mon 25: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Mon 25: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 7:00pm.

Tue 26: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.

Wed 27: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 27: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 27: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 28: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 28: Alice Grace Quartet @ King's Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 28: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm. All welcome.
Thu 28: Faye MacCalman + Snape/Sankey @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 28: Zoe Rahman @ Jesmond United Reformed Church, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:30pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Thu 28: '58 Jazz Collective @ Hops & Cheese, Hartlepool. 7:30pm.
Thu 28: Speakeasy @ Queen's Hall, Hexham. 7:30pm. £15.00. A Southpaw Dance Company presentation. Dance, audio-visuals, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, swing dancers etc.
Thu 28: Mick Cantwell Band @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Ace blues band.
Thu 28: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 29: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 29: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 29: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.

Sat 30: John Pope Quintet + Late Girl + Shapeshifters @ Bobik's, Jesmond, Newcastle.
Sat 30: Papa G's Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

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.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

CD Review: Mark Sherman - My Other Voice.

Mark Sherman (piano); Vincent Herring(alto saxophone); Ray Drummond/Dan Chmielinski (bass); Nana Sakamoto (trombone); Carl Allen (drums).
(Review by James H)

Mark Sherman is best known as a percussionist and vibraphone player, having played vibes as a sideman to Peggy Lee and other big jazz names of the late 20th century, as well as classical percussion in orchestras conducted by Bernstein, Solti and the like.  He describes piano as “his other voice” hence the title of this new CD.  Piano may be Sherman’s other voice, but it is a bold and articulate voice in this eclectic collection of jazz standards, less well known tunes and his own compositions.   Mark teaches at The Juilliard School in New York and, on this album, he works with other established players on the New York scene as well as newcomers Nana Sakamoto on trombone and bassist Dan Chmielinski.

The album tends towards a hard bop feel, but also has its tender moments. The playing is tight and exciting, beginning with Sherman’s own composition Primative Reality, where Sherman’s piano has a driving McCoy Tyner-like quality, presaging confident solos by Herring and Sakamoto.  

Horace Silver’s Juicy Lucy follows, with a nice bluesy solo by Vincent Herring.  In John Lewis’ Milestones Sherman manages a Modern Jazz Quartet feel, and Nana Sakamoto’s excellent solo catches the spirit of the piece.  

Ale, a Mark Sherman tune, is hoppy and zesty with a nice head, just like good beer should be, helped down by interesting bass playing by Chmielinski.   The mood quietens down in Ev’rytime we Say Goodbye, the Cole Porter standard, in which the horns sit out and the trio (this time with Ray Drummond on bass) renders a tender ballad.  The driving feel returns with Cedar Walton’s Hindsight, and Sherman and Sakamoto’s solos keep the mood going.  

In Devotion’s Dance, another Sherman tune, we have an edgy, jerky waltz-like feel, with more talented bass playing by Chmielinski.   The disc finishes with The Cup Bearers, an old hard bop tune from the 1960s, with spirited solos from Herring and Sakamoto.

My Other Voice is an exciting and well crafted album, with tight ensemble playing and some inspired solo playing.   Of particular note is Nana Sakamoto’s fine, accurate trombone playing.  Sakamoto, only 24 years of age and recently arrived from Japan, is a newcomer to the New York scene and has a promising career ahead of her.

This CD grew on me over a few listenings.  It is an intelligent and well put together disc, which pays homage to hard bop and takes it to new places.  Piano may be Mark Sherman’s other voice, but it is a confident voice, which doesn’t disappoint.   
James H

Available on Miles High Records via usual suspects.

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