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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

15491 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 512 of them this year alone and, so far, 133 this month (May 31).

From This Moment On ...

Tue 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 06: Jam session @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. House trio: Stu Collingwood (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Sid White (drums).

Wed 07: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 07: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 07: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 07: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

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.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

CD Review: Moy Eng, Wayne Wallace – The Blue Hour


(Review by Ann Alex)

A collection of originals, with Ms Eng supplying vocals and lyrics and Wallace doing the tunes and the arrangements. Of Chinese-American descent and working in arts administration and grant-making organisations, Eng, who has been recognised in this field with honours from the California Arts Council and the World Affairs Council, currently works for a non-profit body developing affordable workspaces for the arts. This is her debut CD.

Trombonist, composer, producer and educator Wallace, from San Francisco, and a four-time Grammy nominee, has been involved in pop, soul, Latin and Afro-Caribbean music working with the likes of Count Basie, Aretha Franklin, Sonny Rollins and Carlos Santana.


Ms Eng's voice is a pleasing, expressive alto with clear diction and the musicians are well up to the mark. However, I had problems totally enjoying the songs. This was perhaps because songs need to get their point across straightforwardly whereas a poem can be a bit more obscure at first reading forcing the reader to return to the work many times. Ms Eng has previously written some 500 poems, so she is used to that genre. I found some of the songs what I would call 'wandering' rather than direct, and without enough variety. This, of course, is subjective and another listener could easily disagree.

The information supplied tells us that the Blue Hour refers to the times of dawn and twilight and the songs cover themes of love, loss, travel and identity, with autobiographical input. Quite a tall order for a set of songs! The titles give a flavour of the material: Filthy Gorgeous; Sleepless in Paris; You Put a Spell on Him; I Love a Girl Who Parties; Hong Kong; Wild Plum; Magnolia Light; Alpha Girl; A New York Moment; Thursdays In May. The songs I liked more than others were Filthy Gorgeous (a swinger with a big band accompaniment, intimate by turns, ending with a sensuous sax solo); Alpha Girl (an interesting storyline about a woman who is successful in all but love); Thursdays in May (a sad love song with a beautiful string accompaniment, in fact the strings almost 'embrace' the vocals).
Ann Alex
Available on Patois Records. See www.thebluehourproject.com   

Moy Eng (vocals, composition, lyrics, production) Wayne Wallace (composition, arrangements, production). Musicians on various tracks: Deszon Claiborne, Colin Douglas, Akira Tana (drums); David Belove, Marc van Wageningen, John Wiitala (fretless, electric, acoustic basses); Joe Gilman (piano); Murray Low (keyboard); Frank Martin (keyboard, piano, organ); Michael Spiro (congas, percussion); Rick Vandivier (guitars, dobro); Tommy Kesecker (vibes); Erik Jekabson, John Worley (trumpet); Mary Fettig, Melecio Magdaluyo (saxes); Wayne Wallace (trombone); Eugene Chokluv (1st violin); Niki Fukada (2nd violin); Edith Szendrey (viola); Monica Scott (cello); Yuki Nagase (double bass)

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