Total Pageviews

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.

Saturday, September 07, 2019

Jeff Barnhart & John Hallam @ Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club - September 7


Jeff Barnhart (piano, vocals); John Hallam (tenor sax, baritone sax, clarinet); Keith Stephen (guitar, banjo); Bruce Rollo (double bass)  
(Review by Russell)

The Mr Men returned one year on from their last get together at Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club. As usual St Augustine's on Larchfield Street catered to a large crowd of dyed-in-the-wool classic jazz era enthusiasts. Today's lunchtime session led by principals Jeff Barnhart and John Hallam would stray into early swing territory without testing the resolve of the faithful. 

The Mr Men - Barnhart, Hallam, Keith Stephen (guitar and banjo) and string bass maestro Bruce Rollo - as they're known picked up from where they left off twelve months ago with Fine and Dandy. It was just that - fine and dandy - with all four contributing succinct calling-card solos topped off by an equally succinct round of fours. And so it went on, four friends playing a selection of favourite numbers - Petite Fleur (Hallam on baritone sax, the quartet moving effortlessly from Latin to swing and back again), You're Driving Me Crazy and a Eubie Blake solo piano medley feature from Barnhart comprising I'm Just Wild About HarryMemories of You and Charleston Rag. In no time the interval was upon us but not before the Mr Men closed out the first set with There Will Never be Another You.

The ebullient American piano virtuoso Barnhart indicated the second set would begin with a dream sequence - Dream Man (Hallam on baritone), You Stepped Out of a Dream (Hallam clarinet) culminating in fours then twos, followed by a dream version of Ain't Misbehavin' (an audience request). What's the betting that if Barnhart met Fats Waller they'd be best pals?!

Our virtuoso six-stringer Mr Keith Stephen switched to his four string banjo for a rollicking Swing That Music - Darlington's faithful loved it! A ballad was called for, we got A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square but it wasn't long before Stephen upped the tempo once more when calling Sweet Georgia Brown (in F).   

Ellington's Ring Dem Bells sizzled and in no time it was time to go, with, as Barnhart observed, a song for our times - Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. It had been yet another winning afternoon at Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club. Jeff Barnhart returns in a fortnight (Saturday 21) with Reel 2 of his silent movie-piano accompaniment show. Curtain up at 12:30pm.    
Russell

No comments :

Blog Archive