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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

15229 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 248 of them this year alone and, so far, 61 this month (March 20).

From This Moment On ...

March

Wed 22: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 22: Darlington Big Band @ Traveller's Rest, Cockerton. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public). Note change of venue - CANCELLED CEILING COLLAPSED!
Wed 22: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 22: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 4:00-6:00pm. Free.
Thu 23: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Bar Loco, Newcasatle. From 6:30pm 'til late. Free. Newcastle University Jazz Orchestra jam session. All welcome (students & non-students).
Thu 23: Kerrin Tatman + John Garner & John Pope @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 23: Sunna Gunnlaugs & Julia Hülsmann @ Sage Gateshead. 8:00pm. A two-piano gig. A Sage Gateshead-JNE promotion.
Thu 23: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano.
Thu 23: Sleep Suppressor @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £10.00., £8.00. adv. Upstairs.
Thu 23: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 24: FILM: Mo' Better Blues @ Forum Cinema, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Fri 24: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Scarth Hall, Staindrop, Co. Durham. 8:00pm. £10.00.
Fri 24: Archipelago + Bulbils @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.

Sat 25: Vermont Big Band @ Walker Community Centre, Walker, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Fundraiser for Benfield Juniours Football Club. Hot food available, BYOB.
Sat 25: John Logan & Friends @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Rat Pack, Motown etc. 8:00pm. Free (donations).

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.
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).

Monday, September 30, 2019

The Things We Did Last Summer

I'm currently semi-housebound - don't ask! - and, as so often happens in these situations, a song gets lodged in your head and you can't shift it - not that I particularly want to shift this one as it's one of the best and it didn't come from the pen of Gershwin, Porter, Kern, Berlin, Rodgers, Mercer or Carmichael. No, the music was by  Jule Styne and the words by Sammy Cahn. 

This was in 1946 and  it charted for Jo Stafford who sneaked her version out ahead of Sinatra's who, seemingly, wasn't pleased.

Instrumentally, among others, Fats Navarro, Roy Hargrove, Freddie Hubbard, Richie Kamuka and Buddy de Franco made impressive recordings. However, I'm going to sneak into Ann Alex territory and concentrate on the lyric.

It's typical American 1940's bobbysoxer baloney but, despite that, every line paints a picture:

The boat rides we would take, the moonlight on the lake, 
The way we danced and hummed our favourite song. 
The things we did last summer, 
I'll remember all winter long.

Can't you just picture the young couple falling in love in a holiday setting?

The midway and the fun, the kewpie dolls we won, 
The bell I rang to prove that I was strong, 
The things we did etc.

All the fun of the fair, the sideshows, the shooting gallery, the macho man striking the hammer and ringing the bell to impress the girl and maybe ringing her bell. 

The early morning hike, the rented tandem bike, 
The lunches that we used to pack. 
We never could explain, that sudden summer rain,
The looks we got when we got back.

The knowing glances from their friends when they came back late, was the rain just an excuse?

However,  the season, changes...

The leaves began to fade, like promises we made,
How could a love that seemed so right go wrong?
The things we did last summer, I'll remember all winter long.

That final verse is the masterstroke. Sammy Cahn has taken us on a journey of fun and frothy frivolity and turned it into a saga of heartbreak.
Lance

2 comments :

Liz said...

It has everything you could wish for, a great fave of mine, esp the "knowing looks" bit, it always did make me smile, so subtle, not hitting you in the face such as today's lyrics, thanks Lance for putting this into my head for the rest of tonight and onwards!

Ann Alex said...

Lance, I don't mind you straying into my domain, lyrics are for everyone to enjoy and these are seemingly straightforward but with effective images. Songs are more difficult to write than people imagine, as you have to make your point quickly and not wander all over the place, unless you are a songwriter who can 'wander' but still be interesting, eg Bob Dylan. Others may not agree that Dylan was good in his own way so I hope I haven't opened a can of worms, or rather a can of words.

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