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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

15245 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 264 of them this year alone and, so far, 77 this month (March 25).

From This Moment On ...

March

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 + Abbie Finn @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 8:00pm. £12.00 (£10.00. adv).

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 29: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 30: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library. 2:30-4:30pm. £2.00. All welcome.
Thu 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. Back to 1:00pm stomp off. Free.
Thu 30: Castillo Nuevo @ Revolución de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30-8:30pm.
Thu 30: '58 Jazz Collective @ Hops & Cheese, Hartlepool. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 30: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm.
Thu 30: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 31: Lewis Watson Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Town Hall. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 31: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 31: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 31: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm. CANCELLED! Back next week (April 7).
Fri 31: Castillo Nuevo @ Revolución de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30-8:30pm.
Fri 31: Jasmine Myra + Waclaw Zimpel @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Fri 31: The Revolutionaires @ The Shack, Boldon Colliery. 7:30pm. £10.00. The Revolutionaires' big band (horn section) line-up.
Fri 31: Andrew McCormack @ Maltings, Berwick. 8:00pm. £20.00.

April
Sat 01: The Big Easy @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 01: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Steve Glendinning - In a Minor Key. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 01: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington Covered Market, Darlington DL1 5PN. 6:00pm. New venue, live jazz!
Sat 01: Boys of Brass @ Stack, Seaburn. 7:00-9:00pm.
Sat 01: Hot Club du Nord @ Pleased to Meet You, Bridge St., Morpeth. 8:00pm. £79.00. A charity fundraising event.
Sat 01: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00. RESCHEDULED to next week (Sat 08).

Sun 02: Smokin' Spitfires @ The Cluny. 12:45pm.
Sun 02: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.

Mon 03: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

CD Review: Voctave - Somewhere There's Music

Kate Lott, Tiffany Coburn, Ashley Espinoza, Sarah Whittemore, Chrystal Johnson, E. J.Cardona, Tony De Rosa, Kurt von Schmittou, Jacob C Fullerton, Karl Hudson (voices), Jamey Ray (voice/arrangements)
(Review by Lance)

I'll be honest and hold my hand up and admit that I wasn't in the mood for reviewing. I opted, instead, to relax with a game of computer chess (intermediate level). I decided some innocuous background noise would help my levels of concentration so I flipped this on to the player and went for a tried and tested Ruy Lopez opening. However, I hadn't got beyond P-K4 (e4 in algebraic notation) when Flash! Bang! Alakazam! chess was forgotten and I resigned before my robotic opponent had replied!

Yes, Orange Colored Sky was the opening number on the CD and the sound, the harmonies, the arrangement the amazing range of the singers had me reeling - this was the choir to end all choirs. Six men and five women from Central Florida singing 13 GASbook classics a cappella.

Maybe purists ancient and modern will dispute its jazz credibility, so be it, although if Jamey Ray's arrangements had been scored for instruments as opposed to voices they'd think differently! 

Listen to how On the Sunny Side of the Street is cleverly interwoven with Give Me the Simple Life.

Apart from the individual tracks there are two medleys. The first is dedicated to the Andrews Sisters - In the Mood; Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree; Sing, Sing, Sing; Mele Kalikimaka; Rum and Coca Cola & The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy From Company B. The second is a tribute to Ella - How High the Moon; A-Tisket, A-Tasket & I'm Beginning to See the Light. Both are absolute killers!

Some numbers feature individuals. Kate Lott displays her amazing range and breath control on Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. Chrystal Johnson injects new life into My Funny Valentine and Karl Hudson impresses on I'll Be Seeing You.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow; Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah; Moon River; The Summer Knows and Smile are the other gems along with a bonus track - Won't You Be My Neighbor - a song related to Rollins College where Voctave were recently named as Artists-In-Residence.

Check this out - it's merely fantastic - on Spotify or try/buy samples.
Lance.

3 comments :

Liz said...

Quite wonderful, just loved it, where do you find these gems?

Lance said...

They find me!

Liz said...

And you pass the information on, must buy it thanks so much Lance!

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