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Bebop Spoken There

Simon Spillett: “ Bebop and hard bop came naturally to him [Tubby Hayes]". Morning Star, March 28, 2024.

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!"

Simon Spillett: A lovely review from the dean of jazz bloggers, Lance Liddle...

Josh Weir: I love the writing on bebop spoken here... I think the work you are doing is amazing.

Postage

16287 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 169 of them this year alone and, so far, 41 this month (Mar 18).

From This Moment On ...

March

Fri 29: FILM: Soul @ The Forum Cinema, Hexham. 12:30pm. Jazz-themed film animation.
Fri 29: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 29: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free. POSTPONED!
Fri 29: Thundercat @ Newcastle City Hall.
Fri 29: John Logan @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Fri 29: True Colours @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 9:00pm. Blues, jazz & swing.

Sat 30: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 30: Pete Tanton’s Cuba Libre @ Whitley Bay Library, York Road, Whitley Bay. 8:00pm.

Sun 31: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 31: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields NE30 1HJ. 3:00pm. Free. Lambert, Alan Law & Paul Grainger.
Sun 31: Sid Jacobs & Tom Remon @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. USA/London jazz guitar duo.
Sun 31: Bellavana @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

April
Mon 01: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 01: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 3:00pm. Free.

Tue 02: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Dean Stockdale, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 03: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 03: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 03: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 04: FILM: Soul @ Forum Cinema, Hexham. 2:00pm. Jazz-themed film animation.
Thu 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 04: Funky Drummer @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 04: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 04: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Friday, October 25, 2019

CD Review: When We Were Young – Kelley Suttenfield


Kelley Suttenfield (vocals); Tosh Sheridan (guitars, backng vocals, arrangement, production); Matthew Fries (piano, Fender Rhodes); Phil Palombi (bass); Eric Halvorson (drums, percussion); Derek Ratzenboeck (violin); Vincent Lionti (viola); David Calhoun (cello).
(Review by Ann Alex).

Yet another woman singer doing something out of the ordinary, bravely reimagining the songs of Neil Young as jazz. A regular on the New York jazz scene and around the East Coast, Suttenfield has performed at the Iridium and  Jazz at Kitano, at Ronnie Scott's in London and also toured Europe. This is her third album and her band includes Tosh Sheridan, guitarist and graduate of Berklee College of Music and the rhythm trio 718. I found the bass player of this outfit particularly good. The line-up is completed by the Memling Ensemble String Trio on 5 of the 11 tracks.

An exquisite rendering of Harvest Moon, airy cymbals and light drums give an ethereal sound which is definitely jazz, skilled bass, with improvising solos from piano and guitar. The Needle and the Damage Done, a powerful song about drug-taking, is a really interesting version, with strong bass, haunting guitar, clanking drum effects to set the scene and a rise in tension towards the end of the track. However I found the strings a bit too romantic-sounding for the subject in hand.

The Losing End is a real swinger; Love Is A Rose, which concerns the thorny parts of love, is done appropriately with funky guitar; Down By The River is a countryish version of the standard folk song about drowning your beloved; and Barefoot Floors, which was never actually released by Young, is a charming song written for a child, with suitably relaxing, laid back guitar. The rest of the tracks are: Heart of Gold; Only Love Can Break Your Heart; Flying on the Ground; Fool for Your Love; Old Man.  

The CD is very enjoyable and successfully transfers Young's music from rock to jazz, which made me wonder if our standard genre divisions are really of any use. If the songs had been firstly treated as jazz and we'd never heard them sung by Young, would we have liked the music any less?  I love Young's voice, which has a very pleasing haunting tone with a certain tense quality which adds meaning to the lyrics, and this is what I missed from the CD. But comparisons are difficult and I enjoyed the CD for its own merits.

The album is currently available in stores and online.
See www.kelleysuttenfield.com and also Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, using the artist’s name.
Ann Alex    

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