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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

15478 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 499 of them this year alone and, so far, 120 this month (May 27).

From This Moment On ...

May 2023

Wed 31: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 31: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 31: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 31: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

June
Thu 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 01: Thursday Night Prayer Meeting @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Donations.
Thu 01: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.
Thu 01: Jake Leg Jug Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Thu 01: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 02: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 02: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 02: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 02: Joseph Carville Trio @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 02: Claire Martin & Her Trio @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 7:30pm. £25.00., £20.00. Feat. Jim Mullen, Alex Garnett & Jeremy Brown.
Fri 02: Guy Davis + Michael Littlefield & Scott Taylor @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. Doors 7:30pm. Blues double bill.
Fri 02: Anders Ingram @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Blind Pig Blues Club. Country blues. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sat 03: Newcastle Record Fair @ Northumbria University, Newcastle NE8 8SB. 10:00am-3:00pm. Admission: £2.00.
Sat 03: Pedigree Jazz Band @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 03: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Sue Ferris. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 03: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 03: Papa G's Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sun 04: Smokin' Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm.
Sun 04: Central Bar Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00-4:00pm. £5.00. The Central Bar Quintet plays Sonny Rollins' Saxophone Colossus. Featuring Lewis Watson.
Sun 04: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 04: Struggle Buggy + Michael Littlefield @ Tyne Bar, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues.
Sun 04: Swinging at the Cotton Club: Harry Strutters' Hot Rhythm Orchestra @ The Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm.
Sun 04: Richard Jones Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 05: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

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).

Saturday, October 05, 2019

Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music: Yazz Ahmed’s Electric Dreams @ Gosforth Civic Theatre - October 4

Yazz Ahmed (trumpet/flugelhorn); Jason Singh (voice/electronics); Samuel Hällkvist (guitar); Rod Youngs (drums)
(Review by Steve H)

Gosforth Civic Theatre was virtually full for the visit of the British Bahraini artist’s band Electric Dreams. As Ahmed explained, the band produces spontaneous improvisations so it was going to be interesting to see what sort of journey we would be taken on.

It got off to a very rocky start - more Pink Floyd than Blue Mitchell - as guitar and drums tended to dominate on the opening two numbers. The third piece seemed to change tack completely and almost had a western (in the John Wayne sense) type feel to it. 

At this point I was not convinced. Luckily the final piece of the first set really did the business. Starting off with some Indian style scat from Singh (I am sure there is a proper name for this but sadly I don’t know what it is) the piece grew and grew and morphed into almost Phillip Glass/Steve Reich minimalist  flavoured work. So, at the halfway point, I was now looking forward with eager anticipation to the second set.

I was not disappointed. The music, somehow, seemed far more coherent than in the first set. Hällkvist on guitar and Youngs on drums interacted brilliantly. Ahmed, who seemed rather subdued in the first set, was far more prominent in the second. An atmospheric electronic jazz soundscape was created and I was really able to lose myself in the music. 

So, a very positive end to the evening after a somewhat laboured start. But I guess that is the joy of improvised music neither the band nor the audience know how things are going to turn out but the longer everyone stays with it the better it seems to get.  
Steve H

2 comments :

Steve T said...

The singing/ scatting/ rapping style is called conical, though I never seem to be able to find the correct spelling. Anyone?

Chris Kilsby said...

I'm tempted to say Steve T's proposed spelling is a bit "comical", but that would be cheeky :)

It's most often written "konnakol" but as it's a Tamil word by origin there is no "official" version, and you'll see it as konokol and other variants as well.

However it's written, the konnakol was one of the highlights. I also enjoyed Singh's trademark bird calls towards the end, followed by some "bear growling" (?). Never heard those at a jazz gig before!

I'd liked to have heard a bit more from Yazz overall, but as Steve H says, this was an exciting session, with a welcome whiff of the unpredictable and risky. There was some great playing and it mostly worked for me.

Chris K

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