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Bebop Spoken There

Béla Fleck: “ And that's the great thing about live performances, you take people on a journey. It doesn't have to be like something else they've heard. It's not supposed to be". DownBeat, April, 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

Thu 28: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 28: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm.
Thu 28: Richard Herdman Quartet @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 28: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Guests: Josh Bentham (alto sax); Alan Marshall (tenor sax); Neil Brodie (trumpet); Adrian Beadnell (bass); Graham Thompson (keys); Steve Hunter (drums).

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.

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.

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.

Monday, October 07, 2019

Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music: Francine Luce Sings with Andy Champion @ The Black Swan - Oct. 5

(Review by Dave Clarke/Photos courtesy of Ken Drew)
Eighteenth months of preparation went into this performance which will be repeated at Marsden Festival on Saturday October 12, so if you missed it here, and you’re heading for the festival I do recommend that you take a look at this new Northern duo, formed as a result of Francine Luce’s move from London to North Yorkshire.
The duo is new but they both bring a wealth of experience to the partnership. Andy is of course well known in the North East and beyond, not least for his oh-so-sensitive accompaniment of his brilliant vocalist wife Zoë  Gilby in their globe-trotting duo gigs.

Originally from Martinique, Francine’s CV is packed with work alongside the cream of the London jazz and improv scenes, as she told us in a half-spoken, half sung introduction to her set, backed by Andy’s beautiful and thoughtful accompaniment.
As you would expect from two such artists their set contained a considerable amount of improvised music  though none ever departed too far from its melodic roots and the other half of their set was song-based, including in French, presumably from the pen of Ms Luce.
Francine’s singing style swung between light-hearted and dramatic and had the audience in the palm of her hand, though she was probably less successful than she would have liked in encouraging us to join in with one song. On that number she did however, succeed in getting Andy to exercise his vocal cords. It seems to be quite the done thing of late for our local instrumental virtuosi to switch to voice.
What made Ms Luce’s performance particularly special was the way she matched her singing with  movement  both on stage and off as she danced out and through the audience. The last time I saw her in Newcastle in a jazz context she was accompanied by three double bass players. I won’t say Andy covered for all three but he came close, including a very long arco solo which was so good that his partner couldn’t resist joining in at the end.
This was the fourth Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music event which I had attended since Thursday evening. They were all different and all great. Well done to Wes Stephenson and his team!
Dave C
PS: Circumstances decreed I missed the earlier set by Bradley Johnston and the later one by In Other Words - I'm told both sets were excellent.

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