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Bebop Spoken There

Spasmo Brown: “Jazz is an ice cream sandwich! It's the Fourth of July! It's a girl with a waterbed!”. (Syncopated Times, July, 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

17444 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 718 of them this year alone and, so far, 100 this month (Oct. 10).

From This Moment On ...

October

Thu 10: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 10: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. ‘Collaborations - it happened all the time’.
Thu 10: Indigo Jazz Voices w. the Little Big Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.
Thu 10: Side Cafe Orkestar @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
The 10: Classic Swing @ Carlisle Rugby Club, Warwick Rd., Carlisle. 8:30pm. £9.
Thu 10: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. With guests Donna Hewitt (sax); Bill Watson (trumpet); Graham Thompson (keys); Ron Smith (bass). Free.

Fri 11: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 11: Dulcie May Moreno @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 11: The Jazz Quartet + Stratosphonic @ Tynedale Rugby Club, Corbridge. 7:00pm. £15.00. A Rotary Club of Hexham event. The Jazz Quartet (Jude Murphy & co), Stratosphonic (blues/rock). CANCELLED!
Fri 11: Joe Steels Trio @ The Pele, Market Place, Corbridge NE45 5AW. 7:30pm. Free.
Fri 11: Crooners @ Tyne Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Fri 11: Mo Scott Band @ Blues Underground, Nelson St., Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free.

Sat 12: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 12: Michael Woods @ Victoria Tunnel, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £12.00. (£10.00. adv.). Country blues guitar & vocals.
Sat 12: Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £13.28, £11.16, £9.04. A two-track recording launch gig.
Sat 12: Stuart Turner @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Rockabilly, rhythm & blues etc. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 12: Lapwing Jazz Trio @ The Ship Inn, Low Newton. 8:00pm. Free. New trio: Paula Whitty, Richard Herdman, Jude Murphy.

Sun 13: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 13: Emma Wilson @ Tyne Bar, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sun 13: Catfish Keith @ The Cluny. 7:00pm. Country blues.
Sun 13: Cath Stephens & Paul Grainger @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Stephens & Grainger, one third of a triple bill.
Sun 13: Dulcie May Moreno Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 14: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 14: Black is the Color of My Voice @ Hippodrome, Darlington. 7:30pm. Apphia Campbell’s one-woman show inspired by Nina Simone, performed by Nicholle Cherrie.

Tue 15: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law (piano), Paul Grainger (double bass), Bailey Rudd (drums).

Wed 16: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 16: Cath Stephens’ improvisation workshop @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 4:30-6:00pm. Collaborative group focusing on vocal improvisations.
Wed 16: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 16: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Reviewers wanted

Whilst BSH attempts to cover as many gigs, festivals and albums as possible, to make the site even more comprehensive we need more 'boots on the ground' to cover the albums seeking review - a large percentage of which never get heard - report on gigs or just to air your views on anything jazz related. Interested? then please get in touch. Contact details are on the blog. Look forward to hearing from you. Lance

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Newcastle University Jazz Orchestra @ the Dun Cow, Jesmond - Nov. 19

(Review/photos by Lance)

Bass guitarist Ifede Osiyami led from the front aided and abetted by a cast of, seemingly, thousands. It was a no names no pack drill so my apologies for the lack of individual identification.

The sitters in and the sitters out were having a good old jolly jam. End of term was approaching and the students from Newcastle University Jazz Orchestra were letting their hair down.

The material was fairly predictable, albeit often with an unusual twist. For example neither Monk’s Blue Monk nor Garner’s Misty were taken at the tempo devised by the composers – but what did they know? Against my better judgement, I found myself quite liking Misty played as a fast stomp rather than a dreamy ballad. And 3 saxes blowing Take Five in unison also added a different dimension.

All Blues preceded Blue Bossa which brought Tom Alcorn to the stand and his playing brought to mind Strictly Smokin’ leader Michael Lamb which isn’t a bad yardstick for any trumpet player. A fast Mr PC, My Favorite Things and Four kept the party mood going.  A couple of trombonists wandered in and out – one may have been from the Bold Big Band who blew a good solo on Misty and the other was Kate Garnett who graduated from Jambone – Summa Cum Laude I would guess.

The first of several vocalists took the mic. Again my apologies for failing to get names but this lady had style and scatted impressively on It Don’t Mean a Thing although she occasionally do wah do wahed when she shouldn’t have do wahed at all. No crime, I’ve heard long established singers fall into the same trap. Ipanema was sung quite appealingly and I’ll look forward to hearing her again in a more organised setting.

Interval time and the walls must have been made of elastic to accommodate the nonstop stream of students heading for the bar and I don’t mean they were budding lawyers although some probably would be in future.

Boy did I feel old!

Still, music is a great equaliser and All of Me, which opened the second set, was composed before even I was born let alone the front line of 2 clarinets, 1 soprano sax and 1 alto sax - their combined ages are probably less than mine!

Another vocal. A couple of guys singing Fly Me to the Moon with a nice sop solo in the middle. An instrumental, the Theme from Black Orpheus, and then another girl singer. This, again unnamed, chanteuse gave us the old Bobby Darin classic Beyond the Sea.

Hit the Road Jack sang another male duo. Presumably there wasn’t anyone in the room called Jack – well there wouldn’t be would there? Perhaps a Tristan or two – as nobody hit the road. It was, arguably, the best number so far.

Dream a Little Dream of me sang a girl who looked nothing like Mama Cass and had a voice not unlike northeast favourite Debra Milne.

Bass and drums brought in A Night in Tunisia with a devastating trumpet blast from Alcorn and a nice alto solo from someone else.

Jordu, I think, took us into extra time (already I had visions of the neighbours complaining of noise pollution) but, if we thought it was all over, it wasn’t as the action moved to the dance floor where musicians and dancers gyrated to It’s Not Unusual which was unusual for a jazz jam. It was at this point that the Metro beckoned and I left although the music followed me for at least 100 yards.

If anyone would care to supply me with names please do.
Lance.

2 comments :

Emily Clare (NUJO) said...

Thanks for coming to our Jazz Jam last night I’ve got some names from last night that are missing if that’s useful for you

Misty - Alex Utting - former NUJO

It Don't Mean a Thing - Katharine Hurwitz

Fly Me to the Moon - Siegfried Aylward and Aaron Turner

Hit the Road Jack - Kit Giroux and Connor Polley

Night in Tunisia - alto - Pippa Morgan

Then Soprano Sax was Jake Stephens

Lance said...

Thanks Emily. Incidentally, given that there are a number of jams going on in and around town, any of last nights' players would be welcome to drop by at any of the them. Check out the listings.

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