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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

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm.
Sun 26: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Mar 26: Pop Jazz @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. 'Jazzified' tunes by the likes of Sylvester, Bowie, the Monkees etc., feat. Alan Law, David Gray, Richard Herdman & Jude Murphy.
Sun 26: Outlines @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. JNE promotion (upstairs).

Mon 27: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

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 @ 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: '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: 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: Hot Club du Nord @ Pleased to Meet You, Bridge St., Morpeth. 8:00pm. £79.00. A charity fundraising event.
Sat 01: Boys of Brass @ Stack, Seaburn. 7:00-9:00pm.
Sat 01: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00. RESCHEDULED to next week (Sat 08).

Tuesday, December 03, 2019

CD Review: Julia Hülsmann Quartet - Not Far From Here

Julia Hülsman (piano), Uli Kempendorff   (tenor sax), Marc Muellbauer  (double bass),  Heinrich Köbberling   (drums)
(Review by Chris K)

The second of three piano led albums marking ECM's 50th birthday.  Hülsmann is a leading contemporary composer and performer in her native Germany, and although not as well known to UK audiences as Jarrett (companion release reviewed on BSH herethis latest of her six ECM ventures as leader is well worth the effort of getting to know. Already acclaimed by John Fordham as his pick of the month, I decided to put some time in - what a good investment!

Hülsmann's long standing trio is augmented here by tenor player Uli Kempendorff, who for me, rather steals the show.   The trio are known for their tight telepathy, and Kempendorff profits by superb playing over and through their wondrous ocean of sounds, recorded as usual with clarity and space.  Boy does he have "tone", but he can also wring emotion and anguish from his sax. In places I thought I was listening to the late Michael Brecker in his more sideways moments.

Eleven of the thirteen - mostly short - pieces are originals, all the band contributings, with Hülsmann providing five.   The exception is the outstanding This is Not America, covered first by the band and later closing with a piano variation. The original was written by the Pat Metheny Group, with lyrics by David Bowie for the 1985 film The Falcon and the Snowman. The haunting melancholy of the original is retained and amplified here, with the bass offering up the theme for some remarkable re-working - the latter period Bowie would surely have approved. Although there are no lyrics here, the despairing vibe of lines like "Blossom fails to bloom this season" is surely apposite to current times in America and elsewhere.

While a sombre mood is found in many tracks, the overall feel has abundant life, wit and intelligence in both the playing and writing. The balance and melodic invention recalls  Tori Freestone's acclaimed last album (El Mar de Nubes -  reviewed here).

A few highlights: the first track The Art Of Failing emerges from a swirling fog of Surman sax, while on Streiflicht Kempendorff runs the whole gamut from tender melody through to free, avoiding ugly on the way! The drummer's composition Colibri is more driven, while the title track Not far from home features a meandering and elusive melody. Hülsmann  rarely emerges from the understated and poised trio format, but she cuts loose on No Game with a powerful and angular solo.

Altogether, a poised and modern delight, with wit, grace and urgency in abundance. I'll certainly be checking out their earlier works.  Sadly, unless you are visiting the Fatherland, you'll have to wait till October to see them, in Nottingham or Cardiff.
Chris Kilsby

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