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Bebop Spoken There

Quincy Jones: ''What's great about coming from a little town is that you're a big fish in a little pond and it gives you the confidence when you get to New York to be able to really compete''. (Jazzwise, December 2024/January 2025).

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

17586 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 860 of them this year alone and, so far, 5 this month (Dec. 2).

From This Moment On ...

December

Tue 03: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:00pm. Free.
Tue 03: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Dean Stockdale, Paul Grainger, John Hirst.
Tue 03: Bold Big Band @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Wed 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 04: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 2:30-4:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Wed 04: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 8:00pm. Concert. Free. .
Wed 04: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 04: Kat Eaton @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 8:15pm. Soulful vocals, excellent band.

Thu 05: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 05: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. ‘George - named musicians, vocalists & composers (Chisholm, Duke, Lewis, Shearing, Benson, Melly, Gershwin et al)’.
Thu 05: Jools Holland’s R & B Orchestra @ Newcastle City Hall. 7:30pm.
Thu 05: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. Free.
Thu 05: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. Guest band special with the Middlesbrough Jazz and Blues Orchestra 8pm. Free.

Fri 06: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 06: Sue Ferris Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 07: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 07: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £25.00. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 07: Hot Club du Nord @ St. Cuthbert’s Church, Shadforth DH6 1LB. Tel: 01429 823400. 7:30pm. £15.00. (inc. refreshments).
Sat 07: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 07: Bellavana @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 7:45-9:45pm. Free.
Sat 07: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 07: Bluebell Swing @ Repas7 by Night, West St., Berwick. 8:00pm.

Sun 08: The New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free. A ‘second Sunday in the month’ residency.
Sun 08: Learning & Participation Showcase @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Free. Multi-genre event followed by a jam session. All welcome.
Sun 08: Zoë Gilby Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 08: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 08: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: Jason Isaacs @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 5:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Sun 08: Paul Skerritt @ The Black Candle, South Shields. 6:30pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 08: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 08: Durham University Big Band + Durham University Jazz Orchestra: Jazzy Christmas @ Sir Thomas Allen Assembly Rooms Theatre, North Bailey, Durham DH1 3ET. 7:30-9:30pm. £7.00., £6.00. concs., £5.00. Durham Student Music member. Durham University Jazz Ensembles’ annual charity event.
Sun 08: Jools Holland’s R & B Orchestra @ The Globe, Stockton. 7:30pm.
Sun 08: Mick Beck, Dominic Lash, Paul Hession @ the Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm (doors 7:30pm) JNE. £10.

Mon 09: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Wheatsheaf, Benton Sq., Whitley Road, Palmersville NE12 9SU. Tel: 0191 266 8137. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 09: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30-8:30pm. Free.
Mon 09: James Birkett Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 10: ???

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, December 04, 2019

Customs House Big Band with Ruth Lambert @ All Saints' Church, Cleadon - Dec 3

(Review by Russell)

If it's the first Tuesday in December (it was) you can be sure Peter Morgan's sleigh will be parked up outside All Saints' Parish Hall (it was). Inside, not one but two, Christmas trees decorated the stage leaving room for the Customs House Big Band's rhythm section and little else. The horns (all thirteen of them) assembled on the floor. Band vocalist Ruth Lambert sat to one side waiting to be called to sing a selection of songs which, due to the time of year, would likely as not include some Yuletide favourites. 

Minutes before the advertised 7:30pm started someone noticed that there wasn't a licensed bar. What?! Whoosh! A mass exodus of punters made for Cleadon's nearest corner shop. Minutes later folk staggered in carrying bottles of plonk, bottles of beer, nibbles, the works...this was more like it!

If you like classic Basie-Nestico charts (who doesn't?) then the Customs House Big Band is the big band for you. Gerry Mulligan's Young Blood opened the concert with Jim McBriarty (tenor sax) and Alan Marshall (alto sax) leading the way. Quincy Jones' The Witching Hour (arr. S. Nestico) heard once more from McBriarty with veteran Mick Hill contributing a measured, muted trumpet solo. Nestico's Groovin' Easy gave guitar ace Bradley Johnston a first opportunity to shine and, as ever, BJ's volume control was spot on - we expect nothing less!

Ms Lambert had been sitting down for too long. Up she stepped with a sparkling Lullaby of Birdland which unexpectedly featured a short scat section (!) followed by Sway. RL would later return to the stage. 

Nestico's The Joy of Cookin'How High the Moon? as an instrumental with Lambert sitting on the sidelines (!), then our vocalist got to her feet to sing one of her favourites - Teach Me Tonight. More Nestico (MD Morgan likes his Nestico) with Traces then a potentially dodgy Darby and Jones' favourite - When You're Smiling - largely avoided ill-advised populist participation!

The interval - plonk, beer, more plonk, more beer, a squillion raffle prizes, then...from All Saints' kitchen - sarnies, pies, mince pies. If you insist! Another bottle of beer opened to wash it all down!

Second set. Well, it's that time of year. Jingle BellsOh Come all Ye Faithful...look, resistance is futile, altogether now...Silent Night. And, importantly, this wasn't some tedious, carol singing group knocking on doors, this was the Customs House Big Band's jazz arrangements of your festive favourites. 

Ms Lambert, this year without a Santa outfit, sang Norah Jones' Don't Know Why, the band got stuck into some more first rate festive arrangements (Hark! The Herald Angels Sing) and our band vocalist hit the jackpot with a teasing Santa Baby. The Customs House Big Band visits Cleadon year after year and, thankfully, there is no reason to think things will be any different next year.        
Russell   

Peter Morgan (MD); Bob Temple, Mick Hill, Ken DeVere, Alan Catherall (trumpets); Dave Brocklesby, Gareth Weaver, Mike Fletcher, Keiran Parnaby (trombones); Alan Marshall, Kim Skerritt, Jim McBriarty, Chris Kaberry, Josh Bentham (reeds); John Stephenson (piano); Bradley Johnston (guitar); Ron Smith (bass guitar); Abbie Finn (drums); Ruth Lambert (vocals)

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