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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

17421 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 695 of them this year alone and, so far, 100 this month (Sept. 30).

From This Moment On ...

October

Tue 08: ???

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. Wed 09: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 5:00-7:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 09: The Tannery Jam Session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. A ‘second Wednesday in the month’ jam session.
Wed 09: Shunya, Dudù Kouate & Seb Rochford @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 8:30pm (7:30pm doors). £21.00.

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.
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: 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).
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).

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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