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Bebop Spoken There

Branford Marsalis: "As ignorance often forces us to do, you make a generalisation about a musician based on one specific record or one moment in time." - (Jazzwise June 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

15491 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 512 of them this year alone and, so far, 133 this month (May 31).

From This Moment On ...

Wed 07: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 07: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 07: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 07: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 08: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free. CANCELLED! BACK ON JUNE 15.
Thu 08: Easington Colliery Brass Band @ The Lubetkin Theatre, Peterlee. 7:00pm. £10.00.
Thu 08: Faye MacCalman + Blue Dust Archive @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 08: Dilutey Juice + Ceramic @ The Ampitheatre, Sea Road, South Shields. 7:00pm. Free. A South Tyneside Festival event.
Thu 08: Lara Jones w. Vigilance State @ Lubber Fiend, Blandford Square, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 08: Michael Littlefield @ the Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Country blues.
Thu 08: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 09: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 09: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 09: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 09: Castillo Nuevo @ Revolución de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30-8:30pm.
Fri 09: Emma Rawicz @ Sage Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 10: Miners' Picnic @ Woodhorn, Ashington. Music inc. Northern Monkey Brass Band (3:00-3:50pm); New York Brass Band (4:00-4:55pm).
Sat 10: Front Porch Three @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Americana, blues, jazz etc.
Sat 10: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sun 11: WORKSHOP: Tim Richards' Jazz Piano Workshop @ JG Windows, Newcastle. Time TBC. Further details tel. 0191 232 1356.
Sun 11: Jeremy McMurray's Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Ropner Park, Stockton TS18 4EF. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 11: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 11: Groovetrain @ Innisfree Sports & Social Club, Longbenton NE12 8TY. Doors 6:30pm. £15.00 (£7.00. under 16).
Sun 11: Jeffrey Hewer Collective @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 12: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 13: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 13: Infusion Trio @ Forum Music Centre, Darlington. 7:30pm.
Tue 13: Alice Grace & Pawel Jedrzejewski @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 8:00pm. £12.00 (£10.00. adv.).

Sunday, December 29, 2019

Gigs of the Year - James Metcalf


 1.           Ingrid and Christine Jensen with the Whirlwind Recordings  Orchestra at  the Bonningdon Theatre, Nottingham (14th of November) My favourite living trumpet  player, one of the best alto players and composers working today, a truly all-star big band  of top tier British and American musicians and £5 student tickets. Nice. 

      2.        Tom Harrell Quartet at Ronnie Scotts, London (7th of October) One of the true players' players and another personal idol, fronting what is in my opinion the most slept on band in New York featuring Danny Grissett, Ugonna Okegwo, Johnathan Blake and (unfortunately absent from this gig) Wayne Escoffery. The last ten years may well have been the most fruitful period yet for Harrell's compositions and he shows no sign of slowing as he approaches 74. If Escoffery or regular collaborator Charles Altura had managed to put in an appearance this would have been gig of the year no question.


3.      Jochen Rueckert Quartet at Malta Jazz Festival (18th of July) I went into this gig thinking Mike Moreno was pretty good, I came out utterly in awe of him. There's a reason my pal Francis Tulip won’t shut up about Moreno, he's every bit as good as Frank hypes him up to be and better. The other two members of the band on this occasion were the equally legendary Chris Cheek and Matt Penman. Kiwi-born Penman mentioned he has family ties to the North East, anyone reckon they could get him to bring a band on his next visit?

4.      Kenny Garrett Quintet at Malta Jazz Festival (20th of July) This man needs no introduction. Hearing The Real Kenny G and band play tunes from across his varied career was every bit as phenomenal as you'd expect and was the perfect way to close this year's Malta Jazz Festival, which has hosted plenty of other renowned bands over the years for a surprisingly low price (with cheap flights from Newcastle to boot). Would recommend. I'm to the right of the photo with Francis, centre, and Kenny Garrett , left.

5.      Terrence Blanchard and the E-Collective at CBSO Centre, Birmingham (29th of March) An early hero of mine playing hard grooving music with an incredible band (Featuring the aforementioned Charles Altura) and a light show to match, Blanchard left as deep an impression on me here as he did 3 years ago at Sage Gateshead.

6.      Unity Quartet at Peggy's Skylight, Nottingham (30th of March) Nottingham based Piano/Organ player Matt Radcliffe's quartet paying tribute to Larry Young's 1965 classic Unity, featuring some of the best of the current Birmingham scene, namely: Chris Bowden (Tenor), Tymek Jozwiak (drums) and top UK trumpet player Percy Pursglove. Shoutout to DJ Hemulen for a banger-filled Jazz/Latin/Afrobeat set afterwards as well.

7.      Nadim Teimoori Quintet at Peggy's Skylight, Nottingham (January or February) This was originally intended to be a quartet gig as part of Hugh Pascall's ever popular residency at Peggy's until Nadim Teimoori was invited to join the band, with gig being relisted under his name. The result was two sets of pure gold from Hugh and Nadim, alongside John Turville, James Owston and Euan Palmer. In the end the band clicked so well that Teimoori has made this his working quintet. I may have heard rumours of a possible future recording which if true will be an absolute winner, but either way this band is definitely one to watch.

8.       Hugh Pascall Quartet at Peggy's Skylight, Nottingham (28th of March) If Hugh lived in London or Birmingham, you would likely know his name. Once a month the undeservedly obscure Nottingham legend gathers a quartet from the best of the London and Birmingham scenes to run through selected tunes from a varied repertoire ranging from Cole Porter to Kenny Wheeler and beyond. This particular edition featured Rick Simpson, Dave Whitford and Tim Giles although in the year and a half or so that this residency has been running it has also featured John Turville, Chris Young, Nick Jurd, James Owston, Jim Bashford, Euan Palmer, Will Glaser and many more...

9.      Xhosa Cole Quartet at Cherry Red's Birmingham (23rd of January) My first and possibly my most memorable night in Brum, the then recently crowned BBC Young Jazz Musician Xhosa worked through 2 sets of incredibly sincere hard bop backed by an equally brilliant rhythm section. This was probably the most densely packed venue I have been in and a definite contender for the best gig atmosphere I have ever experienced.

10.  AKU! at Durham Jazz Festival (9th of June) Three of the best twentysomething musicians this country has to offer playing jazz you can mosh to, oioi. #MakeDoomJazzGreatAgain #Wei.
      James


2 comments :

Anonymous said...

Great list! List of the year... Lovely words to go with each gig too. Lez

Lance said...

Agreed
100%!

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