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Bebop Spoken There

Wendell Brunious: "Because the blues is not 1,4 and 5 or 1,4,5,2,1. You could wake up with a flat tyre or a headache this morning, that's the blues, man" - (DownBeat, Oct. 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

15878 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 885 of them this year alone and, so far, 83 this month (Sept. 30).

From This Moment On ...

October

Tue 03: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 03: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Sid White (drums). CANCELLED!

Wed 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 04: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 04: Paul Skerritt @ Vespa Italian Bar & Steakhouse, Primrose Hill, Jarrow. From 7:00pm. To book a table - 0191 483 3355.
Wed 04: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 05: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 05: Sound the Trumpets @ King's Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 05: Hot Club du Nord @ The Lubetkin Theatre, Peterlee. 7:00pm. £10.00. POSTPONED!
Thu 05: Thursday Night Prayer Meeting @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 05: Tommy Bentz Trio + Mark Croft Duo + George Shovlin & George Lamb @ The Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Harbour View Speakeasy's USA blues double bill + Shovlin & Lamb!
Thu 05: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.
Thu 05: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 06: Alcyona Mick @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 06: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 06: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 06: WORKSHOP: Philosophy of Arts & Entertainment @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 2:00pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 06: Balo @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 6:20pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 06: Paul Skerritt @ 3Sixty Champagne Lounge, Hadrian’s Tower, Newcastle. From 7:00pm. To book a table - 0191 933 8591.
Fri 06: Lexer/Mayes/Noble + Semay Wu + Miman @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 7:20pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 06: Dulcie May Moreno @ The Vault, Hexham. 7:30pm. £20.00. Book in advance. Moreno with Alan Law, Paul Grainger & John Bradford.
Fri 06: Dean Stockdale Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. 'Celebrating Oscar'.
Fri 06: Nu Brass Sounds: Big Brass Bash @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: King Bees @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Blind Pig Blues Club. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sat 07: WORKSHOP: Philosophy of Arts & Entertainment @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 10:15am. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sat 07: Hot Club du Nord @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 07: Bugge & Niccols + Moore & Fairhall @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sat 07: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Steve Glendinning - All the Things You Are. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 07: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 07: Rie Nakajima @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 6:20pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sat 07: Paul Skerritt @ 3Sixty Champagne Lounge, Hadrian’s Tower, Newcastle. From 7:00pm. To book a table - 0191 933 8591.
Sat 07: Boys of Brass @ Salt Market Social, Liddell St., North Shields. From 7:00pm. £9.00. + bf.
Sat 07: Samuel Blaser Trio + Toxvaerd & Zeeberg + Muramatsu & Welch @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 7:20pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sat 07: Anth Purdy @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sat 07: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 08: Zoë Gilby Quintet + Ubunye @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Line-up inc. Tony Kofi. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sun 08: Tommy Bentz Band @ Tyne Bar, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. USA blues band.

Mon 09: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Mon 09: Cherise Adams-Burnett @ The Grove, Byker, Newcastle. 7:30pm. .

Tue 10: Abbie Finn Trio @ Forum Music Centre, Darlington. 7:30pm.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Sage YMP: Jambone, JB CATS, Jazz Attack and Percussion Ensemble @ Sage Gateshead - Dec.14

(Review by Chris K)

The first outing of the 2019-20 term for Sage Gateshead's jazz ensembles at the Winter Festival, and a chance to see the young talent as work in progress.   The ensembles range from 10-19 and benefit from superb tuition, leadership and facilities - so no pressure when they perform at their home venue!

First up were Jazz Attack  (aged 10-16) on the concourse, in fine form and numbers with keyboards and reeds  a plenty but short on brass and especially drums, drafting in leader Paul Edis - is there nothing this man can't  turn his hand to?  A stirring carol, followed by a very slinky rendition of old favourite Chameleon with some great showcases on clarinet, keys and of course bass.  A lively version of Fly Me To The Moon followed before I had to abandon the distant future of jazz to hear the nearer future, in the shape of the older ensembles (aged 14-19) in Hall 2.

The well filled Hall 2 session started with an African workout by the CAT (Centre for Advanced Training) Percussion Ensemble, led from the front by the inspirational Roger Hempsall. Such percussion fests often turn into flat out bang-athons, but here we had chanting, changes of tempo, feel and volume, and  a very impressive round of improvised call and response.  Topped off with drums dying away to a whisper, terminated by leader Hempsall's startling thunder clap!

Next up were JB's (James Birkett's) CATS,  a sextet of 2 guitars, sax, trombone and rhythm section.  A set of delightful and gentle classics of old started with Seven Come  Eleven featuring Nathan Lawson as a convincing Charlie Christian, and strong solos from new members Ben Haslam (trombone) and Sophie Speed (alto). Cinnamon and Clove followed, led by Ben and Sophie, this time on clarinet - a welcome sight in these sax dominated times.

An unusual and very well  received  (funk)  version of Scrapple from the Apple followed, showcasing the excellent (and smiling!) Gemma Watson on drums, driving more great solos from Nathan and Sophie. Gemma then showed off her brush work on the lovely ballad When Sunny Gets Blue  giving a smooth ride to more gorgeous solos from Ben and Sophie.  Finally Short Stop by Shorty Rogers didn't sell the band short. Rhythm guitar and bass stylishly provided by Joe Ducker and George Ivanov, who was to reappear in the next set on guitar.

Jambone then took the stage with leader and writer in chief Edis leaving the sticks behind to conduct  a set of five brand new pieces of his own.  Jambone had inevitably lost some very fine players last year so it was an open question as to how they would bear up. Not to worry - the rhythm section deluxe of old boys Dylan Thompson (drums) and Alex Shipsey (bass) augmented by another fine new drummer Nathan Hulme, led off in style with Nonchalant . This new smooth swinger from Edis featured multiple fine solos, notably a great bass break from Shipsey and Sophie Speed on clarinet (when she wasn't playing tenor!).  The second, The Town, is the third in Paul's occasional series inspired by the Newcastle Metro system - the others being The Coast and The Long Way Round.  This latest is a collision with Antônio Carlos Jobim -  a most un-Geordie Bossa Nova !

Back-to- back Bede's Blues and the memorable Hild's Waltz were written at the Durham college of that name for the band's inaugural residential in Durham, and showcased some fine solos, with Jack Pearce particularly mature on alto, and the drummers trading 4's in some style.  The hit of the day though was Runaway Momentum, inspired by watching the Great North Run, rather than the catastrophe overtaking  the Labour Party.  This was a complex and challenging rhythmical task, in a sparse and abstract mood,  carried off with some aplomb by the band (seemingly to the writer's surprise!). The piece was set up by Shipsey on bass ostinato, with Thompson on marimba laying down a repeated line which slipped continuously through the bars landing at different points each time due to changing time sigs. Clever stuff, but emotionally charged  too, with duelling leads from first Adam Johnston on bari sax and the full-toned Zak Parlby on tenor, then Ferg Kilsby (trumpet) and newboy Sam Banks on trombone. 

The set closed with Stuffy Turkey, Thelonious Monk's incongruous attempt at a Christmas hit!  This featured a trademark quirky soprano solo from Haaruun Miller and stylish piano from Jacob Russan-Pritchett. With a six strong reeds line up (completed by Suzy Hull on alto), and brass line up completed by the powerful James Goldberg on trumpet, Jambone are clearly in good voice and in good hands.

I caught them again the next day supporting Paul Edis' new smash hit Christmas Jazz  extravaganza at Middlesbrough Town Hall, where some rough edges had already been knocked off. Be sure to catch their performances next year at the Gateshead Jazz Festival and elsewhere, as they will only get even better! 
Chris K.

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