Total Pageviews

Bebop Spoken There

Orrin Evans: “Now, getting a teaching spot is the new record deal”. (DownBeat, November, 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

17502 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 776 of them this year alone and, so far, 14 this month (Nov. 5).

From This Moment On ...

November

Fri 08: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 08: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 08: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 08: Joe Steels Trio @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm.
Fri 08: TC & the Groove Family + Swannek + Knats @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.

Sat 09: Moscow Drug Club @ Hamsterley Village Hall, Co. Durham DL13 3QF. 7:30pm. £15.00.
Sat 09: Anth Purdy @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. ‘Swing Jazz Guitar’. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 10: The New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free. A ‘second Sunday in the month’ residency.
Sun 10: Panharmonia @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £6.00.
Sun 10: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 10: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 10: Jude Murphy, Steve Chambers & Sid White @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 10: Moscow Drug Club @ Lesbury Village Hall, nr. Alnwick NE66 3PP. 7:30pm. £15.00.
Sun 10: SH#RP Collective @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 11: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 11: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Wheatsheaf, Benton Sq., Whitley Road, Palmersville NE12 9SU. Tel: 0191 266 8137. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 11: Graham Hardy’s Eclectic Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 12: Matthew Forster Quartet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm.
Tue 12: Phil’s Elastic Band @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm. Free, but ticketed, book online.

Wed 13: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 13: The Tannery Jam Session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. A ‘second Wednesday in the month’ jam session.
Wed 13: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 13: corto.alto @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 7:45pm (doors 7:00pm). £14.00. + bf.

Thu 14: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Faye MacCalman & John Pope @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 14: Student Performances @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 4:00pm. Inc. Olly Styles (saxophone).
Thu 14: John Stowell & Tom Remon @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Top class US/UK guitar duo!
Thu 14: Struggle Buggy + King Bees @ The Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Top class blues double bill!
Thu 14: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. Free. Guests: Jeremy McMurray (keys); Kevin Eland (trumpet); Mark Toomey (alto sax); Adrian Beadnell (bass).

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

Friday, January 31, 2020

Abbie Finn Trio @ The Globe Jazz Bar - January 30

Abbie Finn (drums); Harry Keeble (tenor sax); Paul Grainger (double bass).
(Review/band photo by Minnie Fraser. Individual photos by Russell).

There was a select audience in the Jazz Bar at the Globe to hear this new trio although the faces were familiar, particularly to those who attended the Black Swan on Tuesday.  Many of the tunes they played were also familiar, but the arrangements were new and exciting.  They started with Janine by Duke Pearson a post-bop swing, a great start with Abbie showcasing the drums with the call and return of fours.  Next up was Windows by Chick Corea, followed by Love for Sale which started as a slow and sultry bossa but the tempo picked up and after some excellent improvisation by Harry, Abbie gave a great solo focusing on the toms.

Moments Notice, written by John Coltrane and included in his seminal album Blue Train was played with a driving rhythm and ended with a dead stop.  Abbie has a good stage presence and already had a rapport with the audience when she invited Paul to introduce his own composition Swim.  He explained that the piece had been written a few years ago to accompany Abi Lewis’s film The Jazzman – a film about Keith Crombie, who ran the Jazz Café for many years.  Paul gave an excellent solo on double bass followed by fours between drums and sax/bass.  This was followed by Nothing Personal by Don Grolnick which was introduced by Harry, who explained that it was “really difficult” and had been famously played by Michael Brecker.  It certainly seemed very challenging with a complicated rhythmic structure and another excellent drum solo.  It may well have been difficult, but Harry made a wonderful job of playing it!

The second half started with a very sultry rendition of Caravan with the tempo subtly increasing getting the audience heads nodding in appreciation.  Another super drum solo round the toms and rims with excellent dynamics.  Next was a bit of swing with How High the Moon with more brilliant improvisation on the tenor, fours and then seamlessly morphing into Ornithology by Charlie Parker at the end!  Abbie then introduced Recorda Me by her “favourite tenor player” (Not Harry???) Joe Henderson which built up from the lone drums, clicking the rims and stretching the skin on the floor tom to vary the tuning then joined by the bass and finally the sax.  This was followed by Giant Steps by John Coltrane which was played so expressively by all three musicians despite a challenging chord progression.

Softly as in the Morning Sunrise by Sigmund Romberg was probably the earliest of the pieces played – the sax was soulful with Abbie driving the rhythm on the rims in an Afro Cuban style.  The audience sighed sadly as Abbie announced that the next was to be their last – Seven Steps to Heaven – which Abbie explained was written by Victor Feldman, not Miles Davis even though he famously played it.  Of course, the audience cheered for more and the trio duly obliged with an encore of Ladybird by Tadd Dameron.

All in all it was a really excellent gig, these excellent musicians should be playing to much larger audiences – so watch out for them!
Minnie

1 comment :

Minnie said...

One thing I didn’t put in my review was that I was amazed at the musicianship of such young musicians as Abbie and Harry. Both play with an easy confidence of old hands. Another thing is that one doesn’t often come across jazz bands led by a drummer(Clark Tracy comes to mind, and do you remember Yuya Honami?) Even rarer are bands led by female drummers! Anyway, Abbie plays in such a rich variety of ways with superb dynamics - it is great to hear a drummer who adds so beautifully to the quiet bits! The music they played was fabulous in the context of that drumming!

The trouble is, and you might have guessed it, I am a massive drumming fan and I think I might have neglected the other two musicians who were also extremely good!

Blog Archive