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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

Sat 05: Maggie Nicols & Tim Dalling: Musical Boxing Training @ The Tute, Ridley Terrace, Cambois NE24 1QS. 2:30pm. Free. Tickets: www.eventbrite.com. ‘A workshop for musical improvisers’. An event in a boxing ring!
Sat 05: Lewis Watson Quartet @ Wylam Village Institute, Church Road, Wylam NE41 8AP. Doors 7:00pm. Tickets £15.00. + £1.50. bf, available from: www.gigantic.com.
Sat 05: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Bright Street Big Band @ Washington Arts Centre. From 7:00pm. £12.00. Bright Street Big Band on stage at 7:30pm, preceded at 7:00pm by a swing dance taster session.
Sat 05: J.A.M. String Collective + Tara Cunningham + The Flame @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 7:20pm. £10.00. + bf. NFOJIM in assoc. w. JNE & Lit & Phil.
Sat 05: Heavy Drunk @ Anarchy Brewery, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £15.00. + £1.50. bf. ‘Mississippi Delta Blues Experience’ feat. Heavy Drunk, Watermelon Slim & Leonardo Giuliani.
Sat 05: Maggie Nicols & Tim Dalling: Musical Boxing Night @ The Tute, Ridley Terrace, Cambois NE24 1QS. 7:30pm. Free. Tickets: www.eventbrite.com. Nicols, Dalling ao. An event in a boxing ring!
Sat 05: Milne-Glendinning Band @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 05: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Swarland Village Hall NE65 9JG. 8:00pm. £12.00.

Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm (12:30pm doors). £7.50.
Sun 06: Luis Verde Quartet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 06: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 06: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 06: Catriona Bourne Quartet + Heather Ferrier + Emma Johson’s Gravy Boat @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. £10.00. + bf. NFOJIM in assoc. w. JNE & The Globe.

Mon 07: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 07: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30-8:30pm. Free.

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.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle - Jan 14

(Review by Russell)

Weather warnings were issued, flood defence measures were in place down on the Tyne and there was a match on at St James' Park. The likelihood was the first jam session of the year would be down on numbers - both participants and listeners. Well, perhaps the determination of all was somewhat underestimated. As the house trio opened with Dear Old Stockholm the Black Swan was filling up nicely and by the end of the night there would be the glorious sight and sound of a ten-strong ensemble blowing on a Bobby Timmons' favourite.  

Messrs Law, Grainger and Walker were in fine form. Pianist Alan Law just couldn't help swinging it...just what Dr Jazz ordered! A rare jam session appearance by Faye MacCalman (tenor sax), an equally rare sighting of vocalist Miriam McCormick and a debut performance by Sheila Herrick spiced-up what was already shaping up to be quite a night.

 
McCormick, an Indigo Jazz Voice, found herself working with some of the scene's big hitters. Singing It's Almost Like Being in Love and You Don't Know What Love Is, our vocalist shared the stand with Steve Summers (tenor sax) and Lawrence Harrison (guitar) with fine support from Alan Law. Herrick took courage by the scruff of the neck and, with MacCalman on tenor, did herself proud singing Ain't Misbehavin' and, with maestro Alan Law at the piano, a bluesy Fine and Mellow

A jam session favourite was in the house. Up from Teeside, sporting a natty hat, Jan Spencelayh sang a corking Cheek to Cheek with Jordan Alfonso blowing alto and the 'other' Harrison, Lawrence's guitar playing brother Charles, showing what he could do (a case of 'anything you can do...'!) 'Natty Hat' Spencelayh followed up with My Funny Valentine accompanied by Steve Summer's exquisite soprano sax and tightly muted phrasing from Black Swan newcomer Edgar Bell, trumpet. 

Three further names must be mentioned. In doing so, note there is an Early Bird session at the Lit and Phil on Saturday morning at 11:00am. Two graduates of Paul Edis' hothouse band were in town. Matt MacKellar sat-in and, as we have come to expect, the Berklee undergraduate demonstrated he has few equals here on Tyneside. Musing...wouldn't it be great to check out the Boston, Massachusetts jazz scene?! And the other former Early Bird, up from York, blowing alto sax...Faye Thompson. FT called Bye Bye Blackbird. Solo of the night, no question. FT must have been in the woodshed, fantastic stuff! It just so happened Steve Summers was on the number. Later the two saxophonists were observed talking, likely as not, all things saxophone. 

And finally, better late than never...it's Showtime! David Gray joined the fray, making it a tentet (there may have been more!) blast on Moanin'. MC Paul Grainger herded the jazz cats with aplomb, all the while anchoring the session on bass. If a bass player would like to come along to the next Black Swan jam session (Tuesday 28 Jan) Mr PG would be delighted to see you. As they say, PG could 'take five' and go to the bar.             
Russell

Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Rob Walker (drums) + Faye MacCalman (tenor sax); Edgar Bell (trumpet); Charles Harrison (guitar); Miriam McCormick (vocals): Faye Thompson (alto sax); Lawrence Harrison (guitar); Steve Summers (tenor sax, soprano sax); Sheila Herrick (vocals); Matt MacKellar (drums); Jan Spencelayh (vocals); Jordan Alfonso (alto sax); David Gray (trombone)

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