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Bebop Spoken There

Billy Boy Arnold: “As long as you don't think old you're good.” - DownBeat, December, 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!"

Simon Spillett: A lovely review from the dean of jazz bloggers, Lance Liddle...

Postage

16051 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 1058 of them this year alone and, so far, 12 this month (Dec. 6).

From This Moment On ...

December

Fri 08: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 08: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 08: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 08: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle. 1:00pm. £7.00.
Fri 08: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Woodland Village Hall, Bishop Auckland. 7:00pm. £12.00.
Fri 08: Sleep Suppressor + Redwell @ Head of Steam, Neville St., Newcastle. 8:00pm. £10.00. (£8.00. adv); £5.00. student.
Fri 08: Hot Club du Nord @ St Cuthbert's Church, Shadforth, Co. Durham.
Fri 08: Têtes de Pois + Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £8.00.

Sat 09: Prudhoe Community Band @ Central Station, Newcastle. 10:00am - 12 noon. Charity fundraiser.
Sat 09: Durham Alumni Big Band @ Number One Bar, Skinnergate, Darlington. 1:00pm.
Sat 09: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 09: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Middleton & Todridge Village Hall, Morpeth. 7:30pm. £12.00., £6.00.
Sat 09: Paul Skerritt @ Slaley Hall, Hexham NE47 0BX. 7:30pm. From £42.00.

Sun 10: Musicians Unlimited’s Xmas Party with Zoë Gilby Quartet @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. MU 1:00-3:00pm; Zoë Gilby Quartet 4:00-6:00pm. Tickets: £7.50.
Sun 10: Alan Law, Paul Grainger & Abbie Finn @ Darlington Market, Market Square, Darlington. 1:00pm. Free. A ‘Christmas Market’ outdoor gig. Wrap up warm!
Sun 10: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
Sun 10: Funk Soul Sista @ Stack, Seaburn. 5:00-7:00pm. Free.
Sun 10: Beth Clarke @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 10: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Whittingham Memorial Institute, Alnwick. 7:30pm. £12.00., £10.00.
Sun 10: Tele-Port @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Line-up inc. Zhenya Strigalev.

Mon 11: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 11: Interim Final Recitals @ Newcastle University. Details TBC.

Tue 12: Stu Collingwood Organ Trio @ Forum Music Centre, Darlington. 7:00pm. £10.00.

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: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 13: Bold Big Band @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Wed 13: Giles Strong Quartet @ Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 14: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Hot Fingers @ The Lubetkin Theatre, Peterlee. 7:00pm. £10.00.
Thu 14: After Hours Student Jazz Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. . Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 14: Niffi Osiyemi Trio @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Mo Scott ‘Little Mo’s Festive Appearance’ @ The Schooner, Gateshead. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Tees Hot Club w. Kevin Eland, Josh Bentham, Garry Hadfield, Adrian Beadnell @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Saturday, January 25, 2020

The Dean Masser Quartet @ The Gala Theatre, Durham - Jan 24

Dean Masser (tenor sax); Dean Stockdale (piano); Ed Harrison (double bass); Gaz Hughes (drums)
(Review by Russell/ Photos courtesy of Malcolm Sinclair - link.

Print and online publicity for Friday's two gigs in a day featuring an all-star quartet - a lunchtime concert at Durham's Gala Theatre followed by an evening engagement at Opus 4 Jazz Club in Darlington - ranged from Dean Masser Quartet to Dean Masser-Dean Stockdale Quartet to Dean Masser with the Dean Stockdale Trio to Dean Stockdale Trio with Dean Masser...what's in a name? Especially as the Gala Theatre concert was, as usual, an advance sell out and the Traveller's Rest invariably pulls a good crowd.

Lugubrious tenor saxophonist Dean Masser, suited and booted, fronted the quartet - yep, let's settle for the Dean Masser Quartet. The other Dean, pianist Dean Stockdale, introduced some of the numbers leaving Dean M to crack a few jokes in between playing superb, straight-down-the-middle tenor sax. A set list comprising eight numbers with a mere sixty minutes to play them, Masser and co opened with Jimmy Van Heusen's It Could Happen to You. Dean M laid down a marker, Dean S followed, bassist Ed Harrison introduced himself and a classy round of fours confirmed Gaz Hughes* as an A-lister. 

Masser informed the capacity audience: Dexter Gordon is one my my saxophone heroes. Good, odds on, yes...Cheese Cake. Excellent. This is the sort of gig you eagerly await and, sure enough, it was worth waiting for. Alone Together featured a tenor sax-double bass exchange with bassist Harrison strolling through it. Impressive stuff!


Dean M spoke about another of his heroes - Joe Henderson. Recorda Me never fails to hit the spot at a gig or jam session and here at the Gala it wasn't any different with Dean S laying down a fine solo with sensitive supporting bass and drums. With one eye on the clock Masser jettisoned On Green Dolphin Street (there would be time to play it down the road in Darlington) in favour of Bud Powell's early bop chart Webb City (subsequently recorded by many others including Art Pepper, Sonny Stitt and John Dankworth in his 'Johnny Dankworth' days). Wasting no time, Masser went straight into St Thomas. It is reasonable to assume Mr S Rollins is another hero. 

It had been a great start to the Gala Theatre's 2020 lunchtime jazz concert series. February's concert (Friday 28, 1:00pm) presents John Garner, violin, and pianist Paul Edis performing a set inspired by the music of Bill Evans. The one hour performance will be another advance sellout. As folk made their way out of the Gala they stopped at the box office to book their tickets for February's concert. If you hesitate all tickets will be gone in no time. Book now on 03000 266 600

Russell
Drummer Gaz Hughes has put together a nationwide tour to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Art Blakey. It's a real old school tour with no fewer than thirty one dates in the book. What's more,  Alan Barnes and Bruce Adams will be on most of them including a performance at Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle on Thursday February 20     

1 comment :

Stephen Andrews said...

I played a couple of gigs with Ed Harrison in December. A very fine bass-player!

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