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Bebop Spoken There

David Hadju: "It was kind of a lightning bolt [seeing a photo of a hi-fi store that's now occupied by a phone store]. Everyone had hi-fi systems, now everyone has a phone" - (DownBeat May 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

15478 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 499 of them this year alone and, so far, 120 this month (May 27).

From This Moment On ...

May 2023

Sun 28: Bradley Creswick's Western Swingfonia @ Whitley Bay Carnival. Free. Plaza Arena stage. 12 noon.
Sun 28: MSK @ Whitley Bay Carnival. 12:15pm. Free. Marquee stage. MSK - Steve Glendinning, Katy Trigger, Martin Douglas.
Sun 28: Musicians Unlimited @ The Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: Back Chat Brass @ Whitley Bay Carnival. 1:30pm. Free. Marquee stage.
Sun 28: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: Tim Kliphuis Trio @ St Mary's Church, Wooler NE71 6BZ. 3:00pm. £15.00 standard; £5.00 student/unwaged; free under 18. Afternoon Cocktail, a Wooler Summer Arts' concert promotion. Kliphuis (violin); Nigel Clark (guitar); Roy Percy (double bass).
Sun 28: Back Chat Brass @ Whitley Bay Carnival. 3:00pm. Free. Plaza Arena stage.
Sun 28: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 28: King Bees @ The Delaval Arms, Old Hartley NE26 4RL. 5:00pm. Free. Chicago blues at its best!
Sun 28: Matt Anderson Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Anderson (saxophones); Jamil Sheriff (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Dave Walsh (drums).

Mon 29: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 30: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 30: Big Chris Barber Band @ Whitley Bay Playhouse. 7:30pm.

Wed 31: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 31: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 31: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 31: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

June
Thu 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 01: Thursday Night Prayer Meeting @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Donations.
Thu 01: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.
Thu 01: Jake Leg Jug Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Thu 01: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 02: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 02: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 02: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 02: Joseph Carville Trio @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 02: Claire Martin & Her Trio @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 7:30pm. £25.00., £20.00. Feat. Jim Mullen, Alex Garnett & Jeremy Brown.
Fri 02: Guy Davis + Michael Littlefield & Scott Taylor @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. Doors 7:30pm. Blues double bill.
Fri 02: Anders Ingram @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Blind Pig Blues Club. Country blues. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sat 03: Newcastle Record Fair @ Northumbria University, Newcastle NE8 8SB. 10:00am-3:00pm. Admission: £2.00.
Sat 03: Pedigree Jazz Band @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 03: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Sue Ferris. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 03: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 03: Papa G's Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Saturday, February 15, 2020

What to Expect – Except Brilliant? Graeme Wilson and Paul Edis play the music of Monk @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle – Feb. 14.

Graeme Wilson (tenor sax); Paul Edis (piano)
(Review by Jerry)

Fifteen years ago I knew the name, Thelonius Monk, but little else. I was intrigued by an early Edis composition, I Wish I Were a Monk, from which I learned that this is very distinctive music which never fails to elicit strong audience response. In my case, it always made me smile. When I first heard Paul playing ‘Round Midnight, I realised that I knew one of Monk’s tunes but could not have told you that. Zoë Gilby’s excellent show, Pannonica, progressed my learning curve somewhat but as of this morning (I checked!) I still only needed the fingers of one hand to list the Monk titles I could remember. None of my memorable five were on today’s programme so I had no idea what to expect – except that, having often seen these two musicians over the same fifteen-year period, it would be brilliantly played.

My ignorance of the set-list is partly excused by the fact that Messrs. Edis and Wilson had deliberately chosen to record (see Russell’s review from Feb 11) and to play here, tunes by Monk which are less well-known and seldom performed. Wilson quipped that for some of Monk’s 72 compositions you could see why they were seldom performed! That did not apply to any of today’s ten numbers all of which were memorable enough for me, now, to need the fingers of the other hand plus a set of toes!

I will try not to duplicate Russell’s comments – I have to acknowledge the superior wisdom of one who can even whistle Monk tunes never mind merely reciting the titles – but here are some random observations. Watching a live performance so close that one can see the hands on the keyboard and the fingers on the sax emphasises the complexity of the music and the dexterity of the players as well as revealing the almost intuitive closeness they have developed over the years which enables them to synchronise helter-skelter stuff such as Four in One or Trinkle Tinkle. After the latter, Edis commented to the audience that it was tough to play on piano but harder still on sax so extra applause for Graeme Wilson on that one. Going off on a tangent, I really enjoyed the varied endings to today’s ten tunes: is that down to Monk as composer or to our musicians?

I had to wonder why Monk put the “ugly” in Ugly Beauty – a dreamy, melodic number which, along with Jackie-ing and Monk’s Mood, showed that our musicians were just as good interpreting the slower tunes as well as the more quirky and quixotic ones. Their opening for San Fransisco Holiday (Worry Later) had Edis with his head in the piano as if to smash it (as one of Pannonica’s guests thought Monk was doing) and Wilson making extraordinary clicking noises with his sax: this was to attempt to replicate the drummer’s opening on the original recording. It certainly got the attention of the audience! Hornin’ In contained more of what my scribbled notes recorded as “crazy stuff” (in an entirely good way) and ended with trilling piano and vibrato sax which took me back to my original reaction to that tribute piece of Paul’s – great amusement.

The entire audience (85 Monk fans, no less) was amused and richly entertained right through to the growling sax and wonderful stride piano of Epistrophy – a tune which, apparently, I ought to have known as it was always Monk’s closing number.
The album, Big as a Mountain, Small as a Pin is available to stream and download from Itunes, Apple Music, Spotify etc. On the evidence of this gig, it is highly recommended.
Jerry

1 comment :

Pam Young (on F/b) said...

We weren't disappointed, it truly was brilliant. Thank you Paul and Graeme 🎶

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