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Bebop Spoken There

Branford Marsalis: "As ignorance often forces us to do, you make a generalisation about a musician based on one specific record or one moment in time." - (Jazzwise June 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

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.

Sun 04: Smokin' Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm.
Sun 04: Central Bar Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00-4:00pm. £5.00. The Central Bar Quintet plays Sonny Rollins' Saxophone Colossus. Featuring Lewis Watson.
Sun 04: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 04: Struggle Buggy + Michael Littlefield @ Tyne Bar, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues.
Sun 04: Swinging at the Cotton Club: Harry Strutters' Hot Rhythm Orchestra @ The Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm.
Sun 04: Richard Jones Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 05: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 06: Jam session @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. House trio: Stu Collingwood (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Sid White (drums).

Sunday, March 22, 2020

CD Review: David Berger & The Sultans of Swing - Marlowe

(Review by Frank Griffith)

As one will notice at the foot of the page, Marlowe was released  in 2004 and is dedicated to continuing the legacy of Ellington's and Strayhorn's music.  A New York City based big band, The Sultans of Swing is led by composer/arranger, David Berger and this album consists of two suites, Windows on the World and  Marlowe, both of which demonstrate  Ellingtonian touches without being imitative in any way.  Berger's hues and colours are exemplified in his imaginative  voicings for the top flight reed section (including clarinets) as well as plunger mutes for the brass. His painterly use of melodic backings for solos (without getting in the way) are another one of the key influences of Duke and Billy.

Berger's pedigree is outstanding, having worked  with everyone from Mercer Ellington, Gunther Shuller, Thad Jones and Stan Getz to Wynton Marsalis. He was also the  first  musical director for the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra from 1988 to 1994 having adapted or transcribed Ellington related works for them as well. The Sultans also presented Duke's Black, Brown  and Beige at the Moscow Conservatory on January 23, 2004, sixty one years after the piece's premiere at Carnegie Hall.

Windows on the World is (according to Berger) "about the World Trade Center disaster and the aftermath. When I wrote it, I had hoped that this terrible catastrophe would send  a message to the western world. Unfortunately, the message has  not been received, but  I still have hope."

Alto saxist, Jerry Dodgion's showcase on this piece pays a heartfelt tribute to Johnny Hodges as does the serpentine clarinet of Dan Block (Jimmy Hamilton) and the Gonsalvesian tenor sax of Mark Hynes.

Marlowe celebrates Philip Marlowe, novelist Raymond Chandler's private eye character. The composer explains that the piece was "more of a composite, peeling  away layer after layer and getting to the bottom only to find deep personal truth. Definitely not for the faint of heart".  "Marlowe" is a compelling musical incarnation- an impressionistic vision that would light  up on stage or screen.

The music of David Berger and his unique and outstanding ensemble have gone to great lengths to produce a great contemporary work of art. Hear its vital message.
Frank

David Berger (composer, arranger, conductor); Jerry Dodgion, Matt Hong, Dan Block, Mark Hynes, Jay Brandford (reeds); Bob Millikan, Brian Pareschi, Irv Grossman, Steven Bernstein (trumpet); Ryan Keberle, Pat Hallaran, Marshall Gilkes (trombone); George Flynn (Marlowe only, bass trombone); Doug Wamble (Marlowe suite only, guitar); Isaac Ben Ayala (piano); Dennis Irwin, bass; Jimmy Madison, drums; Aria Hendricks, vocal (on Heroes).

Released in 2004 on the Such Sweet Thunder label. Cat. no. - SST103.

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