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Bebop Spoken There

Kurt Elling: ''There's something to learn from every musician you play with''. (DownBeat, December 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

17630 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 904 of them this year alone and, so far, 49 this month (Dec. 20).

From This Moment On ...

December

Sat 21: Lindsay Hannon Quartet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £15.00. ‘Swinging with Christmas Songs’.
Sat 21: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 21: Jackson’s Wharf Xmas Party @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 7:00pm. Free. Featuring the New ’58 Jazz Collective.
Sat 21: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

Sun 22: Hot Club du Nord @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £15.00. + bf. Xmas party. SOLD OUT!
Sun 22: Red Kites Jazz @ Gibside Chapel, nr. Rowlands Gill. 1:00pm. Admission charge applies.
Sun 22: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 22: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Revolutionaires @ Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Superb rhythm & blues outfit.
Sun 22: Laurence Harrison, Paul Grainger & Mark Robertson @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Line-up TBC.
Sun 22: The Globe Xmas Party @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Live music (musicians TBC).
Sun 22: Ray Stubbs R & B All-Stars @ Zerox, Sandhill, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors).

Mon 23: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Wheatsheaf, Benton Sq., Whitley Road, Palmersville NE12 9SU. Tel: 0191 266 8137. 1:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Mon 23: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 4:00pm. Free.
Mon 23: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Mon 23: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.

Tue 24: Lindsay Hannon & Mark Williams @ Ernest, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 11:00am-1:00pm. Free.
Tue 24: Paul Skerritt @ Mambo Wine & Dine, South Shields. 1:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.

Wed 25: Wot? No jazz!

Thu 26: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free. TBC.
Thu 26: The Boneshakers @ Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. The 17th annual Boneshakers’ Shindig.

Fri 27: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 27: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free. Business as usual!.
Fri 27: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 27: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar & vocals.

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

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Jam Session @ the Black Swan Jazz Café - March 10

 (Review by Lance)

There were a few absentees in tonight's audience. Some had flown to Chicago to review the Bix Festival in Wisconsin whilst others opted to stay at home for environmental health reasons. Fortunately, that didn't deter the musicians who as usual gave it 101%.

The evening's house trio set the pace with Tangerine, The Look of Love and Blue Bossa as the room was soon filled with bodies carrying instrument cases.

First up was Ferg setting a jam session precedent by tuning up - it may catch on. The youngest player (only in years) elected to play I Remember Clifford, the Benny Golson tune written as a tribute to that great trumpet player Clifford Brown - no pressure there then! Suffice to say that 'Brownie' didn't turn over in his grave!


Someday my Prince Will Come swung as jazz waltzes should do but often don't. Harry Keeble paired up with Ferg for Beatrice and Recorder Me and we moved into hard bop Blue Note territory. By this time Ferg was blowing with confidence and matched Harry on some scintillating four bar exchanges - both horn players spurred on by Abbie's drums.

David Gray and Ray Johnson were the next pairing with  Harrison the younger (Charles) on guitar. Showtime had warmed up during the afternoon playing with Classic Swing at a Monkseaton hostelry and his lip was well and truly in. Veteran Johnson's lip is never out so it was no surprise that they took  The Lady is a Tramp for a ride she won't forget. 500 Miles High followed, the Prince of Slides was in machine gun mode - maybe he too should be in Chicago.

Steve Summers dropped by for Like Someone in Love that also had some nice playing by Charles on guitar.

Time to take five - literally - and a chance to chat with an amiable chap sharing a table with me. Needless to say I gave him a BSH card drawing attention to the site's Parliamentary Jazz Award back in 2018. He mentioned that his wife was a member of The House of Lords. Richard Hardman, for that was the gentleman's name, informed me that he was a former journalist (The Times, no less and I was thinking ' no pressure' for Ferg!)
Nice guy.

The show recommenced, and I use the word  'show' intentionally, with a couple of numbers from the inimitable Niffi. Nobody quite shakes it like this girl. She's a mover! After You've Gone and Sweet Georgia Brown had the room rockin'. Michael Mather was on drums and George and Ed doodled around as Niffi went for the jugular.

It was now a question of follow that if you dare! Wisely, Jan didn't fight fire with fire, instead she offered contrast with a smoky tune I didn't recognise - Joni Mitchell perhaps? For All the Things You Are the second of the Harrison brothers joined the ensemble along with Steve and a few more horns and Jan did good as, indeed, she always does.

For once, there was a bass player in the house enabling Paul to rest his fingers. Nathan Mays, a new name to me, slotted in nicely his sound totally different to Paul's. A Jobim song that had Intuit in the title was followed by the late McCoy Tyner's Contemplation. The elder Harrison blasted what may well have been the solo of the night.

The evening was drawing to a close but not before Kerry whose A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square was sheer class. I believe she was/is a member of the vocal group Scarlet Street. Impressive!

As ever, it was all hands on deck for the final Caravan. Short solos ensured a fair crack of the whip (so to speak) was had by all and nobody missed the last bus.

Another good one which would have been impossible without Stu, Paul and Abbie.
Lance

Stu Collingwood (keys); Paul Grainger (bass); Abbie Finn (drums) + Ferg Kilsby, Ray Johnson (trumpet); Ed Bell (cornet); David 'Showtime' Gray (trombone); Harry Keeble, Steve Summers, George Sykes; (tenor sax); Charles & Laurence Harrison (guitar); Nathan Mays (bass); Michael Mather (drums); Niffi Osiyemi, Jan Spencelayh, Kerry Green (vocals).

2 comments :

Jan said...

Hi Lance.

The first song I sang was 'Spooky', which I know from the 1970 Dusty Springfield version. However, as we can see below, it was originally written as an instrumental piece for sax - which is, I guess, why a sax solo works so well in it. From Wikipedia:

"Spooky" was originally an instrumental song performed by saxophonist Mike Sharpe (Shapiro), written by Shapiro and Harry Middlebrooks Jr, which first charted in 1967 hitting #57 on the US pop charts. Its best-known version was created by James Cobb and producer Buddy Buie for the group Classics IV when they added lyrics about a "spooky little girl". The vocalist was Dennis Yost The song is noted for its eerie whistling sound effect depicting the spooky little girl. It has become a Halloween favourite. In 1968, the vocal version reached #3 in the U.S. (Billboard Hot 100) and #46 in the UK.


I must say, I thought Steve's solo in it last night was terrific.

Another great night - I'm always amazed by the talent that this jam attracts. Huge thanks to the in-house trio and, particularly to Paul, who sets this up every fortnight and never disappoints.

Jan

Unknown said...

Correction:

It wasn't Steve who performed the Sax solo in Spooky and it wasn't Harry - that leaves George

Apologies George - Your solo in Spooky was terrific!

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