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Bebop Spoken There

Ambrose Akinmusire: “ I am certainly always aware of what the masses are doing. And when I see too many people going one way, I'm going another way - even when I don't know what's over that way". DownBeat, March, 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

16287 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 169 of them this year alone and, so far, 41 this month (Mar 18).

From This Moment On ...

March

Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Tim Johnston.

Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Castillo Neuvo Trio + Conor Emery & His ‘Bones Band @ The Grove, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £10.00. (£7.00. student).
Thu 21: Remi Banklyn + Chris Corcoran Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.50. Chicago blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Thu 21: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Ragtime piano.
Thu 21: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 22: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 22: Nauta + Remy CB + Last Orders @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 8:30pm (7:30pm doors). Free.
Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £15.00. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 22: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sat 23: Jambone @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 6:30pm. Free (ticketed). End of term performance in the Northern Rock Foundation Hall.
Sat 23: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 23: Red Kites Jazz @ Rowlands Gill Community Centre NE39 1JB. 7:00pm. Tickets: £12.00. (gibsidecommunityfarm@gmail.com). A ‘Build a Barn’ fundraiser. BYOB, tea/coffee available.
Sat 23: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00. + bf (book in person at venue - no booking fee!). Featuring pianist Martin Litton.
Sat 23: Pete Tanton’s Cuba Libre @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 24: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 24: Luis Verde @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Verde (alto sax); Joe Steels (guitar); John Pope (double bass); John Hirst (drums). Alto sax brilliance!
Sun 24: Elsie Franklin @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. £10.00. Country blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Sun 24: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: Las Vegas Live with the Rat Pack @ The Forum, Billingham.
Sun 24: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Otterburn Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Sun 24: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Note start time - 7:00pm.
Sun 24: Bold Big Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 25: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 25: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Saturday, April 25, 2020

Tonight's Blue Note: Grant Green - Idle Moments

Joe Henderson (tenor sax); Bobby Hutcherson (vibes ); Grant Green (guitar); Duke Pearson (piano); Bob Cranshaw (bass); Al Harewood (drums).

The title track is aptly named - Idle Moments - it's so laid back you could almost fall asleep but, if you did, you'd miss some really sensitive playing. You've never heard Joe Henderson blowing like this - he makes Lester Young sound like John Coltrane.  Hutcherson brings the warmth to his vibes that Milt Jackson just misses, brilliant though Milt is. Grant, naturally, is outstanding.

Things waken up with Jean De Fleur kicked off by Grant who has taken Charlie Christian's innovations 20 years along the line. Henderson is in his more familiar hard-blowing mode. Hutch reminds Milt he's the number one contender and the track fades out in sweet surrender to the music.

John Lewis' Django offers an alternative to the original version by the Modern Jazz Quartet. This one's a bluesy shuffle and loses nothing by comparison - Duke Pearson, like Paul Edis, the other day, manages to insert the same descending motif referred to. Grant Green hints at it. Since I heard Paul play it, and I checked it on MJQ's Fontessa I can't get the phrase out of my head and I'm beginning to wonder if I'm just imaging it or if I do I keep hearing it in every number!

Duke Pearson's Nomad is the out and out swinger. Green lays his cards on the table and, musically, ups the ante which is a dangerous thing to do when the guy taking the next solo also just happened to compose the tune. You don't get beaten on your own tunes! I should have more Duke Pearson on the shelves.

A good album, possibly not the top rated Grant Green Blue Note, but it would interesting to hear what our other guitarists who are familiar with the album think and what their favourite GG album is.
YouTube link.
Lance.

2 comments :

Roly said...

I’ve always enjoyed Grant Green’s guitar playing on album tracks I’ve heard. The two vinyl albums I have at home are a good album ‘Born to be Blue’ under his name and a really great album ‘Search for the New Land’ under Lee Morgan’s name and with stellar company. These are good examples of his unique and instantly recognisable solo style. Free flowing, bluesy, melodic but with a distinctive warm but woody and edgy, biting sound that is perhaps due in part to the instrument, a non-cutaway Gibson L7 with the unique McCarty pick up.

Those older Gibson models often had a unique, woody sound. Another great guitarist, for example, is Rene Thomas who used a non-cutaway Gibson 150 with Charlie Christian pick up. His sound had a similar edge to it.

As regards this particular album I enjoyed it although I did find that first slow track rather long. Apart from that it’s great though. True to form Green is in that flowing trademark solo style but does minimal comping. He typically lays out deferring to the piano. I don’t think he would get many pianists saying he gets in the way.

He was one of the greats of the Blue Note era and for someone to have such an instantly recognisable signature style means a lot. You know its him in the first few notes and something about his soloing compels you to sit up and listen. Of the GG I’ve heard I would pick out ‘Search for the New Land’ as one to check out if you’ve not already got it.

Maurice Summerfield said...

Your review of this CD prompted me to listen to my Blue Note 4 CD set 'Grant Green Retrospective' 7243 5 40851 3A/B. This includes the track 'Django' from Idle Moments.

I always enjoyed Green's playing but usually in short doses as his main influences were jazz saxophonists. As a result his sound did not have the full and rich guitar sound of the 1950/1960's jazz guitar greats such as Kessel, Farlow, Ellis, Johnny Smith, Hall and Burrell.

I felt he was essentially a blues guitarist and although he featured on many excellent hard bop Blue Note recordings he did return almost exclusively to playing blues guitar in his later career. Of course he died too young at the age of 44. I can recommend Sharony Andrews Green's biography of Grant Green (Backbeat Books 1999).

Maurice Summerfield


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