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Bebop Spoken There

James Brandon Lewis: "Sometimes I'm not thinking about anything other than blowing the paint off the walls, and other times I'm narrating a story about my life." - (DownBeat 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

15516 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 536 of them this year alone and, so far, 25 this month (June 7).

From This Moment On ...

Fri 09: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 09: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 09: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 09: Castillo Nuevo @ Revolución de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30-8:30pm.
Fri 09: Emma Rawicz @ Sage Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 10: Miners' Picnic @ Woodhorn, Ashington. Music inc. Northern Monkey Brass Band (3:00-3:50pm); New York Brass Band (4:00-4:55pm).
Sat 10: Jeffrey Hewer @ The Vault, Darlington Covered Market, Darlington. 6:00-8:00pm. Free.
Sat 10: Front Porch Three @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Americana, blues, jazz etc.
Sat 10: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sun 11: WORKSHOP: Tim Richards' Jazz Piano Workshop @ JG Windows, Newcastle. Time TBC. Further details tel. 0191 232 1356.
Sun 11: Jeremy McMurray's Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Ropner Park, Stockton TS18 4EF. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 11: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 11: Groovetrain @ Innisfree Sports & Social Club, Longbenton NE12 8TY. Doors 6:30pm. £15.00 (£7.00. under 16).
Sun 11: Jeffrey Hewer Collective @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 11: Jam No. 19 @ Fabio's Bar, Saddler Street, Durham. 8:00pm. Free. All welcome. A Durham University Jazz Society event.

Mon 12: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 13: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 13: Infusion Trio @ Forum Music Centre, Darlington. 7:30pm.
Tue 13: Alice Grace & Pawel Jedrzejewski @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 8:00pm. £12.00 (£10.00. adv.).

Wed 14: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 14: NUJO Final Jazz Jam @ Bar Loco, Newcastle. 6:30pm. Free. Newcastle University Jazz Orchestra's final jam session of the academic year. All welcome.
Wed 14: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 14: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 14: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 15: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 15: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library. 2:30-4:30pm. £2.00. All welcome.
Thu 15: Castillo Nuevo @ Revolución de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30-8:30pm.
Thu 15: Alexander Ord Trio @ Tynedale Beer & Cider Festival, Tynedale Rugby Club, Corbridge. Evening, time TBC.
Thu 15: Têtes de Pois + Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. Time TBC.
Thu 15: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.

Friday, May 29, 2020

Strictly Smokin' Livestream #2 - May 28

Michael Lamb (trumpet/flugelhorn); Keith Robinson (alto/soprano sax); Steve Summers (tenor/soprano sax); Paul Donnelly (guitar).

A second opportunity to see another four ace players from the Strictly Smokin' Big Band's stable of stars strutting their stuff, with varied degrees of success, at great length - some might say at very great length.

As the band's number one fan, I can be forgiven for describing this as the proverbial curate's egg.

Good in parts? - I hear you say - well let's have the good parts...


There were many of them: Keith Robinson's alto, and later soprano, blew effortlessly over his pre-recorded backing trio on: Up Jumped Spring; The Shadow of Your Smile; I'm Old Fashioned; Recorda Me & Bob Marley's Redemption Song with Paul Donnelly providing the recorded backing behind Keith's soprano sax on the latter number. 

Michael Lamb, the Great Day in Harlem poster prominently displayed behind him (no social distancing back then), switched 'twixt flugel and trumpet on Days of Wine & Roses (fl); Bernie's Tune (tp); Nature Boy (fl) & Secret Love (tp). This latter tune, played tightly muted and fast was Michael's Mona Lisa and much more worthy of  being hung in The Louvre than his multi-tracked Nature Boy, cleverly done as it was. The theme tonight seemed to be that you gotta have a gimmick!

Steve Summers wasn't gimmick free either. He played Dindi (appropriately pronounced dingy) with some backing from Mick Wright on guitar as well as some crows from Chopwell Woods. An original by the good doctor saw him blowing tenor over a pre-recorded sax quartet. He also managed to merge himself playing Laura with himself playing A Night in Tunisia. His final number was The Theme From Doctor Who - as a blues.

I watched one episode of Doctor Who back when the title character was played by Tom somebody or other and I decided Coronation Street was more to my taste so I can't really comment apart from saying that Steve blew the bluesiest version of the theme that I've ever heard.

Which brings in Paul Donnelly. Paul isn't a regular SSBB man but he helps them out from time to time and he is one very fine guitar player. Tonight however, he appeared to have pre-recorded his contribution and, at times, fingers and frets didn't always seem to be in cordination with what was going on!

Paul played: Jumping (Jumpin'?); A Fly; 'Round Midnight & Single Handed.

It was a good set that would have been better compressed into an hour max and, even better still, without the jiggery-pokery - just good honest blowing. It worked last time round!
Lance.
PS: Just my views, I know other members of the BSH team were  impressed by the multi-tracking as indeed were the many who commentated.

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