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Bebop Spoken There

Abbie Finn: "Even though there's a lot of great work being done to promote women in jazz, I still come up against some attitudes! I pulled up at a recording session with my drums in the car and the studio owner said, 'I'm sorry, this space is reserved for the drummer!'" - (Jazzwise April 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

15245 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 264 of them this year alone and, so far, 77 this month (March 25).

From This Moment On ...

March

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm.
Sun 26: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Mar 26: Pop Jazz @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. 'Jazzified' tunes by the likes of Sylvester, Bowie, the Monkees etc., feat. Alan Law, David Gray, Richard Herdman & Jude Murphy.
Sun 26: Outlines @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. JNE promotion (upstairs).

Mon 27: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 28: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 28: Sanaz Lavasani Trio @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 8:00pm. £12.00 (£10.00. adv).

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 29: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 30: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library. 2:30-4:30pm. £2.00. All welcome.
Thu 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. Back to 1:00pm stomp off. Free.
Thu 30: '58 Jazz Collective @ Hops & Cheese, Hartlepool. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 30: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm.
Thu 30: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 31: Lewis Watson Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Town Hall. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 31: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 31: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 31: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm. CANCELLED! Back next week (April 7).
Fri 31: Jasmine Myra + Waclaw Zimpel @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Fri 31: The Revolutionaires @ The Shack, Boldon Colliery. 7:30pm. £10.00. The Revolutionaires' big band (horn section) line-up.
Fri 31: Andrew McCormack @ Maltings, Berwick. 8:00pm. £20.00.

April
Sat 01: The Big Easy @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 01: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Steve Glendinning - In a Minor Key. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 01: Hot Club du Nord @ Pleased to Meet You, Bridge St., Morpeth. 8:00pm. £79.00. A charity fundraising event.
Sat 01: Boys of Brass @ Stack, Seaburn. 7:00-9:00pm.
Sat 01: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00. RESCHEDULED to next week (Sat 08).

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Strictly Smokin' Big Band Live Stream - June 25

On a sweltering summer's evening the medium of Zoom (everybody's favourite/least favourite platform)  presented a fine array of SSBB soloists working with backing tapes. Few would claim this to be the ideal arrangement but, hey, in these lockdown times...

First up Mr Dave Kerridge on tenor playing My One and Only Love. Mr Dependable is DK. Chris Kurgi-Smith threw his hat in the ring  with Lucky Dip (comp. Mark Nightingale). A Lionel Richie number found its way into the set courtesy of pianist and vocalist Graham Don. A mean piano player is Graham and, on this evidence, no mean singer!

SSBB tenor sax man Jamie Toms offered Vincent Youmans' Without a Song, a number JT said he first encountered listening to Sonny Rollins. Good stuff. Kieran Parnaby, sporting a distinctive haircut - someone on the split screen suggested all of the SSBB should go for a similar barnet...hmmm! - chose an apposite Blue Skies. Alto man, the first of two this evening, Mr Keith Robinson confided he was looking forward to July 4. Not because he was choking for a pint, rather he was in need of a haircut! KR likes All the Things You Are and proceeded to play it. Alto man no. 2 was waiting in the wings...

Our American composer, novelist and all round good guy Pete Tanton laid down his trumpet in favour of piano as he sang Tell Me When It's Safe to Open My Eyes. Written before the current pandemic, it certainly has a resonance in these strange times. Nice one, Pete. Paul Donnelly from the Deep South (that's the southern end of BSH's homeland) joined the regular SSBB boys and girls and, as last time round, the visuals were more freeze frame stills than uninterrupted live stream. That said, PD's guitar playing was more than up to scratch on Four Brothers. From one guest to another - Sue Ferris. Whatever the instrument, tenor sax, baritone, Sue never fails to deliver a knockout performance and tonight's contribution - Summertime - on flute was no different. 

And then there was Alice - wow! Someone to Watch Over Me sang AG. No word of a lie, if Gershwin was around today he'd be mightily impressed! Ms Grace would return. Steve Summers took on Bird's Scrapple from the Apple and our second alto sax ace of the evening came off relatively unscathed - that's an achievement in itself. We were nearing the end of tonight's SSBB live stream and it was time for Michael Lamb to demonstrate his mastery of Zoom and all things digital and pick up his muted horn to play a corking If I Were a Bell. Clearly band MD Lamb had been in the lockdown woodshed - tremendous! Chega de Saudeade was Pawel Jedrzejewski's acousitc guitar piece tonight. Underrated is Pav. And finally the full band appeared on screen to contribute recorded parts as Alice Grace sang Fascinating Rhythm live. It worked well. The SSBB will be back in July with more, details nearer the time.  
Russell

SSBB soloists & guest soloists (In order of appearance): Dave Kerridge (tenor sax); Chris Kurgi-Smith (trombone); Graham Don (keyboards, vocals); Jamie Toms (tenor sax); Kieran Parnaby (trombone); Keith Robinson (alto sax);  Pete Tanton (piano, vocals); Paul Donnelly (guitar); Sue Ferris (flute); Alice Grace (vocals); Steve Summers (alto sax); Michael Lamb (trumpet), Pawel Jedrzejewski (guitar);  + SSBB full band video        

1 comment :

NeilC said...

Saved the best for last great session culminating in a spectacular version of Fascinating Rhythm wonderful vocals from Alice Grace her voice is so crisp and clean and the musicianship is collectively second to none , thank you so much for entertaining us through these awful times.

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