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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

15229 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 248 of them this year alone and, so far, 61 this month (March 20).

From This Moment On ...

March

Sat 25: Vermont Big Band @ Walker Community Centre, Walker, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Fundraiser for Benfield Juniours Football Club. Hot food available, BYOB.
Sat 25: John Logan & Friends @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Rat Pack, Motown etc. 8:00pm. Free (donations).

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.

Monday, July 27, 2020

Livestream @ the Globe: Archipelago - July 26

Faye MacCalman (tenor sax, clarinet, synths, voice); John Pope (bass guitar, effects); Christian Alderson (drums, percussion)

This was a fine and exciting set of music. I don't say tunes, as that would be giving a very limited impression of what this sort of gig is all about. The influences quoted by the band are jazz, alt rock, blues and folk but the sum of all these parts, and some parts I couldn't define, is greater than the whole. Forget the standard jazz tune, solos, then back to the tune. You get all-sorts with this band, clapping, singing which is sometimes wordless, fragmented snatches of tune, repeated riffs, effects giving the sound of about 6 musicians instead of just 3, and sometimes a calm steady tune and sometimes lively bebop. The band somehow contrive to get cohesion into all of these pieces which are all originals.

For example, the amusing Wake Up Now began with Faye sweetly singing the words of the title and the bass sounding like the ticking of a clock, then stops and starts in the music which suggested a car engine, to my ears anyway, then a strong rhythm from sax and guitar, ending with a sudden stop.

The final piece was very topical, entitled Waiting, all about chaos. This began calmly with clapping in rhythm, singing by John and Faye in harmony, then the song and instruments becoming wilder, fragments of sax, louder, with the sound continuing after the band had stopped playing.  

The sound was good during the music but a bit low for speech so I'm unsure of some of the titles that Faye quoted. The set list was apparently: Picture This; Let Go; Chemical (a real tour de force); Aired; Wake Up Now; new one untitled; The Wide And Dark Sea; Waiting.

I don't think that describing the music further would be any help, you should get on to YouTube to find out more. About 28 people were recorded as watching which means 28 households and the comments box showed much appreciation of the music. I waited patiently for the start on YouTube, to discover after 20 minutes or so that others could see and hear. I had to fiddle with the computer, leaving YouTube and going back in, before I finally accessed the gig, which was a nuisance. Hopefully the Jazz Co-op will eventually sort out these problems. This didn't really detract from the music.
Ann Alex

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