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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

Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 24: FILM: Mo' Better Blues @ Forum Cinema, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Fri 24: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Scarth Hall, Staindrop, Co. Durham. 8:00pm. £10.00.
Fri 24: Archipelago + Bulbils @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.

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.
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.

Monday, August 10, 2020

Pianist releases a feel-good parcel

(Press release)

An eighteenth-century protest song is the inspiration behind Scottish pianist Dave Milligan’s catchy and deeply grooving download single, Parcel of Rogues, which is released today, Monday 10th August.

Such a Parcel of Rogues in a Nation is a poem attributed to Robert Burns in 1791 to decry the members of the Parliament of Scotland who signed the 1707 Act of Union with England. In the 1960s and 1970s it was taken up by political singers including Ewan MacColl and Dick Gaughan and the folk groups The Dubliners and Steeleye Span. More recently it has come to be regarded as an international anthem.

“The melody has stayed with me since I first played it with The Unusual Suspects many years ago,” says Milligan. “It’s a powerful tune, with a kind of anthemic quality. When I was given the opportunity to record with two outstanding Italian musicians, the bassist Danilo Gallo and drummer U.T. Gandhi in Italy, I wanted to try some Scottish themes with them to see how they would respond.”  

The versatile Milligan, whose recent work has encompassed jazz, folk music and theatre, explored Parcel of Rogues with the Italians - along with a handful of other traditional melodies, including the late Hamish Henderson’s Freedom Come All Ye. “I thought those two songs worked particularly well - I had to include them in the new album, Momento,” he said. Radio producers and presenters who were sent early copies have almost unanimously selected Parcel of Rogues as the featured track.

The phrase ‘parcel of rogues’ has been used in relation to the current political situations in the UK and the US and even recently in Lebanon, and Milligan is aware of its potency.  

“It didn’t really occur to me that broadcasters might be drawn to Parcel of Rogues for non-musical reasons - some might not even be aware of the political connection,” says Milligan.

His recording doesn’t reveal the words but the narrative of the song depicts a sense of indignation at the abuse of power which led to a massive socio-political shift. “That was well over 200 years ago and people still feel it, probably more than ever,” he says. “Just look around at some of the political establishments today - the word ‘rogues’ doesn’t quite cover it.” 

Milligan has no problem with whatever associations people attribute to the track. “You make your own connection with art,” he says. “I set out to make music and that’s what this is about for me; the strength of the melody, the groove that Danilo and Gandhi created, and how good instrumental music can make people feel.”

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