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Bebop Spoken There

Béla Fleck: “ And that's the great thing about live performances, you take people on a journey. It doesn't have to be like something else they've heard. It's not supposed to be". DownBeat, April, 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

Thu 28: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 28: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm.
Thu 28: Richard Herdman Quartet @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 28: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Guests: Josh Bentham (alto sax); Alan Marshall (tenor sax); Neil Brodie (trumpet); Adrian Beadnell (bass); Graham Thompson (keys); Steve Hunter (drums).

Fri 29: FILM: Soul @ The Forum Cinema, Hexham. 12:30pm. Jazz-themed film animation.
Fri 29: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 29: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free. POSTPONED!
Fri 29: Thundercat @ Newcastle City Hall.
Fri 29: John Logan @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sat 30: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 30: Pete Tanton’s Cuba Libre @ Whitley Bay Library, York Road, Whitley Bay. 8:00pm.

Sun 31: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 31: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields NE30 1HJ. 3:00pm. Free. Lambert, Alan Law & Paul Grainger.
Sun 31: Sid Jacobs & Tom Remon @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. USA/London jazz guitar duo.
Sun 31: Bellavana @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

April
Mon 01: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 02: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Dean Stockdale, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 03: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 03: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 03: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Friday, October 23, 2020

Album Review: Keith Jarrett – Budapest Concert

Keith Jarrett has Hungarian roots and a love of Bartók – both predisposed him towards this performance at the Béla Bartók Hall in Budapest in July 2016, which he considered akin to a homecoming.  The concert was recorded live and is presented in twelve “Parts” over two discs.  The Parts are numbered sequentially I – XII, I-IV on disc one and V-XII on disc two. 

In the time honoured fashion, championed by Julie Andrews, I start at the very beginning – a very good place to start! Part I is a full-on Jarrett improvisation seemingly composed of random blocks and no discernible melody and lasting just under 15 minutes. Part II presents a distinct opposite with cloudy impressionist chords, tuneful, but at the same time abstract. Part III comprises runs of notes and trills, but with harmonic accompaniment and sometimes with an almost Middle Eastern flavour.  Unfortunately the effect is somewhat spoiled at the end by the audience applauding over the dying piano chords.  Part IV is more muscular with concentrated rhythmic use in the left hand of the bottom quarter of the keyboard building up a groove.

Part V is a gentle melodic introduction to disc two with a song-like quality from the heyday of the GASbook ballads, beautiful and well received by the audience.  The tempo is upped in Part VI with an almost boogie-woogie feel. Part VII is back in the impressionist style – a slight hint of far eastern promise here and there perhaps.  Fast trills announce the arrival of Part VIII, although the overall progression is relatively slow. Part
IX
revisits the frank improvisatory quality of the first track with rapid, seemingly random note runs, but is much shorter at just under 3 minutes.  This provides an introduction to Part X which is much in the same vein.  Part XI returns to melody (“And breathe!”), setting up the final item, Part XII – Blues (which does what it says on the tin).

An extended encore follows. It’s A Lonesome Old Town (Tobias/Kisco) and Answer Me (Winkler/Rauch) are given the full Jarrett treatment.

Despite my ambivalence towards the less melodic offerings  (which probably says more about me than the artist!) I regard this overall as a stunning album – indeed, Jarrett himself is quoted in the promotional material on ECM’s website as “viewing the Budapest Concert as his current gold standard”. An observation perhaps made all the more poignant by Keith Jarrett’s recent New York Times interview.

Hugh C

Budapest Concert is issued on ECM (Catalogue No. ECM2700/01 073 0194) and is scheduled for release on  October 30.

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