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Bebop Spoken There

Spasmo Brown: “Jazz is an ice cream sandwich! It's the Fourth of July! It's a girl with a waterbed!”. (Syncopated Times, July, 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

17421 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 695 of them this year alone and, so far, 100 this month (Sept. 30).

From This Moment On ...

October

Thu 03: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 03: Maggie Nicols & Tim Dalling: Practices of Freedom workshop @ The Tute, Ridley Terrace, Cambois NE24 1QS. 7:30pm. Free. Book at: www.eventbrite.com.
Thu 03: Alcyona Mick + Juliana Day @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. & £10.00. + bf. NFOJIM (Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music) in assoc. w. Northern Silents & JNE.
Thu 03: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. Ragtime piano. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 03: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. Guest band night w. '58 Jazz Collective led by trumpeter Kevin Eland with Paul Donnelly (guitar); Donna Hewitt (saxes); Dave Archbold (keys); John Daniel (bass); Alex Cromarty (drums); Darren Moore (percussion) + JAN SPENCELAYH!. Free.

Fri 04: Satoko Fujii @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. NFOJIM in assoc. w. JNE & Lit & Phil.
Fri 04: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 04: Amirtha Kidambi w. Manon McCoy @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 6:20pm. £8.00. + bf. NFOJIM in assoc. w. Gem Arts, JNE & Lit & Phil.
Fri 04: Ziv Taubenfeld/Olie Brice/Kresten Osgood + Andy Champion + Izumi Kimura & Gerry
Hemingway @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 7:20pm. £10.00. + bf. NFOJIM in assoc. w. JNE & Lit & Phil.
Fri 04: Maggie Nicols & Tim Dalling: As I Sing & Breathe @ The Tute, Ridley Terrace, Cambois NE24 1QS. 7:30pm. Free. Tickets: www.eventbrite.com. ‘Songs & Improvisations’ - Nicols, Dalling & guests.
Fri 04: Jeremy McMurray & the Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 04: John Rowland Quartet @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sat 05: Maggie Nicols & Tim Dalling: Musical Boxing Training @ The Tute, Ridley Terrace, Cambois NE24 1QS. 2:30pm. Free. Tickets: www.eventbrite.com. ‘A workshop for musical improvisers’. An event in a boxing ring!
Sat 05: Lewis Watson Quartet @ Wylam Village Institute, Church Road, Wylam NE41 8AP. Doors 7:00pm. Tickets £15.00. + £1.50. bf, available from: www.gigantic.com.
Sat 05: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Bright Street Big Band @ Washington Arts Centre. From 7:00pm. £12.00. Bright Street Big Band on stage at 7:30pm, preceded at 7:00pm by a swing dance taster session.
Sat 05: J.A.M. String Collective + Tara Cunningham + The Flame @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 7:20pm. £10.00. + bf. NFOJIM in assoc. w. JNE & Lit & Phil.
Sat 05: Heavy Drunk @ Anarchy Brewery, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £15.00. + £1.50. bf. ‘Mississippi Delta Blues Experience’ feat. Heavy Drunk, Watermelon Slim & Leonardo Giuliani.
Sat 05: Maggie Nicols & Tim Dalling: Musical Boxing Night @ The Tute, Ridley Terrace, Cambois NE24 1QS. 7:30pm. Free. Tickets: www.eventbrite.com. Nicols, Dalling ao. An event in a boxing ring!
Sat 05: Milne-Glendinning Band @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 05: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Swarland Village Hall NE65 9JG. 8:00pm. £12.00.

Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm (12:30pm doors). £7.50.
Sun 06: Luis Verde Quartet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 06: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 06: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 06: Catriona Bourne Quartet + Heather Ferrier + Emma Johson’s Gravy Boat @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. £10.00. + bf. NFOJIM in assoc. w. JNE & The Globe.

Mon 07: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 07: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30-8:30pm. Free.

Tue 08: ???

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. Wed 09: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 5:00-7:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 09: The Tannery Jam Session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. A ‘second Wednesday in the month’ jam session.
Wed 09: Shunya, Dudù Kouate & Seb Rochford @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 8:30pm (7:30pm doors). £21.00.

Thu 10: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 10: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. ‘Collaborations - it happened all the time’.
Thu 10: Indigo Jazz Voices w. the Little Big Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.
Thu 10: Side Cafe Orkestar @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 10: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. With guests Donna Hewitt (sax); Bill Watson (trumpet); Graham Thompson (keys); Ron Smith (bass). Free.

Friday, October 30, 2020

Remembering The Connaught Hall, Newcastle.



Those of us for whom the "sand in the glass" is well past the halfway mark may, I hope, be excused for indulging ourselves in the occasional look back at the way things were "when we were young (ish)" In particular, I'm thinking about those early JNE gigs at The Connaught Hall, which, if memory serves me right, was part of the YMCA.

It is, of course, long gone. Demolished to make way for the Eldon Square Shopping Centre. However, back then, I attended seven concerts featuring seven jazz legends, accompanied by a few British jazz legends.

It all began in 1966 and surely there could have been no one better qualified to kick-start Jazz North East's first ever concert on March 30 of that year than American pianist Earl "Fatha" Hines. Accompanied by the Alex Welsh Band, I remember floating home in a dream as I did after most, although not all of these concerts. At this late date I can't remember if it was a set by the Welsh band followed by Hines and the rhythm section or if they all mucked in together. I suspect it was the former - what a learning curve for the Welsh Band's pianist Fred Hunt that must have been!

On April 22, Bill Coleman turned up with the Bruce Turner Jump Band and the session really did jump! Turner was on form and so was Bill. Probably one of those most underrated mainstream trumpeters of all time he had a beautifully lyrical style.

A month later, May 20, saw former Ellington cornet player, Rex Stewart and, once more, the Alex Welsh Band. This was a let down, the only disappointment of all of the seven concerts. Rex was obviously past his best and the half-valve trademarks that had worked so well with Duke some 30 years earlier didn't quite cut it. Or maybe Bill Coleman had been too hard an act to follow - for me anyway!

Later that year, on November 18, Edmund Hall appeared with the Alan Elsdon Band for another memorable night - a true master of New Orleans' clarinet playing and much more. He came across as a dignified senior citizen - until he cut loose!

In 1967 (November 23) Coleman Hawkins was the attraction backed by the Mike Carr Trio. A frail, bearded old man said to be living on cognac he looked anything but the man we knew on record as having the biggest saxophone sound in jazz - and then he blew! The walls reverberated and we knew we were in the presence of greatness the like of which we'd never know again - he died two years later.

When it came to big sounds Hawkins' closest rival was Ben Webster and Ben duly arrived on April 28 along with the Pat Smythe Trio. Another great session, it was incredible to think we were hearing and seeing these amazing musicians in a small venue on our doorstep!

Teddy Wilson and the Dave Shepherd Quintet re-created Teddy's time with Benny Goodman and, with Shepherd on clarinet and Ronnie Gleaves (or was it Roger Nobes?) on vibes, he could have had no greater aides this side of Carnegie Hall.

So far, all the American musicians I've mentioned have been mainstreamers but that all changed when Johnny Griffin came to town. I was privileged to shake his hand in the nearby Eldon Grill so, if we are ever allowed to shake hands again you will be able to boast that this is the hand that shook the hand of Johnny Griffin! Mike Carr was supposed to provide the backing but, on the night, it was Damian Robinson. I'd never heard of anyone called Damian at that point in my life although these days there are probably more Damians around than, say Georges! Still what's in a name? He did the business and Griffin blew up a storm.

Talk about happy memories - these were my "Swinging Sixties"!

Lance

PS: If anyone has fliers or tickets from the above concerts I'd appreciate if they could scan them to me just to make the article complete.

3 comments :

Ron Ainsborough said...

Lance you have really brought memories to me about the revered Connaught Hall. First concerts of jazz icons in the 60's.
I went to see every concert you listed other than the Edmund Hall one. Starting with Earl Hines which to this day it is one of the best concerts I ever had the privilege to attend. Incidentally I think he played with rhythm section only, Lennie Hastings on drums I recall?
Not to underestimate the other concerts of course. Johnny Griffin, Wow! He beat me into the bar at half time by some distance, True.
Great days!!!!!
Regretfully I don't have any memorabilia for you but thanks for a great blog.
Hope you are well
Ron

Cormac Loane said...

On the reverse side of my Teddy Wilson ticket you can see a few autographs I got after the gig. This confirms that it was Roger Nobes on vibes. I can’t read the second autograph and don’t recollect who was on bass and drums. I presume Brian Lemon must have started the gig off and then handed over to Teddy Wilson. I attended the gig with Colin Aitchison - we must both have been about 14 at the time - and I remember us having an affable chat with Teddy Wilson at the end, during which he described Dave Shepherd as being ‘as good as Benny Goodman!’

And I was also lucky enough to play in the Savannah Syncopators during their warm-up spot for Teddy Wilson’s appearance at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival in about 1982 - I think you were there!

Lance said...

I'm sure it was Johnny Richardson on drums and probably Mike Durell on bass. They both were regulars with Shepherd around that time.
I think it was Dave Green on bass for the Edinburgh gig.

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