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Bebop Spoken There

Branford Marsalis: "As ignorance often forces us to do, you make a generalisation about a musician based on one specific record or one moment in time." - (Jazzwise June 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

15478 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 499 of them this year alone and, so far, 120 this month (May 27).

From This Moment On ...

May 2023

Wed 31: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 31: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 31: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 31: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

June
Thu 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 01: Thursday Night Prayer Meeting @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Donations.
Thu 01: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.
Thu 01: Jake Leg Jug Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Thu 01: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 02: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 02: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 02: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 02: Joseph Carville Trio @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 02: Claire Martin & Her Trio @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 7:30pm. £25.00., £20.00. Feat. Jim Mullen, Alex Garnett & Jeremy Brown.
Fri 02: Guy Davis + Michael Littlefield & Scott Taylor @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. Doors 7:30pm. Blues double bill.
Fri 02: Anders Ingram @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Blind Pig Blues Club. Country blues. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sat 03: Newcastle Record Fair @ Northumbria University, Newcastle NE8 8SB. 10:00am-3:00pm. Admission: £2.00.
Sat 03: Pedigree Jazz Band @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 03: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Sue Ferris. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 03: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 03: Papa G's Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sun 04: Smokin' Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm.
Sun 04: Central Bar Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00-4:00pm. £5.00. The Central Bar Quintet plays Sonny Rollins' Saxophone Colossus. Featuring Lewis Watson.
Sun 04: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 04: Struggle Buggy + Michael Littlefield @ Tyne Bar, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues.
Sun 04: Swinging at the Cotton Club: Harry Strutters' Hot Rhythm Orchestra @ The Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm.
Sun 04: Richard Jones Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 05: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 06: Jam session @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. House trio: Stu Collingwood (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Sid White (drums).

Saturday, December 12, 2020

Remembering Sam Walker

Who remembers tenor saxist Sam Walker? I do - vividly - although I never met him!

This morning I was rearranging some vintage 78rpms into a semblance of alphabetical order. Next to Fats Waller was a record on the Lyragon* label by Jumping Sam Walker - Girl of my Dreams/Makin' Whoopee. Recorded in 1953 I played it, partially out of interest and partially for nostalgic reasons which I won't go into here although the titles may give you a clue.

The shellac had stood the test of time but the amazing thing was that, although I hadn't heard it for over 60 years I could still sing along with the tenor solo. That was the beauty of 78rpms. With only 2 sides of approximately 3 minutes each every note stayed in your mind unlike the LPs and CDs that followed.

Further search uncovered an EP by Tony Crombie that had Sam or Sammy as the sleeve named him ...the exhuberant (sic) coloured Sammy Walker...  An added bonus was Annie Ross singing Love You Madly on one of the tracks - Annie wasn't referred to ...as the white...

Dizzy Reece played trumpet on the Crombie tracks which were recorded in 1954. A year later drummer Crombie played piano with the Dizzy Reece Quintet again with Sammy on tenor. There was a further session with Dizzy in 1957. Norman Stenfalt played piano on this one. Listen to Sweet and Lovely.

I only heard Sammy live on one occasion which was with the Crombie Band at Newcastle City Hall circa 1954/5. I remember there were two tenor players in the band - Joe Temperley and Sammy - Sammy was the exuberant one!

Unlike so many of his contemporaries, he didn't just run the changes but made every note count which, I guess, was why I was able to sing along with Girl of my Dreams all those years later.

Sam Walker died in 1986 aged 62. I'd love to hear from anyone else who remembers him and his later career.

Lance

*Lyragon was an offshoot of  Polygon. The label released 34 singles and 2 10" LPs. Most of them are, although not exclusively, West Indian/calypso based - Lord Kitchener etc. Sam Walker plays on several. The 2 LPs are by Ralph Sharon - later to be Tony Bennett's accompanist .

For a full listing of Lyragon and other vintage jazz/dance band items visit Michael Thomas' splendid website.

1 comment :

Simon Spillett (on F/b) said...

Think I've got some photos somewhere.
He sounds (tonally) like Harold Land on the Dizzy Reece 'New Star' date.

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