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Bebop Spoken There

Simon Spillett: “ Bebop and hard bop came naturally to him [Tubby Hayes]". Morning Star, March 28, 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

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.
Fri 29: True Colours @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 9:00pm. Blues, jazz & swing.

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.
Mon 01: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 3:00pm. 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.

Thu 04: FILM: Soul @ Forum Cinema, Hexham. 2:00pm. Jazz-themed film animation.
Thu 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 04: Funky Drummer @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 04: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 04: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Thursday, January 07, 2021

In Search of Benny Golson (via Sesame Street!).

Subtitle: What I did with one day of lockdown.

For reasons which will become abundantly clear, I could equally have called this piece: “Exploring My Own Ignorance”.

I recently re-watched the Tom Hanks/Spielberg film, The Terminal, which I love but had forgotten most of. I remembered the name, Benny Golson, when his cameo featuring Killer Joe came up towards the end of the film, but little else about him.

Next day, coincidentally, Paul Edis featured Killer Joe on his Patreon blog – performing, analysing and comparing several (very) different versions of it. Despite it being in the film (where Golson’s sax takes the melody) I had not realised Golson composed the song. It has a different “feel” in the Jazztet version when muted trumpet takes the lead and different again in the harmonica version (which I loved) by Toots Thielemans, the multi-talented Belgian. I’d never heard of Thielemans but had often, unknowingly, HEARD him play on the theme music of Sesame Street which I promptly Googled and took a trip down memory lane! How potently music evokes memories – of my own children rapt in front of the telly, in this case.

In the Jazztet version, Golson gives some character notes for Killer Joe, the person. On The Manhattan Transfer’s version, from their brilliant Vocalese album, Tim Hauser elaborates, theatrically and gaudily costumed, on those notes. Well worth a watch!

Returning then to the film, to check how Golson fitted into the plot I became curious about the crumpled newspaper photo Viktor Navorski carries in his Planters Peanuts tin. It is, of course, an iconic 1958 picture by photographer Art Kane (which I was also ignorant of!) entitled A Great Day in Harlem. Googling that produced a list of musicians’ names – 57 in all, including Golson, of course. To my shame, I recognised only 17 of them. Try Googling it yourself and see how many you recognise instantly – I’ll wager Lance and Russell will get 100%! I also noted that there was a 1995(?) documentary all about the occasion captured in the photo. Watching that (to shine more light in my caverns of ignorance) will now go to the top of my “to-do” list.

The Terminal had a very mixed reception from film critics and, although it made healthy profits at the box-office, it was small-beer compared to most Spielberg films but it did feature (and here I am showing my ignorance again because it never really registered with me) an outstanding sound-track by John Williams. So I Googled that, too, and thoroughly enjoyed just shutting my eyes and listening to the music – especially the most relevant track here, Jazz Autographs, which is a beautiful piece in its own right.

That its beauty never consciously registered with me as one of the things which made the film enjoyable is testimony to the power music has over the emotions – even subconsciously. That’s the subject matter of another (for me) revelatory documentary series on music by Neil Brand (on BBC i-Player) where he looks at film and TV themes, advertising jingles, games music and a host of other things which are the sound-track of modern life. I recommend them as well!

Jerry

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