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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

15491 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 512 of them this year alone and, so far, 133 this month (May 31).

From This Moment On ...

Wed 07: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 07: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 07: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 07: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 08: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free. CANCELLED! BACK ON JUNE 15.
Thu 08: Easington Colliery Brass Band @ The Lubetkin Theatre, Peterlee. 7:00pm. £10.00.
Thu 08: Faye MacCalman + Blue Dust Archive @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 08: Dilutey Juice + Ceramic @ The Ampitheatre, Sea Road, South Shields. 7:00pm. Free. A South Tyneside Festival event.
Thu 08: Lara Jones w. Vigilance State @ Lubber Fiend, Blandford Square, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 08: Michael Littlefield @ the Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Country blues.
Thu 08: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 09: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 09: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 09: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 09: Castillo Nuevo @ Revolución de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30-8:30pm.
Fri 09: Emma Rawicz @ Sage Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 10: Miners' Picnic @ Woodhorn, Ashington. Music inc. Northern Monkey Brass Band (3:00-3:50pm); New York Brass Band (4:00-4:55pm).
Sat 10: Front Porch Three @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Americana, blues, jazz etc.
Sat 10: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sun 11: WORKSHOP: Tim Richards' Jazz Piano Workshop @ JG Windows, Newcastle. Time TBC. Further details tel. 0191 232 1356.
Sun 11: Jeremy McMurray's Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Ropner Park, Stockton TS18 4EF. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 11: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 11: Groovetrain @ Innisfree Sports & Social Club, Longbenton NE12 8TY. Doors 6:30pm. £15.00 (£7.00. under 16).
Sun 11: Jeffrey Hewer Collective @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 12: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 13: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 13: Infusion Trio @ Forum Music Centre, Darlington. 7:30pm.
Tue 13: Alice Grace & Pawel Jedrzejewski @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 8:00pm. £12.00 (£10.00. adv.).

Sunday, March 14, 2021

Album review: Veronica Swift - This Bitter Earth

I first heard Veronica Swift in 2019 when Maurice Summerfield sent me this YouTube clip of Veronica, along with Austin Patterson and Julian Lee, singing the BSH theme song.

I was impressed!

My interest was further piqued when Russell wrote about her in glowing terms on one of his virtual trips to, on this occasion, uptown Manhattan for a Billie Holiday celebration - Ron Ainsborough concurred with his words

So, when this CD turned up I grabbed it with eager arms and I wasn't disappointed.

Swift has obviously listened to Ella - which jazz singer hasn't? - but this is no pale imitation. Just as Mozart absorbed the teachings of Papa Haydn so has Ms Swift done likewise with Mama Ella and created her own voice.

She sings, she scats, she puts meaning into a lyric drawing out the pathos, the humour, the social aspect, something even the great Ella didn't always achieve.

The Bitter Earth: Reflective, soul searching, self-realisation.

How Lovely to be a Woman: A girl discovering adulthood. Some great scat and fine piano from Cohen.

You've Got to be Carefully Taught: The Rodgers & Hammerstein song probably didn't have the impact in South Pacific that it should have. In today's more enlightened (ish) times Swift delivers the message loud and clear with Cohen superb on piano. The prolonged ending serves to allow the message to sink in loud and clear

Getting to Know You: More from R & H but totally different to the version "sung" by Deborah Kerr in the film version of The King and I.

The Man I Love: The Gershwin's song of hope or is it wishful thinking? Sung so tenderly you can't help but hope he does come along. Nice bass solo and a lovely vocal cadenza to finish.

You're the Dangerous Type: A Bob Dorough gem. An out and out swinger with scat chorus,  sizzling alto solo and more great piano from Cohen.

Trust in Me: Some haunting bass flute passages bring this one in with voice merging instrumentally before the plaintive, mournful words express the deep feelings of the singer. Johnson returns, this time on concert flute. All done over a hypnotic Latin rhythm.

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss): Carole King and Gerry Goffin came up with this one. The gist of the song is that she's confessed to being unfaithful and she realises that by hitting her he's showing he cares about her - mmm... 

As Long As He Needs Me: Soft and tender nothing at all like the strident version by Shirley Bassey - at least not until the big finish.

Everybody Has the Right to Be Wrong: A Jimmy Van Heusen/Sammy Cahn song that was new to me. A cool lilting bossa with admirable sentiments and a drum solo thrown in for good measure.

Prisoner of Love: Russ Columbo had a hand in this song f
rom the 1930s which provided big hits for Bing and Perry (Como). This eclipses both of them. 

The Sports Page: Dave Frishberg wrote this gem, the idea being that the only truth you read in a newspaper or hear on the news is on the sports page which, come to think about it ... Listen also to Emmet Cohen. He's been  a tower of strength throughout but on this track he's phenomenal!

Sing: The full works on this one - choir, guitar blast and a triumphal end to the album in the manner of  the final movement of a symphony.

It's out on Mack Avenue Records via Proper Music next week (March 19).

Lance

Emmet Cohen (piano, celeste); Yasushi Nakamura (bass); Bryan Carter (drums) + Armand Hirsch (guitar); Lavinia Pavlish, Meltar Forkosh (violins);  Andrew Griffin (viola); Susan D. Mandel (cello); Aaron Johnson (alto sax, flutes);  Steven Feifke, Ryan Paternite, Will Wakefield, the Stone Robinson Elementary School and Walton Middle School Girls Choirs (background vocals).

1 comment :

Liz said...

new to me Lance, but I look forward to listening to her, your recommendations are always spot on!

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