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Bebop Spoken There

Billy Boy Arnold: “As long as you don't think old you're good.” - DownBeat, December, 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!"

Simon Spillett: A lovely review from the dean of jazz bloggers, Lance Liddle...

Postage

16034 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 1041 of them this year alone and, so far, 73 this month (Nov. 27).

From This Moment On ...

December

Tue 05: Customs House Big Band @ All Saints Church, Cleadon. 7:00pm. Concert in the church hall. BYOB.
Tue 05: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Sid White. The best free show in town!

Wed 06: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 06: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 8:00pm. Free. Note later start time, concert performance (open to the public).
Wed 06: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 07: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free CANCELLED!
Thu 07: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay, Newcastle. 12 noon - 4:00pm. £26.00 (inc 3-course meal in in St Mary's Lighthouse Suite). SOLD OUT!
Thu 07: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm. All welcome.
Thu 07: Thursday Night Prayer Meeting @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.Donations. Feat. Mark Sanders. CANCELLED!
Thu 07: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00. Downstairs.
Thu 07: Tees Hot Club: Just Friends @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. Guest band night w. Richie Emmerson, Ian Bosworth, Dave Archbold, Ron Smith, Mark Hawkins. 9:00pm.

Fri 08: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 08: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 08: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 08: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle. 1:00pm. £7.00.
Fri 08: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Woodland Village Hall, Bishop Auckland. 7:00pm. £12.00.
Fri 08: Sleep Suppressor + Redwell @ Head of Steam, Neville St., Newcastle. 8:00pm. £10.00. (£8.00. adv); £5.00. student.
Fri 08: Hot Club du Nord @ St Cuthbert's Church, Shadforth, Co. Durham.
Fri 08: Têtes de Pois + Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £8.00.

Sat 09: Prudhoe Community Band @ Central Station, Newcastle. 10:00am - 12 noon. Charity fundraiser.
Sat 09: Durham Alumni Big Band @ Number One Bar, Skinnergate, Darlington. 1:00pm.
Sat 09: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 09: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Middleton & Todridge Village Hall, Morpeth. 7:30pm. £12.00., £6.00.
Sat 09: Paul Skerritt @ Slaley Hall, Hexham NE47 0BX. 7:30pm. From £42.00.

Sun 10: Musicians Unlimited’s Xmas Party with Zoe Gilby Quartet @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. MU 1:00-3:00pm; Zoë Gilby Quartet 4:00-6:00pm. Tickets: £7.50.
Sun 10: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
Sun 10: Funk Soul Sista @ Stack, Seaburn. 5:00-7:00pm. Free.
Sun 10: Beth Clarke @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 10: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Whittingham Memorial Institute, Alnwick. 7:30pm. £12.00., £10.00.
Sun 10: Tele-Port @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Line-up inc. Zhenya Strigalev.

Mon 11: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 11: Interim Final Recitals @ Newcastle University. Details TBC.

Tue 12: Stu Collingwood Organ Trio @ Forum Music Centre, Darlington. 7:00pm. £10.00.

Monday, March 15, 2021

Ten Charlie Parker Moments by Dave Brownlow

1945 Now’s The Time: Bird’s first record session as a leader which also produced the groundbreaking Koko. Many of the jazz fraternity of a certain age can still sing or whistle (or even play) Charlie’s blues solo from memory. A defining moment in modern jazz.

1946  Lover Man: A harrowing, disturbing listen. A disc which Charlie said should never be released, recorded just before his mental and physical breakdown. The halting, eerie, haunting track has a stark beauty where Bird is guided through the tune by trumpeter Howard McGhee and Jimmy Bunn at the piano.

1949 Segment: The day before flying out to Europe for the Paris Jazz Festival, Bird recorded a not-well-known session with Kenny Dorham, Al Haig, Tommy Potter and Max Roach. He’s on great form, ideas bursting out with originality, excitement, anticipation and verve. A tricky composition not played again on any known ‘on-location’ session.

1950 Ornithology: Truly a never-before-or-since aggregation - a super group from the bop era. Bird, Fats Navarro, Bud Powell, Curly Russell and Art Blakey. What a contest – probably won by Bud on the night…

1952 Turnstile/Rocker: Ever trying new ideas, Charlie was enthusiastic about Gerry Mulligan’s compositions. He played both these pieces on a free-wheeling session at the Rockland Palace where he used both his bands - the Quintet and the Strings - to great effect. Gerry also penned the Strings Theme - a delightful jazz waltz Bird used at the beginning and end of most ‘With Strings’ sets.

1953 I Can’t Get Started: Accompanied beautifully by Kenny Clarke, Ray Brown and John Lewis, this is a gentle, pensive, beguiling, pleading Bird performance where it sounds as though he was trying to communicate with Chan Richardson - his partner at the time - with whom he had a turbulent relationship. An absolutely inspiring bass line from Ray propels the piece at just the right tempo.  

1953 Perdido:  From the famous Massey Hall concert with Diz, Bud, Max and Mingus. First time I heard this aged 17 I was hooked and still am! Such tone - even with the plastic alto - such authority, such command of the situation. Bud’s supportive comping, Max’s swing, Diz’s clowning and Mingus’s strong rhythmical drive complete the picture.

1953 I Remember You:  This comes from a blistering quartet session with Al Haig, Max, and Percy Heath on bass. A majestic solo follows the piercing theme showing some of Charlie’s frustration pouring out. Bird’s sound is strong, angry but fully controlled in a masterpiece performance thrown together at the session itself.

1981 To Bird With Love: A giant compendium of photos and text presented by Frenchman Francis Paudras from Chan Richardson’s archives of Bird material - family snaps, contracts letters, drawings, documents etc showing how life was with unpredictable Charlie
 (Paudras later ‘rescued’ Bud Powell for a time providing him with accommodation and a home-life in Paris later in his life).

Bird Flight: A radio programme broadcast daily by Parker authority Phil Schaap from station WKCR FM New York who over months and years has presented and discussed every single note played by Charlie in his life  captured on disc or tape. The most thorough analysis ever made and still available online.

Dave B.

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