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Bebop Spoken There

Abbie Finn: "Even though there's a lot of great work being done to promote women in jazz, I still come up against some attitudes! I pulled up at a recording session with my drums in the car and the studio owner said, 'I'm sorry, this space is reserved for the drummer!'" - (Jazzwise April 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

15229 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 248 of them this year alone and, so far, 61 this month (March 20).

From This Moment On ...

March

Wed 22: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 22: Darlington Big Band @ Traveller's Rest, Cockerton. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public). Note change of venue - this week only.
Wed 22: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 22: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 4:00-6:00pm. Free.
Thu 23: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Bar Loco, Newcasatle. From 6:30pm 'til late. Free. Newcastle University Jazz Orchestra jam session. All welcome (students & non-students).
Thu 23: Kerrin Tatman + John Garner & John Pope @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 23: Sunna Gunnlaugs & Julia Hülsmann @ Sage Gateshead. 8:00pm. A two-piano gig. A Sage Gateshead-JNE promotion.
Thu 23: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano.
Thu 23: Sleep Suppressor @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £10.00., £8.00. adv. Upstairs.
Thu 23: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 24: FILM: Mo' Better Blues @ Forum Cinema, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Fri 24: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Scarth Hall, Staindrop, Co. Durham. 8:00pm. £10.00.
Fri 24: Archipelago + Bulbils @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.

Sat 25: Vermont Big Band @ Walker Community Centre, Walker, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Fundraiser for Benfield Juniours Football Club. Hot food available, BYOB.
Sat 25: John Logan & Friends @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Rat Pack, Motown etc. 8:00pm. Free (donations).

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm.
Sun 26: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 26: Outlines @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. JNE promotion (upstairs).

Mon 27: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 28: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 28: Sanaz Lavasani Trio @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 8:00pm. £12.00 (£10.00. adv).

Saturday, March 20, 2021

The Len Phillips Big Band live @ Abbey Road - March 21

The natives were getting restless. 2:30pm was the advertised start time and it was fast approaching 3:00pm. The sidebar comments provided light relief for a while but, just as I was about to abandon ship, a few bars of What's New? erupted from the speakers. I don't know if this is the band's theme song or if it was a reflection on a "jazz" gig starting late but, whatever, we were up and running.

Sammy Nestico's arrangement of Strike Up the Band got things moving and it included a fine tenor solo from one of the saxophone players - there weren't many name checks although, in fairness there weren't very many solos to give a shout out to.

This was a singer's night or, to be more precise a Matt Ford night. Ford's a good singer as he proved on Lady is a Tramp, Blue Skies, South of the Border, I Wanna be Like You, In the Still of the Night and From Russia With Love.

There were a couple of instrumentals squeezed in during this first set. George Hogg and Russell Bennett made a decent fist of imagining what Ted Heath's ace trumpet men Bobby Pratt and Bert Ezard would have done to On a Slow Boat to China. The camera man gave us a shot of two trombones. Harold Fisher worked out on that good old perennial, Buddy Rich's Love For Sale. He did good, he'd obviously played it before - him and every other big band drummer in the world! There were solos by tenor and trumpet but, again, no names no pack drill although names were read out to some of the many listeners who had birthdays in and around now.

Interval time and a 1996 interview with the band's founder the late Len Phillips. What a lovely guy and how proud he would have been to witness his brainchild playing at Abbey Road.

Back to today and off they went with Intermission Riff. A fitting choice as he was an avid Kenton fan. I wonder if he ever met Margaret Barnes?

Matt was back for Something's Gotta Give, Make Someone Happy and Sonny Boy. My heart leapt when it was announced that this latter number was based on the Woody Herman version from the album My Kind of Jolson. I remember vividly hearing it by Woody at Newcastle City Hall way back and the goosebumps I got when the band came in after the vocal and raised it up a tone. The goosebumps returned when I heard it again today!

Chris Traves wasn't in the trombone section - he was up in the control box - nevertheless he vacated this responsible position to play Mood Indigo along with Jon Shenoy on clarinet.

Nicola Emmanuelle was billed as 'a special guest' which suggested that Matt Ford was but an ordinary guest. The special guest sang Can't Buy me Love - you couldn't play Abbey Road without singing a Beatles' number and, as Ella had also recorded the same song here, she  had few options. She was great and I look forward to hearing her again.

Matt returned for Besame Mucho and Spiderman which sounded rather like Sing, Sing, Sing before leaving us with How Do You Speak to an Angel? - How indeed!

An enjoyable afternoon that really needed a better venue or were they recording?

Lance

MD Joe Pettitt; Matt Ford (vocals); Nicole Emmanuelle (vocals); Nigel Hailwood, Jon Shenoy, David Black, Simon Mars, Gemma Moore (reeds); Jon Stokes, Richard Wigley, Tom Dunnett, Bob Maslin (trombones); Russell Bennett, Andy Gathercole, George Hogg, James Davison (trumpets); Bunny Thompson (piano); Paul Morgan (double bass); Harold Fisher (drums).

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