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Bebop Spoken There

Ambrose Akinmusire: “ I am certainly always aware of what the masses are doing. And when I see too many people going one way, I'm going another way - even when I don't know what's over that way". DownBeat, March, 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

Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Tim Johnston.

Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Castillo Neuvo Trio + Conor Emery & His ‘Bones Band @ The Grove, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £10.00. (£7.00. student).
Thu 21: Remi Banklyn + Chris Corcoran Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.50. Chicago blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Thu 21: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Ragtime piano.
Thu 21: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 22: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 22: Nauta + Remy CB + Last Orders @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 8:30pm (7:30pm doors). Free.
Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £15.00. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 22: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sat 23: Jambone @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 6:30pm. Free (ticketed). End of term performance in the Northern Rock Foundation Hall.
Sat 23: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 23: Red Kites Jazz @ Rowlands Gill Community Centre NE39 1JB. 7:00pm. Tickets: £12.00. (gibsidecommunityfarm@gmail.com). A ‘Build a Barn’ fundraiser. BYOB, tea/coffee available.
Sat 23: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00. + bf (book in person at venue - no booking fee!). Featuring pianist Martin Litton.
Sat 23: Pete Tanton’s Cuba Libre @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 24: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 24: Luis Verde @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Verde (alto sax); Joe Steels (guitar); John Pope (double bass); John Hirst (drums). Alto sax brilliance!
Sun 24: Elsie Franklin @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. £10.00. Country blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Sun 24: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: Las Vegas Live with the Rat Pack @ The Forum, Billingham.
Sun 24: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Otterburn Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Sun 24: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Note start time - 7:00pm.
Sun 24: Bold Big Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 25: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 25: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Friday, April 30, 2021

Album review: Dave Holland – Another Land

Dave Holland (bass/bass guitar);. Kevin Eubanks (guitar); Obed Calvaire (drums)

If you were to stack all the albums that Dave Holland has appeared on as leader or sideman on top of each other, you’d need to put a flashing light on top as a warning to low flying aircraft. Holland is one of the two most significant British branches on the Miles Davis family tree and is, by any measure, a national treasure. At an age when a national treasure is entitled to the tartan rug, comfy slippers and Ovaltine he continues to develop, to seek, to challenge and adapt and his productivity is as high as it ever was.

He set up the Dare2 label for his work in 2005 but was so impressed with Edition Records when they released Good Hope, Holland’s 2019 album with Zakir Hussain and Chris Potter, that he has released this in a collaboration between the two labels.

Another Land feels like a cousin of Prism, the Holland quartet date from 2013 and, if you liked that album, (and why would you not?) you’ll be pushing your pointy elbows out to get to the front of the queue for this one.

This is Dave Holland’s power trio album. Obed Calvaire is a new name to me but he has played with Wynton Marsalis, Joshua Redman, Lizz Wright, the SF Jazz Collective and a host of others.  Holland has worked with Eubanks before, most notably on Extensions (1990) and Prism, both of which were quartet albums. Any suspicion that this might be thin gruel by comparison are dashed after a couple of bars of the opener, Grave Walker, when the guitar crashes in on top of the dirty drum and bass funk opening. They don’t hit the ground running so much as trampling. This is a grungy wall of sound, a snap and swing where the rolling funk meets a ZZ Top snap and swing, the rhythm section as tight as two in a three legged race.

By contrast the title track is all space, both drums and guitar the background to Holland’s bass solo, providing only occasional fills for much of the tune; a different type of intensity, close focused.

Gentle Warrior’s urban groove lifts the spirits before the rolling, punchy drums of 20 20’s opening explorations develops into an extended rock out that provides propulsive support to Eubanks long notes, Calvaire back seat driving with vigour. Quiet Fire is a Eubanks solo of delicate Metheny-esque lines and is followed by  Mashup gives Eubanks the opportunity to show off all of his chops as the guitar riffs, scrabbles and curves before Calvaire solos, explosively covering the kit to maintain the mood. Comparisons with Cream are not inappropriate.

Passing Time opens with a heavy, dark riff, like it’s going to be a blues-rock from the Savoy Brown stable before it steps down into a Eubanks guitar run and a dancing bass solo. The Village follows a similar model of heavy opening leading into a bass guitar solo from which Eubanks’ guitar lifts off in a series of loud long notes and frantic scrapples and into thunderous drums, with which the guitar keeps pace as the volume rises and then falls into a three way conversation. After all of the blues and boogie, closer Bring It Back Home has a more chilled groove behind Eubanks’ shuffling boogie guitar probings. And that’s your visit to Another Land over.

So what have we learned? Dave Holland still has it by the bucketful, I need more albums that feature Kevin Eubanks and I’ll look out for Obed Calvaire in the supporting cast next time I’m allowed in a record shop by the nice man from the credit card company.

Dave Sayer

Grave Walker, Another Land, Gentle Warrior, 20 20, Quiet Fire, Mashup, Passing Time, The Village, Bring It Back Home

Edition/Dare2Records

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