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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.

Thursday, April 08, 2021

Album review: Steven Feifke Big Band - Kinetic

A humdinger of a swinger featuring some of NYC's finest which, in effect, means the world's finest!

It may have been Feifke's first album as a big band leader but he's described on the blurb as "One of the most in-demand artists of his generation" and on the strength of this album it's easy to see why. Pianist, composer arranger absolutely the tops.

The band too is up there and so it should be. This is no hastily assembled ensemble put together by a succession of emails, texts, phone calls and carrier pigeons but a unit that played a monthly residency for almost two years at The Django down in the depths of the Roxy Hotel in Lower Manhattan. The pandemic put a stop to bands of this size operating in the small, almost cave-like room. Nevertheless, hopefully, they will return.

In the meantime this album will do nicely thank you very much!

Apart from the leader, who is featured on  four tracks and composed and arranged most, the solos are evenly shared out with 14 of the musicians getting on the score-sheet for at least one track. One of our vocal favourites, Veronica Swift, is heard On the Street Where You Live and Until the Real Thing Comes Along - it already has Veronica!

The soloists are superb so, not surprisingly, is the section-work. All the saxes double on clarinets and flutes and some of the scored passages for the latter two instruments are breathtaking. Benack lll and Medd have a couple of workouts on trumpet and Edwards blows trombone whilst Veronica is strolling down the street where I live (if only!) and Gutauskas is heard impressively on baritone. The Sphynx has Pino stretching out on tenor as if there was no tomorrow. To quote the notes "Gonsalves to Feifke's Ellington."

No need for me to say that big bands are back - they've never been away!

Lance

Available from tomorrow (April 9) from usual suspects or direct from Steven Fiefke..

Kinetic; Unveiling of a Mirror; The Sphinx; Until the Real Thing Comes Along; Word Travels Fast; Wollongong; Nica's Dream; On the Street Where You Live; Midnight Beat; Closure.

Steven Feifke (piano); Andrew Gould, Alexa Tarantino, Lucas Pino, Sam Dillon, Andrew Gutauskas (reeds); Max Darché, John Lake, Benny Benack lll, Gabriel King Medd (trumpets/flugels); Robert Edwards, Jeffery Miller, Amando Vergaro, Jennifer Wharton (trombones); Alex Wintz (guitar); Dan Chmielinski (bass);  Jimmy Macbride, Ulysses Owens Jr., Bryan Carter, Joe Peri (drums) + Alex LoRe (alto sax on 1 track); Veronica Swift (vocals on 2 tracks). 

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