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Bebop Spoken There

Art Blakey: "You [Bobby Watson] don't want to play too long, because you don't know they're clapping because they're glad you finished!" - (JazzTimes, Nov. 2019)..

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

15867 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 874 of them this year alone and, so far, 72 this month (Sept. 25).

From This Moment On ...

September

Thu 28: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 28: Alice Grace Quartet @ King's Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 28: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm. All welcome.
Thu 28: Faye MacCalman + Snape/Sankey @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 28: Zoe Rahman @ Jesmond United Reformed Church, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:30pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Thu 28: '58 Jazz Collective @ Hops & Cheese, Hartlepool. 7:30pm.
Thu 28: Speakeasy @ Queen's Hall, Hexham. 7:30pm. £15.00. A Southpaw Dance Company presentation. Dance, audio-visuals, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, swing dancers etc.
Thu 28: Mick Cantwell Band @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Ace blues band.
Thu 28: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 29: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 29: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 29: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.

Sat 30: John Pope Quintet + Late Girl + Shapeshifters @ Bobik's, Jesmond, Newcastle.
Sat 30: Papa G's Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

OCTOBER

Sun 01: Smokin' Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm.
Sun 01: Dulcie May Moreno sings Portrait of Sheila @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Moreno sings Sheila Jordan with Giles Strong, Mick Shoulder & John Bradford.
Sun 01: Middlesbrough Jazz & Blues Orchestra @ Saltburn Community Hall. 2:00pm.
Sun 01: The Easy Rollers @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £13.70., £11.55.
Sun 01: Brand/Roberts/Champion/Sanders @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sun 01: Papa G's Troves @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 02: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Mon 02: FILM: Wattstax; 50th Anniversary @ Forum Cinema, Hexham. 8:00pm.

Tue 03: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 03: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Paul Wight (drums).

Wed 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 04: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 04: Paul Skerritt @ Vespa Italian Bar & Steakhouse, Primrose Hill, Jarrow. From 7:00pm. To book a table - 0191 483 3355.
Wed 04: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Saturday, June 05, 2021

Knats in Nunsmoor Park - June 4

(Photo by Russell)
Ferg Kilsby (trumpet); Josh Mitchell-Rayner (keyboards); Stan Woodward (bass); King David Ike-Elechi (drums)

A socially distanced Friday evening in Nunsmoor Park (as the crow flies not too far from St James's Park, home to Newcastle United), pizza, beer, conversation, what's not to like? We were there to listen to four young musicians calling themselves Knats. BSH knew one of the quartet, otherwise they were an unknown quantity. A basic stage area, an awning affording the musicians a degree of protection from the elements - on this occasion from an early evening sun rather than rain - Knats were looking keen, far from mean, and ready to go...

(Photo by Russell)
Fretless bassist Stan Woodward handled the announcements, first up, Herbie Hancock's The Eye of the Hurricane. First impressions? Woodward, funking, grooving, this guy knows his way around his instrument! To his left, drummer King David Ike-Elechi. Where's he been hiding? Under a bushel? A tremendous player! Piano man, Josh Mitchell-Rayner, approximately sixteen years of age, is one to keep an eye on, we'll be hearing more from him, that's for sure. And the new boy, trumpeter Ferg Kilsby. We were there when young Ferg stepped into the lion's den that is the Black Swan jam session. It's the kind of session where if you can't cut it, you'll be eaten alive. Ferg cut it alright, and now, post-pandemic, it's clear our Tyne Valley horn player has taken several Giant Steps forward.    

(Photo by Russell)
More from Mr H - Maiden Voyage. It's a number that, in the wrong hands, can drag. Here in Nunsmoor no such worries. Trumpeter Ferg negotiated the composition's subtle twists and turns, pitching like a pro. Excellent stuff! Outdoor gigs are what they are, they have their attractions and distractions. Pizzas hot from the Northern Slice oven, liberal quantities of BYOB, kids dancing, big kids dancing...it's Friday night, what can you do? 

(Photo courtesy of
Elizabeth Gallagher)*
Caravan. When you hear it, you know a storm is brewing. King David behind the traps did the business. There Will Never Be Another You taken at a brisk tempo maintained the interest and, as we approached the end of two enjoyable sets, Josh at the keys brought in Seven Steps to Heaven. Knats exceeded expectations. The guys can be heard again, this time indoors, two weeks tomorrow (Sunday 20 June). The Globe (that's Newcastle Jazz Co-op's HQ on Railway Street just off Redheugh Bridge) is the place to catch them. It's a tenner admission for an eight o'clock start. Note - very few tickets remain unsold. Advance booking is essential (no walk-ups on the night), be quick, book now at: 
www.jazz.coop
.         
   
Russell
* MP for Newcastle Central and Co-Vice Chair of APPJAG Chi Onwurah pictured afterwards with the band - Lance

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