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Bebop Spoken There

Béla Fleck: “ And that's the great thing about live performances, you take people on a journey. It doesn't have to be like something else they've heard. It's not supposed to be". DownBeat, April, 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

Thu 28: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 28: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm.
Thu 28: Richard Herdman Quartet @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 28: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Guests: Josh Bentham (alto sax); Alan Marshall (tenor sax); Neil Brodie (trumpet); Adrian Beadnell (bass); Graham Thompson (keys); Steve Hunter (drums).

Fri 29: FILM: Soul @ The Forum Cinema, Hexham. 12:30pm. Jazz-themed film animation.
Fri 29: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 29: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free. POSTPONED!
Fri 29: Thundercat @ Newcastle City Hall.
Fri 29: John Logan @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sat 30: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 30: Pete Tanton’s Cuba Libre @ Whitley Bay Library, York Road, Whitley Bay. 8:00pm.

Sun 31: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 31: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields NE30 1HJ. 3:00pm. Free. Lambert, Alan Law & Paul Grainger.
Sun 31: Sid Jacobs & Tom Remon @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. USA/London jazz guitar duo.
Sun 31: Bellavana @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

April
Mon 01: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 02: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Dean Stockdale, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 03: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 03: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 03: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Charlie Watts (June 2, 1941 - August 24, 2021)

Charlie Watts is gone. Unlike Ringo Starr of Beatles fame, the Rolling Stones' drummer was also involved in the jazz scene via some iconic jazz recordings at least one of which, The Charlie Watts Orchestra - Live Fulham Town Hall, can stand proudly alongside any British big band of any era. An all-star line up that included Pete King, Evan Parker, Jimmy Deuchar - in fact just about anyone who was anyone on the UK jazz scene in 1986 - it swings better than a lot of American name bands did at the time. Jack Bruce played cello and, although Charlie didn't have Adolph Hitler on vibes, he did have Jim Lawless and Bill le Sage depping for the late Führer.   

The world will remember Charlie Watts as the driving force behind The Stones, the one who shunned the headlines, the one who didn't play the field ... The jazz world will remember him for all of those things as well as as a drummer who loved playing jazz and was pretty damn good at it.

Listening again to that Fulham Town Hall concert it occured to me that this is an album that will certainly be high up on the list when I get around to naming my ten favourite big band albums.

Charlie Watts passed away earlier today (August 24).

He was 80.

Sadly missed.

Rest In Peace

Lance

Obituary

3 comments :

Dave said...

The Fulham album is marvellous, one of my all time favourites.
Dave

Steve T said...

Struck me as a decent chap and I'm not sure I'd say the same about any of his bandmates. He was the first drummer in a pop group to claim he was a jazz drummer, though far less nimble than subsequent self-proclaimed jazz drummers who played rock: Ginger Baker, Bill Bruford and Phil Collins.
All the big popstars: Beatles, Stones, Van, Wod, Bowie etc etc etc were keen to point out their debts to black music, but it never fully caught on and still hasn't. America was forced to acknowledge its Black Music, but it was the white popstars who became multi millionaires and are nowadays revered as originators. On Radio 2 today somebody was talking about Watts' debt, not just to jazz, but to Stax and Motown, but people will still go on listening to white British popstars ahead of Stax and Motown, and jazz by white British popstars ahead of Black American Originals .

Roly said...

Sad news. There has been a lot of comment and tributes in the media, BBC etc. and talking about his love of jazz, about his abilities stemming from a jazz sensibility and subtlety, his ability to swing and to always do just the right thing appropriate to the song. All really nice to hear.

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