Total Pageviews

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

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); Sid White (drums). CANCELLED!

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.

Thu 05: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 05: Sound the Trumpets @ King's Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 05: Hot Club du Nord @ The Lubetkin Theatre, Peterlee. 7:00pm. £10.00. POSTPONED!
Thu 05: Thursday Night Prayer Meeting @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 05: Tommy Bentz Trio + Mark Croft Duo + George Shovlin & George Lamb @ The Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Harbour View Speakeasy's USA blues double bill + Shovlin & Lamb!
Thu 05: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.
Thu 05: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 06: Alcyona Mick @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 06: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 06: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 06: WORKSHOP: Philosophy of Arts & Entertainment @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 2:00pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 06: Balo @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 6:20pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 06: Paul Skerritt @ 3Sixty Champagne Lounge, Hadrian’s Tower, Newcastle. From 7:00pm. To book a table - 0191 933 8591.
Fri 06: Lexer/Mayes/Noble + Semay Wu + Miman @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 7:20pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 06: Dulcie May Moreno @ The Vault, Hexham. 7:30pm. £20.00. Book in advance. Moreno with Alan Law, Paul Grainger & John Bradford.
Fri 06: Dean Stockdale Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. 'Celebrating Oscar'.
Fri 06: Nu Brass Sounds: Big Brass Bash @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: TBC @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Blind Pig Blues Club. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sunday, August 15, 2021

Newcastle Jazz Festival Day Two (the early sets): Swing Manouche; Francis Tulip Quartet; Alice Grace & Pawel Jedrzejewski - August 14

(Photo by Russell)
Tickets for Saturday's session were purposely under sold to enable a degree of social distancing to be maintained at Tyne Bank Brewery's spacious Walker Road premises. Illusory or not, the place soon filled up in good time to catch the early bird set by Alice Grace and Pawel Jedrzejewski. 

Alice Grace (vocals); Pawel 'Pav' Jedrzejewski (guitar)

Fresh from her triumphant Ella Fitzgerald concert performance on Friday evening, Alice and Pav turned their attention to a different aspect of the jazz spectrum with a Norma Winstone-Kenny Wheeler inspired set of mainly original material. Alice and Pav's A Timeless Place album formed the bulk of the set - Guess Who I Saw Today - with Alice confirming Norma Winstone as an influential figure in her development as an artist. Pav can, and frequently does, turn his hand to any given situation. An unsung guitarist on the scene, our duo are well suited in this paired down context. No More Blues sung in English, understandably so, Portuguese isn't the easiest of languages. Perhaps one day Alice will give it ago - Chega de Saudade and all that! A finely drawn, nuanced set.

(Photo by Russell)
Francis Tulip Quartet: Francis Tulip (guitar); Touyo Awala (keyboards); John Pope (double bass); John Bradford (drums) 

A broken ankle in plaster is no excuse to pass up the opportunity of a gig. Birmingham Conservatoire graduate Francis Tulip answered the call to step in at short notice when one of the day's bands cried off at short notice. A scratch quartet of Francis, pianist Touyo Awala, bassist John Pope and drummer John Bradford rocked up ready to play. All four were well acquainted with the material and  their set of some forty five minutes reaffirmed Francis' standing as one of the very best technicians on the contemporary jazz scene. Recorda MeMoose the MoochImpressions, you'll have to go a long way to find a better guitarist playing this kind of material. And your search could well be in vain. Francis' friend Touyo Awala is a fine pianist, let's hear him on a decent acoustic piano some time. John Pope slotted in nicely, no surprise there, similarly the other John, the affable John Bradford, did everything required behind the traps. Post-gig it was good see to Francis hanging out. The best festivals should foster a sense of community and Newcastle Jazz Festival is heading in the right direction, that's for sure.             

Swing Manouche: Mick Shoulder (guitar); Danny Lowndes (guitar); Martin Winning (clarinet); Paul Grainger (string bass)

(Photo by Russell)
Mick 'Manouche' Shoulder has been busy shuffling the pack. This Newcastle Jazz Festival appearance presented the latest Swing Manouche line-up featuring  Tyneside based bassist Paul Grainger, Mick himself from County Durham and two new boys, fellow guitarist, Yorkshire based Danny Lowndes, and clarinetist Martin Winning from, I'm told, one of Scotland's more remote islands.

From I'll See You in My Dreams to, inevitably, Nuages to Djangology and Mystérieuse, this new edition of Mick's outfit made a big impression. Guitarist Danny knows his Django, as does Mick, but it was clarinetist Martin who caught the eye, or rather the ear. Perhaps classically trained, our far-flung member of the quartet dazzled with his assured technique - more Benny Goodman than Hubert Rostaing - allied to a bravura approach, Mr W brought the house down. Bravo! Russell

3 comments :

Liz said...

How odd that you should mention " Guess who I saw today" It has Been a fave of mine since The days of listening to Eydie Gormé. I love that song...so much so that I wrote a short story around it for my writing group in 2012. Clare Teal sang it recently on her show.

Anonymous said...

I loved Nancy Wilsons version of "Guess who I saw today".

Lance said...

I remember that short story Liz - it was excellent - we've often spoke about that tune. Carmen McRae also made a decent fist of it. I love songs with a story to them - Social Call is another great number that one can relate to.

Blog Archive