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Bebop Spoken There

Quincy Jones: ''What's great about coming from a little town is that you're a big fish in a little pond and it gives you the confidence when you get to New York to be able to really compete''. (Jazzwise, December 2024/January 2025).

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

17562 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 836 of them this year alone and, so far, 74 this month (Nov. 22).

From This Moment On ...

December

Sun 01: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:15pm (12 noon doors). £7.50. Note earlier start.
Sun 01: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 01: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Laurels, Whitley Road, Whitley Bay. 4:00pm. £10.00. SOLD OUT!
Sun 01: Martin Fletcher Band @ Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sun 01: Mark Williams Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Album launch gig.
Sun 01: Christmas After Hours @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society event. Six piece band.

Mon 02: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 02: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Wheatsheaf, Benton Sq., Whitley Road, Palmersville NE12 9SU. Tel: 0191 266 8137.1:00pm. Free.

Tue 03: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:00pm. Free.
Tue 03: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Dean Stockdale, Paul Grainger, John Hirst.
Tue 03: Bold Big Band @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Wed 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 04: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 2:30-4:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Wed 04: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 8:00pm. Concert. Free. .
Wed 04: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 04: Kat Eaton @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 8:15pm. Soulful vocals, excellent band.

Thu 05: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 05: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. ‘George - named musicians, vocalists & composers (Chisholm, Duke, Lewis, Shearing, Benson, Melly, Gershwin et al)’.
Thu 05: Jools Holland’s R & B Orchestra @ Newcastle City Hall. 7:30pm.
Thu 05: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. Free.
Thu 05: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. Guest band special with the Middlesbrough Jazz and Blues Orchestra 8pm. Free.

Fri 06: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 06: Sue Ferris Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 07: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 07: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £25.00. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 07: Hot Club du Nord @ St. Cuthbert’s Church, Shadforth DH6 1LB. Tel: 01429 823400. 7:30pm. £15.00. (inc. refreshments).
Sat 07: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 07: Bellavana @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 7:45-9:45pm. Free.
Sat 07: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Reviewers wanted

Whilst BSH attempts to cover as many gigs, festivals and albums as possible, to make the site even more comprehensive we need more 'boots on the ground' to cover the albums seeking review - a large percentage of which never get heard - report on gigs or just to air your views on anything jazz related. Interested? then please get in touch. Contact details are on the blog. Look forward to hearing from you. Lance

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

The art of gentle lyricism – August 9

(Screenshot by Russell)
Rossano Sportiello (piano); Dan Barrett (trombone); Rebecca Kilgore (vocals)

Take a very nice domestic music/library room, insert a beautiful Bösendorfer piano, bring along three fine musicians and what do you get? Answer - some absolutely lovely music. And whilst streamed concerts with no audience present have limitations because of that very reason, in the right setting there can be an intimacy that is very engaging as was the case here.

I received a text from roving reporter Russell that one of my favourite singers, Rebecca Kilgore, was performing with pianist Rossano Sportiello and trombonist Dan Barrett ‘right now’ in this setting and so I immediately logged in but it was already half way through the concert.

Rossano Sportiello was a new name to me – what a great player. He has absorbed stride and walking bass styles of piano playing into a masterful entity, slipping effortlessly from one to another while embellishing beautifully with his right hand. A virtuoso pianist.

Dan Barrett has been a major contributor to the, dare I say the word, ‘mainstream’ of jazz for such a long time now. A fluent trombonist with a gorgeous sound and a natural lyricism in all settings. And a top notch bandleader and arranger too.

I first heard Rebecca Kilgore many years ago with Bobby Gordon’s Trio – a CD Remembering Maxine. What a gem that is. Over subsequent years I acquired quite a few of her albums. Her recorded output is phenomenal. You can understand why. A gentle, effortless vocal style with clear diction and innate jazz feel that draws you in. And she seems to know every song. Special!

I’ll not go into detail on the set list. Needless to say all beautifully played. The tunes I caught were - Christopher Columbus, East of the Sun, Russian Lullaby (piano/trombone duo), What Will I Tell my Heart? (trombone ballad feature), My Ideal, Them There Eyes and finishing with Sultry Serenade - a melody composed by Tyree Glenn but with lyrics added later and a new title  How Could You Do a Thing Like That to Me?  

High class indeed. Roly

2 comments :

Lance said...

Truly an inspiring session by 3 present day greats. For the record, the other tunes were: Blues my Naughty Sweetie Gives to me (piano solo); Keepin' Out of Mischief Now (trombone feature) and vocals: I Can't Believe That You're in Love With me; Comes Love and Opus One. The latter number based on the Anita O'Day version with the Gene Krupa Band.

Patti said...

Wasn't it marvellous! A real jazz treat. I've seen Rossano and Dan play at the Cleveland Jazz Party in the US - and I'm fairly certain that Rossano came to the Whitley Bay International Jazz Festival about 18 years ago, as a young piano maestro, with the Milano Hot Jazz Gang/Orchestra. This was before he moved to the US, and he now lives in New York City. Next week he'll be back home in NYC, and doing the livestream from his Greenwich Flat - it'll be open for anyone - you don't need to be on Facebook yourself. Just google Live at the Greenwich Flat.

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