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Bebop Spoken There

Kelly Sill: "Just because everyone is playing through the changes in the same time doesn't mean they're actually playing together" - (JazzTimes March/April 2023).

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

15260 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 279 of them this year alone and, so far, 92 this month (March 29).

From This Moment On ...

April

Sun 02: Smokin' Spitfires @ The Cluny. 12:45pm.
Sun 02: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.

Mon 03: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 04: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 04: Jam session @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. House trio: Bradley Johnston (guitar); Paul Grainger (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums).

Wed 05: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 05: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 05: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 05: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 06: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 06: Thursday Night Prayer Meeting @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Donations. Feat. John Pope, Marie Shreer, John Garner.
Thu 06: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibtion Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.
Thu 06: Darlington Big Band @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Note earlier start time.

Fri 07: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 07: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 07: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 07: Gaz Hughes Trio @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 07: Mark Toomey Quartet @ Traveller's Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 07: Finntet + Zoë Gilby & Andy Champion @ Bobik's, Punch Bowl, Newcastle. 8:00pm. JNE.
Fri 07: TBA @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig. Blind Pig Blues Club.

Sat 08: Me Lost Me + Ceitidh Mac + Heather Ferrier @ Bobik's, Punch Bowl, Newcastle. 7:30pm. JNE.
Sat 08: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington Covered Market, Darlington DL1 5PN. 6:00pm. New venue, live jazz!
Sat 08: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00. RESCHEDULED from last week (Sat 01).
Sat 08: Robbie Reay @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Acoustic blues. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.
Sat 08: Anth Purdy @ Mr Tighe's, Bebside, Northumberland. 8:30pm.

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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