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Bebop Spoken There

Steve Fishwick: “I can’t get behind the attitude that new is always somehow better than old” - Jazz Journal, April 15, 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!"

Simon Spillett: A lovely review from the dean of jazz bloggers, Lance Liddle...

Postage

16034 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 1041 of them this year alone and, so far, 73 this month (Nov. 27).

From This Moment On ...

December

Sat 02: Paula Jackman's Jazz Masters @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 02: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 02: Abbie Finn Trio @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm.
Sat 02: Tenement Jazz Band @ John Marley Centre, Newcastle. Swing Tyne Winter Social. £8.00. + bf. Advance purchase only, no admission at the door. BYOB. Lindy hop workshop from 11:00am. £39.00.
Sat 02: Zoë Gilby Quartet @ The Masham, Hartburn Village, Stockton. 7:00pm. Feat. Noel Dennis.
Sat 02: Classic Swing @ The Nuthatch, 9 - 11 Bedford St, Middlesbrough TS1 2LL. 7:00-9:00pm. Classic Swing in trio format.
Sat 02: Paul Skerritt w. Danny Miller Big Band @ Westovian Theatre, South Shields. 7:30pm.
Sat 02: Vermont Big Band @ Whitley Bay FC. 7:30pm. £10.00. (inc. hot buffet). Tickets available from WBFC’s Seahorse pub club house.
Sat 02: Milne-Glendinning Band @ Ponteland Social Club, Northumberland. 7:30pm. £18.00 (inc. stotties & soup supper). A fundraiser for Hexham Constituency Labour Party.
Sat 02: Durham Dynamics & Basement Jazz @ Kingsgate Bar & Café, Durham Students’ Union. 7:30pm. £5.00. (£4.50. concs.). ‘Fab & Festive’. A cappella & jazz. Abba, Mariah Carey & more.
Sat 02: Tom Remon & Laurence Harrison @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 02: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. Xmas party night inc. buffet & special raffle. £3.00.
Sat 02: Groovetrain @ The Unionist Club, Laygate, South Shields. 9:00pm.

Sun 03: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:30pm. £7.50.
Sun 03: The Central Bar Quartet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. The Central Bar Quartet plays Lou Donaldson’s Gravy Train. Featuring Jamie Toms.
Sun 03: Paul Skerritt @ Smith’s Arms, Carlton, Stockton-on-Tees. 7:00pm.
Sun 03: Johnny Hunter Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 03: Jam session @ The Schooner, Gateshead. 8:00pm. Free.

Mon 04: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Mon 04: Northern Monkey Brass Band @ People’s Kitchen, Bath Lane, Newcastle. From 5:30pm. On-street gig supporting the work of the People’s Kitchen charity. Wrap up warm! Donate!
Mon 04: Michael Young Trio w Lindsay Hannon @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 7:00pm. Free.
Mon 04: James Birkett Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £8.00.
Mon 04: Durham University Jazz Orchestra + Durham University Big Band @ Durham Castle DH1 3RW. 8:30pm. £6.00.; £5.00. concs; £4.00. DSM. ‘Jazzy Christmas’.

Tue 05: Customs House Big Band @ All Saints Church, Cleadon. 7:00pm. Concert in the church hall. BYOB.
Tue 05: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Sid White. The best free show in town!

Wed 06: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 06: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 8:00pm. Free. Note later start time, concert performance (open to the public).
Wed 06: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 07: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free CANCELLED!
Thu 07: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay, Newcastle. 12 noon - 4:00pm. £26.00 (inc 3-course meal in in St Mary's Lighthouse Suite). SOLD OUT!
Thu 07: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm. All welcome.
Thu 07: Thursday Night Prayer Meeting @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.Donations. Feat. Mark Sanders.
Thu 07: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00. Downstairs.
Thu 07: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 08: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 08: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 08: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 08: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Woodland Village Hall, Bishop Auckland. 7:00pm. £12.00.
Fri 08: Sleep Suppressor + Redwell @ Head of Steam, Neville St., Newcastle. 8:00pm. £10.00. (£8.00. adv); £5.00. student.
Fri 08: Hot Club du Nord @ St Cuthbert's Church, Shadforth, Co. Durham.
Fri 08: Têtes de Pois + Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £8.00.

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Scarborough Jazz Festival Day One - Sept. 24

(Steve T w. Hans Koller)

A destination for many childhood holidays and adult short-stays, Scarborough is always like coming home and is one of my favourite festivals. Beyond the Spa it’s a town in trouble, but we know a thing about that in the north east too.

It was at Scarborough that I first heard Rob Luft and enquired as to who is this phenomenal guitarist. He was already a master virtuoso but also  a  very rounded musician with intelligent use of pedals and exemplary comping. As the senior co-leader, saxophonist Dave O’Higgins was cool and in full control, taking on one of the greatest musicians ever.


Like Sonny – written by Trane about another of the greatest musicians ever – and Straight Street were followed by a beautiful, extended prog-rock style guitar intro to Naima; more Steve Howe of Yes than the darker tones of Robert Fripp from King Crimson.

 

I’ve seen the mighty Ross Stanley many times, including twice with Steve Howe’s Jazz Trio, and recently described him as a force of nature. O’Higgins claimed this afternoon set was his third of the day and introduced him as an ‘unstoppable terminator’ and audience response would suggest they agreed.

 

Four in One was followed by a brave interpretation of an already demanding Giant Steps and had no need of their apology in advance in case they messed it up.

 

O’Higgins played a short intro to Monk’s 'Round Midnight, a ballad that’s now generally considered – except by Monk aficionados -  as having best been interpreted by Miles Davis (a bit like Hendrix’s All Along the Watchtower). Minor Mishap followed - a piece by Trane (written by Tommy Flanagan) - before Epistrophy closed the set, which threw me because I thought it had opened the set. This is typical of my experience with Monk; I will likely keep playing him forever, but I’m often more fascinated by him than particularly enjoying the experience in any usual sense of the word.  A Monk piece is a Monk piece.

 

Four world class musicians playing two of the all time greats. A fantastic start.

 

I‘d neglected to remind my long-suffering, north west born (far) better half that on this side of the country, if you face out to sea, north is left, so we ended up in an Airbnb with a much longer walk, that cut into our schedule and my feet.

 

We made it back for the Julian Joseph Trio, one of those treats that make festivals so special. I’ve been a self-confessed piano trio philistine for almost forty years so I hadn’t researched the artist, I didn’t need to know what it was he was playing, had no intention of buying an album, and was just happy to explore, miss a bit, check out the CDs, but still thoroughly enjoy the music and their playing.   

 

Hans Koller’s magnificent thirteen piece orchestra paying tribute to Bird closed the first day and was a revelation. A charismatic, amiable and witty German pianist and bandleader, his enthusiasm proved infectious throughout the band and the room, as he prowled around the stage, sometimes sitting side-saddle at his piano and occasionally hiding behind the curtains to conceal his excitement.

Billie’s Bounce was followed by Hot House, which I’d always thought was written by Dizzy but was apparently Tadd Dameron. The familiar melody took it’s time seeping through. OFF THE SCALE. Compere Alan Barnes had introduced the set saying the existence of Charlie Parker records in the world was a ‘reason to be cheerful’. BSH Editor is also a devotee and I felt his pain at not being there.

 

Milestones was followed by Word of Bird, a tribute by Ornette Coleman from his album Song X and Koller managed to get some Bird in there with Ornette. He succumbed to do Parker’s Mood despite his reservation that it’s perfect and should be left in peace. Passport was a rhythm changes where he imagined ‘Lee Konitz talking to Charlie Parker’.

 

I think Quasimodo was the last piece and I think this may have been one of the best things I’ve ever seen.

 

My feet were hurting, and I turned 60 during the walk back to our digs, but the anticipation of day two was palpable. Steve T      

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