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Bebop Spoken There

Abbie Finn: "Even though there's a lot of great work being done to promote women in jazz, I still come up against some attitudes! I pulled up at a recording session with my drums in the car and the studio owner said, 'I'm sorry, this space is reserved for the drummer!'" - (Jazzwise 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

15229 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 248 of them this year alone and, so far, 61 this month (March 20).

From This Moment On ...

March

Sat 25: Vermont Big Band @ Walker Community Centre, Walker, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Fundraiser for Benfield Juniours Football Club. Hot food available, BYOB.
Sat 25: John Logan & Friends @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Rat Pack, Motown etc. 8:00pm. Free (donations).

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm.
Sun 26: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Mar 26: Pop Jazz @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. 'Jazzified' tunes by the likes of Sylvester, Bowie, the Monkees etc., feat. Alan Law, David Gray, Richard Herdman & Jude Murphy.
Sun 26: Outlines @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. JNE promotion (upstairs).

Mon 27: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 28: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 28: Sanaz Lavasani Trio @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 8:00pm. £12.00 (£10.00. adv).

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 29: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 30: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library. 2:30-4:30pm. £2.00. All welcome.
Thu 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. Back to 1:00pm stomp off. Free.
Thu 30: '58 Jazz Collective @ Hops & Cheese, Hartlepool. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 30: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm.
Thu 30: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 31: Lewis Watson Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Town Hall. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 31: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 31: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 31: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm. CANCELLED! Back next week (April 7).
Fri 31: Jasmine Myra + Waclaw Zimpel @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Fri 31: The Revolutionaires @ The Shack, Boldon Colliery. 7:30pm. £10.00. The Revolutionaires' big band (horn section) line-up.
Fri 31: Andrew McCormack @ Maltings, Berwick. 8:00pm. £20.00.

Sunday, October 10, 2021

Nikki Iles Jazz Orchestra @ Sage Gateshead - Oct. 9

(Pic by Lance)
Gig of the year? Undoubtedly! Dig out your Roget's Thesaurus and look up "Superlatives" and select any word or phrase you care to. I particularly like "of the first water" which was originally a system used for grading diamonds. This session truly was a diamond of the first water.

What was, by all accounts, the same programme that has already been reviewed on BSH only a couple of weeks ago by Steve T at Scarby Jazz Fest - read here - found me in total agreement with him when he observed that Ms Iles had some "serious guests" - she sure did!

The personnel  was the ultimate dream team with not a freeloader aboard. Everyone a star in their own right. The solos were great as were the compositions and the arrangements - loved every minute of it. 

Nikki Iles (pictured above right with retired jazz journalist Peter Bevan) and the orchestra, to my ears, has re-written big band jazz. Okay, maybe I'm going a little over the top but - hand on heart - this session knocked me out as much as, maybe even more, than anything I've heard from say Mike Gibbs, Westbrook, Wheeler, Dankworth etc. This was Boyd Raeburn in the twenty first century. If you weren't in the audience then your life has, overnight, become so much poorer. Lance.

(Pic by Russell)

Wild OakHushFace to FaceHero with a Thousand FacesRed EllenThe Caged BirdBig SkyHighlandsDo it AgainHero with a Thousand Faces

Nikki Iles (MD, piano); Andy Schofield, Paul Jones, Julian Siegel, Tori Freestone, Karen Sharp, Gareth Lockrane (reeds); Henry Lowther, Tom Walsh, Ryan Quigley, Nick Smart (trumpets); Gordon Campbell, Oli Martin, Harry Maund, Richard Henry (trombones); Mike Walker (guitar); Steve Watts (bass); Ian Thomas (drums)

2 comments :

Unknown said...

Sensational- it was a privilege to be there.....
Nicky Iles has become a superb arranger/composer as well as being a fine pianist in her own right.
The Band was outstanding and they thoroughly enjoyed the challenges of the formidable charts and the live performance
judging by the smiles and admiring looks from the players.
'Sounds Of Surprise' solos came from guitarist Mike Walker, Nicki herself and the flautist at the end of the front row (whose name eludes me)
Dave B.

Lance said...

Gareth Lockrane.

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