Total Pageviews

Bebop Spoken There

Billy Boy Arnold: “As long as you don't think old you're good.” - DownBeat, December, 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!"

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

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: Revolutionaires @ The Water House, North Road, Durham. 4:00pm. Rock 'n' roll excellence! Line-up inc. Pete Tanton.
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. CANCELLED!
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.

Sat 09: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 09: Abbie Finn Trio @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm.
Sat 09: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Middleton & Todridge Village Hall, Morpeth. 7:30pm. £12.00., £6.00.
Sat 09: Paul Skerritt @ Slaley Hall, Hexham NE47 0BX. 7:30pm. From £42.00.

Thursday, December 23, 2021

Review: Wardell Gray - Four Classic Albums Plus

Wardell Gray died at the age of 34. To this day there is speculation as to how, exactly, he met his end. What we have here is the legacy of an undoubtedly great tenor saxophonist. From Pasadena in 1947 (Way Out Wardell) to Los Angeles 1950 and 1953 (Memorial Album Volume 1) we hear the ill-fated Gray working with some of the great names of the period.

The '47 Pasadena session included fellow tenor man Vido Musso, Benny Carter on alto sax and the trumpeters Howard McGhee and Ernie Royal. Some five years on Frank Morgan was playing alto sax, Al Haig, Phil Hill and Sonny Clark shared piano duties, Tommy Potter was on bass, and the sole surviving participant from these recordings, Roy Haynes (now 96) occupying the drum chair. 

In his sleeve notes to The Chase and The Steeplechase, Gene Norman wrote: One of the most exciting situations in jazz is an all-out 'to-the-death' duel between two tenor saxophones...This pertinent comment referred to Gray and fellow tenor man Dexter Gordon. The pair slug it out, Gordon throwing the bigger bombs, Gray taking the hit, then coming inside to do similar damage to his adversary. Just the two numbers on the album - The Chase (11 mins 32 secs) and The Steeplechase (weighing-in at 13 mins 51 secs) - with Conte Candoli on trumpet, Bobby Tucker, piano, Don Bagley, bass, with Chico Hamilton driving it along on the ride cymbal, despite the less-than-perfect audio quality, this February 2nd 1952 album is essential listening.

More than two and a half hours later this two-CD, four album package goes out all guns blazing on Denzil Best's More (Gray, Gordon, Sonny Criss toting his alto sax, Hampton Hawes or Jimmy Bunn on piano). If not for Christmas, Four Classic Albums Plus makes the ideal birthday present.   Russell  

Four Classic Albums Plus (AMSC1403) is available from Avid Jazz: www.avidgroup.co.uk.  

The Chase & The Steeplechase: Wardell Gray (tenor sax); Dexter Gordon (tenor sax); Conte Candoli (trumpet); Bobby Tucker (piano); Don Bagley (bass); Chico Hamilton (drums)

Way Out Wardell: Wardell Gray (tenor sax); Vido Musso (tenor sax); Benny Carter (alto sax); Howard McGhee (trumpet); Ernie Royal 9trumpet); Vic Dickenson (trombone); Erroll Garner (piano); Arnold Ross (piano); Barney Kessel (guitar); Irving Ashby (guitar); Red Callender (bass); Harry Babison (bass); Jackie Mills (drums); Don Lamond (drums)

Memorial Album Volume 1: Wardell Gray (tenor sax); Frank Morgan (alto sax); Al Haig (piano); Phil Hill (piano); Sonny Clark (piano); Teddy Charles (vibes); Dick Nivison (bass); Johnny Richardson (bass); Tommy Potter (bass); Art Mardigan (drums); Larry Marable (drums); Roy Haynes (drums)

Memorial Album Volume 2: Wardell Gray (tenor sax); Dexter Gordon (tenor sax); Sonny Criss (alto sax); Art Framer (trumpet); Clark Terry (trumpet); Hampton Hawes (piano); Jimmy Bunn (piano); Billy Hadnott (bass); Harper Cosby (bass); Robert Collier (congas); Chuck Thompson (drums); Larry Marable (drums)    

1 comment :

Lance said...

OMG a CD from Avid featuring Wardell Gray! A delightful tip of the iceberg to a man who was my all time favourite tenor player. Maybe they'll get around to documenting Wardell's work with Goodman, Basie, Parker, Hines. Wardell was the man! Dexter was Joe Frazier, Wardell was Ali.

Blog Archive