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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

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
Sat 01: The Big Easy @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 01: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Steve Glendinning - In a Minor Key. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 01: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington Covered Market, Darlington DL1 5PN. 6:00pm. New venue, live jazz!
Sat 01: Jambone @ Sage Gateshead. 7:00pm. Free (book online). A YMP! event in the Northern Rock Foundation Hall.
Sat 01: Jude Murphy & Dan Stanley @ Prohibtion Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.
Sat 01: Boys of Brass @ Stack, Seaburn. 7:00-9:00pm.
Sat 01: Hot Club du Nord @ Pleased to Meet You, Bridge St., Morpeth. 8:00pm. £79.00. A charity fundraising event.
Sat 01: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00. RESCHEDULED to next week (Sat 08).

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.

Monday, January 31, 2022

Grant Russell Quartet @ the Railway, Stockport - Jan. 30

Grant Russell (bass); Kyran Matthews (tenor sax); Paul Kilvington (keys); Luke Flowers (drums).

A graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music Manchester, 35 year old Grant Russell is a very versatile bass player, well known in the north west and beyond for his formidable technique.    

It’s been a while since Grant has been to the Railway. I think it may have been during the pre-covid days as a sideman but tonight he was fronting his own quartet and he could not have picked  a better group of musicians with whom to share the bandstand.

It was yet another rainy night in Stockport but in spite of this, the main room was almost full when I arrived and I had to sit by the bar at the back.

After a quick sound check, the concert started with Monk’s Bemsha Swing which featured some high-octane playing from Kyran Matthews who, without the use of a mic, produced a huge sound on his Selmer Mk 6 that was most impressive. He seemed inspired by the brilliant drumming of Luke Flowers and also by Paul Kilvington whose high energy keyboard skills are well suited to this group.

Things cooled down a bit for the next number, Angel Eyes,   but then warmed up with Kyran delving into some high register licks before reverting back to the theme.

Unlike the Shearing Sound who played over twenty tunes during their recent gig, the Grant Russell Quartet only played a total of eight tunes. This also may be a record for the least number of tunes played at this location. The energy level of this group remained high throughout the evening and even though they sometimes got into what may be termed avant-guard mode, most people liked what they were doing, myself included.

In the second set I was pleased to hear Paul Kilvington being featured on Smile written by comedian Charlie Chaplin. This made me wish I still had the LP Matador on which Jackie McLean did a great version of the Chaplin tune. Also, McLean played it on one of the Steeplechase recordings that he made with Dexter Gordon.

One thing I’ve noticed which is most likely age-related is I sometimes hear a band play a tune and it is one I ought to know the name of but my mind just goes blank. This happened when the band played a Tadd Dameron bop tune at a fast tempo. I had to ask Luke Flowers after the gig what the tune was called and he said Ladybird.   I was astounded as I must have played that number many times!    

Anyway, congrats to Grant for providing a really exciting evening of modern music and I hope you can do it all again sometime.

Next Railway jazz is Feb 1 - Steve Oakes Band featuring Ray Butcher - Mike Farmer 

Bemsha Swing; Angel Eyes; Hello Little Sunflower; How High the Moon; Pure Imagination; Ladybird; Smile; Bolivia.

2 comments :

Lance said...

Hey Mike I know the feeling! With standards it's easy because you can usually remember the words whilst they're playing the head but no matter how familiar I am with bop tunes, although I can often recognise the sequence, I always struggle to connect the titles the 'composers' have given to them!

Russell said...

Sounds like a tasty quartet. Kyran Matthews will, likely as not, be at the Great North Big Band Jazz Festival in Chester le Street on Saturday 5 March with the three times reigning champs in the senior big band competition, the Managers Big Band from Bolton. And what a band it is!

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