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Bebop Spoken There

Simon Spillett: “ Bebop and hard bop came naturally to him [Tubby Hayes]". Morning Star, March 28, 2024.

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...

Josh Weir: I love the writing on bebop spoken here... I think the work you are doing is amazing.

Postage

16287 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 169 of them this year alone and, so far, 41 this month (Mar 18).

From This Moment On ...

March

Fri 29: FILM: Soul @ The Forum Cinema, Hexham. 12:30pm. Jazz-themed film animation.
Fri 29: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 29: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free. POSTPONED!
Fri 29: Thundercat @ Newcastle City Hall.
Fri 29: John Logan @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Fri 29: True Colours @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 9:00pm. Blues, jazz & swing.

Sat 30: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 30: Pete Tanton’s Cuba Libre @ Whitley Bay Library, York Road, Whitley Bay. 8:00pm.

Sun 31: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 31: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields NE30 1HJ. 3:00pm. Free. Lambert, Alan Law & Paul Grainger.
Sun 31: Sid Jacobs & Tom Remon @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. USA/London jazz guitar duo.
Sun 31: Bellavana @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

April
Mon 01: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 01: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 3:00pm. Free.

Tue 02: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Dean Stockdale, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 03: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 03: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 03: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 04: FILM: Soul @ Forum Cinema, Hexham. 2:00pm. Jazz-themed film animation.
Thu 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 04: Funky Drummer @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 04: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 04: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Monday, February 28, 2022

Soul Time! @ The Oxford Tavern, London – Feb. 21

(© Pam Clarke)
Steve Fishwick (trumpet, flugelhorn); Leon Greening (piano); Matyas Hofecker (double bass); Matt Home (drums).

In two long sets the band played ten tunes either composed, arranged, or recorded by the pianist, organist and vibes player Bobby Timmons. If anyone expected just the basic Bobby Timmons soul jazz themes and nothing more, the very first tune of the evening, Stella B (named for Timmons’ wife), which began with a long improvised solo from Steve Fishwick (not for nothing is he widely known as one of the best jazz trumpet players ever produced by the UK), followed by something similar from Leon Greening, made it clear that that was not all that was on offer.

Fittingly though, Leon Greening’s solo rolled into hard swinging blues piano territory, taking Soul Time’s rhythm section with him  - and a delighted audience. What a band! 

So they operated beautifully together as a really funky soul jazz group. On top of that though, all four of Soul Time are terrific individual improvisers, and I include in that statement the bass and drums, and particularly the outstanding bass player.

If I was a faster writer I’d be able to provide full recording dates and personnel, together with album titles for the tunes played, since Leon Greening is not just the band’s stunningly impressive pianist but also its historian and introduced all the tunes at length.

 Instead I can only point out that Timmons spent a lot of his brief career (he died in 1974 at the age of 38) with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and with bands led by the two Adderleys, as well as leading his own groups. So all the tunes played by Soul Time were probably written for recordings with one or other of these.

Of the ten tunes played, six were Timmons compositions: Stella B; Soul Time; Dat Dere (minus the Oscar Brown Jr lyrics); Damned if I Know (titled thus for want of a title before a recording); Dis Here; and So Tired. Note, no Moanin’.

The other four were: two tunes for Timmons by Walter Booker and Tom Macintosh; and two arrangements of standards by Timmons – a very extended version of Autumn Leaves and I Didn’t Know What Time It Was which took the evening into a whole different musical zone. 

If you get the chance to see the band, or indeed its individual members, I can’t recommend strongly enough that you do.

If you’re in London on a Monday night you could do worse than find out what’s on at the Oxford Tavern which is on Kentish Town Road in Kentish Town. They have a different band every Monday and it’ll set you back £10. It’s a couple of minutes from Kentish Town Tube. Dave Clarke

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