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Bebop Spoken There

Branford Marsalis: "As ignorance often forces us to do, you make a generalisation about a musician based on one specific record or one moment in time." - (Jazzwise June 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

15491 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 512 of them this year alone and, so far, 133 this month (May 31).

From This Moment On ...

Wed 07: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 07: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 07: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 07: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 08: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free. CANCELLED! BACK ON JUNE 15.
Thu 08: Easington Colliery Brass Band @ The Lubetkin Theatre, Peterlee. 7:00pm. £10.00.
Thu 08: Faye MacCalman + Blue Dust Archive @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 08: Dilutey Juice + Ceramic @ The Ampitheatre, Sea Road, South Shields. 7:00pm. Free. A South Tyneside Festival event.
Thu 08: Lara Jones w. Vigilance State @ Lubber Fiend, Blandford Square, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 08: Michael Littlefield @ the Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Country blues.
Thu 08: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 09: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 09: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 09: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 09: Castillo Nuevo @ Revolución de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30-8:30pm.
Fri 09: Emma Rawicz @ Sage Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 10: Miners' Picnic @ Woodhorn, Ashington. Music inc. Northern Monkey Brass Band (3:00-3:50pm); New York Brass Band (4:00-4:55pm).
Sat 10: Front Porch Three @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Americana, blues, jazz etc.
Sat 10: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sun 11: WORKSHOP: Tim Richards' Jazz Piano Workshop @ JG Windows, Newcastle. Time TBC. Further details tel. 0191 232 1356.
Sun 11: Jeremy McMurray's Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Ropner Park, Stockton TS18 4EF. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 11: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 11: Groovetrain @ Innisfree Sports & Social Club, Longbenton NE12 8TY. Doors 6:30pm. £15.00 (£7.00. under 16).
Sun 11: Jeffrey Hewer Collective @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 12: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 13: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 13: Infusion Trio @ Forum Music Centre, Darlington. 7:30pm.
Tue 13: Alice Grace & Pawel Jedrzejewski @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 8:00pm. £12.00 (£10.00. adv.).

Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Black Swan Jam - March 22


Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (bass); John Bradford (drums) + Jan Spencelayh, Fionnuala Bradbury, Will Reece, David Gray (vocals); Edgar Bell (cornet); David Gray (trombone); Isaac Wilson, Murray Wankling (piano); Jacob Egglestone, Charles Harrison, Laurence Harrison (guitar); John Pope (bass); Keith Tulip (elec. bass); Michael Mather, Wilf  Pease, Mark ? (drums). (Clockwise l-r: Law, Bell, Gray, Wankling, Wilson, Spencelayh, Bradbury) 
Jam sessions are ephemeral - a time to experiment. A time to try something new. It may work, it may not and if it doesn't there's always a next time. Tonight was a mix of the usual suspects and the new kids on the block - I use the word kids advisedly.

The house trio put down the bench mark with Bye Bye Blackbird and The Man I Love setting the scene for the first of the sitters-in.

Jan Spencelayh, a regular visitor, sang What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? Let's just say this was a work in progress. Jan fared better with This Can't be Love. David Gray, who would soon be throwing his own vocal chords into the ring, did some slush-pumping on both songs.

Jacob Egglestone and the brothers Harrison alternated on guitar, John Pope played bass and there was also a rare appearance by Keith Tulip, formerly of jazz rock band Redemption, on electric bass. On drums we had Michael Mather, who never stops smiling, Wilf Pease and Mark somebody or other who was deserving of full name recognition.

Isaac Wilson, an 11th year student at Kings Priory School in Tynemouth, occupied the keyboard chair for Close to You (or was it Pure Imagination? - answers on a ten pound note), Out of Nowhere and Senor Blues. He was mightily impressive as was Murray who took over for a piece called It's On

The singers were now starting to show. David Gray, wearing his 'Showtime' ensemble had already belted out the vocal on Senor Blues and he was followed by Ms Bradbury who dusted off The Son of a Preacher Man, To our great regret she resisted calls for another one. No such inhibitions from Will Reece who took All of Me to the cleaners before doing the same to On the Sunny Side of the Street.

Who could possibly follow that? Surely not Jan?

I soon found out that Jan can! I Put a Spell on You put a spell on me! She kicked ass, if you'll pardon the expression, and all was forgiven. The first round knockdown seemed a 100 years ago and the decision was unanimous.

The final Anthropology saw the zoot-suited cornetist Bell who'd been up and down all night rejoin the ensemble sending me on my way rejoicing. Lance.

PS: Where have all the sax players gone? 

2 comments :

Brian shine said...

A jam session is not the same without a keyboard player, Alan Law was in top form, very underrated player, it would have been nice to have a sax player, but a decent jam session, it was free after all

BRIAN SHINE

Jan Spencelayh said...

Absolutely with you there Brian - Alan is a tremendously talented player and the best keyboard accompanist I have ever had the pleasure to sing with - in fact the host band were all top notch - as is pretty much always the case! It was a terrific night!

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