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Bebop Spoken There

Spasmo Brown: “Jazz is an ice cream sandwich! It's the Fourth of July! It's a girl with a waterbed!”. (Syncopated Times, July, 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

17444 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 718 of them this year alone and, so far, 100 this month (Oct. 10).

From This Moment On ...

October

Mon 14: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 14: Black is the Color of My Voice @ Hippodrome, Darlington. 7:30pm. Apphia Campbell’s one-woman show inspired by Nina Simone, performed by Nicholle Cherrie.

Tue 15: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law (piano), Paul Grainger (double bass), Bailey Rudd (drums).

Wed 16: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 16: Cath Stephens’ improvisation workshop @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 4:30-6:00pm. Collaborative group focusing on vocal improvisations.
Wed 16: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 16: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 17: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 17: Olivia Cuttill Quintet @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 17: Moonlight Serenade Orchestra UK: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Phoenix Theatre, Blyth. 7:30pm.
Thu 17: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. Ragtime piano. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 17: Niffi Osiyemi Trio @ The Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 17: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. Guests Jeremy McMurray (keys); Richie Emmerson (tenor sax); Mark Toomey (alto sax); Adrian Beadnell (bass). 8:30pm. Free.

Fri 18: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 18: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 18: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 18: Hot Club du Nord @ St Cuthbert’s, Crook. 7:30pm.
Fri 18: Chet Set @ Seventeen Nineteen, Hendon, Sunderland. 7:30pm. Pete Tanton & co.
Fri 18: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. Doors 7:30pm (upstairs). A Hoodoo Blues dance & social event. £10.00. class & social (£10.00., £7.50., £5.00. social only). Michael Woods (country blues guitar) on stage 9:00pm.
Fri 18: East Coast Swing Band @ Hexham Abbey. 7:30pm. £9.00.
Fri 18: Ben Crosland Quartet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 18: Durham University Jazz Society’s ‘High Standards’ @ Music Dept. Music Room, Divinity House, Palace Green, Durham University DH1 3RS. 8:009-30pm. Tel: 0191 334 1419. £7.00., £5.00.
Fri 18: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Blues Underground, Nelson St., Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free.

Sat 19: Sat 19: Paula Jackman’s Jazz Masters @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 19: Howlin’ Mat @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Country blues guitar & vocals. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 20: Kamasi Washington @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. POSTPONED! New date Saturday 5 April 2025.
Sun 20: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 20: Magpies of Swing @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Reviewers wanted

Whilst BSH attempts to cover as many gigs, festivals and albums as possible, to make the site even more comprehensive we need more 'boots on the ground' to cover the albums seeking review - a large percentage of which never get heard - report on gigs or just to air your views on anything jazz related. Interested? then please get in touch. Contact details are on the blog. Look forward to hearing from you. Lance

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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