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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

16051 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 1058 of them this year alone and, so far, 12 this month (Dec. 6).

From This Moment On ...

December

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: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle. 1:00pm. £7.00.
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: Prudhoe Community Band @ Central Station, Newcastle. 10:00am - 12 noon. Charity fundraiser.
Sat 09: Durham Alumni Big Band @ Number One Bar, Skinnergate, Darlington. 1:00pm.
Sat 09: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
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.

Sun 10: Musicians Unlimited’s Xmas Party with Zoë Gilby Quartet @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. MU 1:00-3:00pm; Zoë Gilby Quartet 4:00-6:00pm. Tickets: £7.50.
Sun 10: Alan Law, Paul Grainger & Abbie Finn @ Darlington Market, Market Square, Darlington. 1:00pm. Free. A ‘Christmas Market’ outdoor gig. Wrap up warm!
Sun 10: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
Sun 10: Funk Soul Sista @ Stack, Seaburn. 5:00-7:00pm. Free.
Sun 10: Beth Clarke @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 10: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Whittingham Memorial Institute, Alnwick. 7:30pm. £12.00., £10.00.
Sun 10: Tele-Port @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Line-up inc. Zhenya Strigalev.

Mon 11: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 11: Interim Final Recitals @ Newcastle University. Details TBC.

Tue 12: Stu Collingwood Organ Trio @ Forum Music Centre, Darlington. 7:00pm. £10.00.

Wed 13: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 13: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 13: Bold Big Band @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Wed 13: Giles Strong Quartet @ Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 14: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Hot Fingers @ The Lubetkin Theatre, Peterlee. 7:00pm. £10.00.
Thu 14: After Hours Student Jazz Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. . Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 14: Niffi Osiyemi Trio @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Mo Scott ‘Little Mo’s Festive Appearance’ @ The Schooner, Gateshead. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Tees Hot Club w. Kevin Eland, Josh Bentham, Garry Hadfield, Adrian Beadnell @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

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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