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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.

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Nostalgia on Felling Square

I came across the following article in my archives dated 1964. Written by one D.Knox-Crichton the original cutting was so creased and yellowed with age that it was unscannable so I have typed it as published - warts and all!  Lance 
 
Diminishin' 13ths at  The Bluebell (Blue Bell)
(© Russell)

All right. So it's a collision between a truck load of milk cans and a van full of ducks. Me, I happen to dig it.

That is why I hied me to Felling's jam-joint, The Bluebell Inn (sic), last Sunday noon and lined up at the packed long-bar, with the other saloonees, for the weekly jazz-fest promoted by the host CHARLIE JAMES.

Yep, I'm what the long-hairs of jazz despisingly call all the simple admirers of Dixieland,  a Moldy Fig. Prior to the weekly work-out, the brass-stormers kill their thirsts in advance. The conversation being music, music, music.

The merits of mop - mop (mechanical stuff full of riffs) against the back-alley (or low-down dirty); the slurred gut-bucket; the blaring tailgate; the smooth; the mellow; the swinging.

Swinging, because it is claimed to create itself and to continue on its own momentum.

There were intriguing arguments on such life-and-death matters as chord extension improvisations; close harmony intricacies; complex phrasing techniques as first introduced by old-time wizard of the small pipe, CHARLIE PARKER.

There was much cut-and-thrust over the melancholy blue of lost and rejected love, expressed slow tempo in diminishing 13ths, 5ths and 3rds.

Jazz. Once summed up in three words: Lies, exaggeration; insincerity.

Pick-up combo becomes swinging gate

Time for the Dixietomaines, buddied up for just this particular session, to climb onto the bandstand and do their blocks. This week, the line-up was, they told me, smaller than usual.

ARTHUR LUKE, easily one of Britain's finest exponents of the slush-pump. He even plays it with his feet -- AND EVEN KEEPS HIS SHOES ON! ARTHUR doubles on double bass and anything else around.

TED LANGSTON, North East's star triple-tongued trumpet. RAY JOHNSON, impressive guitarist, skin-tym and cym-happy percussionist and gravel-growler JIM STEVENSON, who can even get kicks on a cigar box with a couple of pencils.

Finally, tickling the ivories, BILLY LUKE, Arthurs knowledgeable nephew. BILLY leads 'em and holds 'em with heavily accented tempo and short, fast quodibets and twiddly-bits.

They open, a pick-up combo. But in no time they're a solid swinging gate with an ever building scooping pitch.

During this enjoyable stake-out, I picked up items of interesting jazz history titbits.

"Dixieland" (from DIX printed both sides of their 10 dollar bills)...

...Sadly, the rest of the article has been lost in the mists of time however, it does bring back memories for me of those Sunday lunchtime sessions at the Blue Bell although I don't recall the band ever discussing chord extensions - it was more likely to be along the lines of "whose round is it?" Lance

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