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Bebop Spoken There

Art Blakey: "You [Bobby Watson] don't want to play too long, because you don't know they're clapping because they're glad you finished!" - (JazzTimes, Nov. 2019)..

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

15848 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 855 of them this year alone and, so far, 53 this month (Sept. 18).

From This Moment On ...

September

Fri 22: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 22: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 22: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 22: Brief Encounter @ Bardon Mill Village Hall, Northumberland. 7:00pm. Tickets: £10.00. adv from 07885 303166; £12.00. on the door. Chris & Veronica Perrin improvising to a screening of the 1929 'Jazz Age' silent film Piccadilly (Dir. Ewald André Dupont).
Fri 22: Paul Edis & Graeme Wilson + Three Tsuru Origami @ Jesmond United Reformed Church, Newcastle. 7:30pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 22: Crooners @ Tyne Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Fri 22: Abbie Finn's Finntet @ Traveller's Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 23: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Tanfield Railway, Gateshead. 2:00-4:00pm. Free. A '1940s Weekend' event.
Sat 23: Jason Isaacs @ Stack, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free.
Sat 23: Andrew Porritt & Keith Barrett @ Cullercoats Watch House, Front St., Cullercoats NE30 4QB. 7:00pm.
Sat 23: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig. Country blues.

Sun 24: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.

Mon 25: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Mon 25: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 7:00pm.

Tue 26: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.

Wed 27: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 27: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 27: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 28: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 28: Alice Grace Quartet @ King's Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 28: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm. All welcome.
Thu 28: Faye MacCalman + Snape/Sankey @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 28: Zoe Rahman @ Jesmond United Reformed Church, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:30pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Thu 28: '58 Jazz Collective @ Hops & Cheese, Hartlepool. 7:30pm.
Thu 28: Speakeasy @ Queen's Hall, Hexham. 7:30pm. £15.00. A Southpaw Dance Company presentation. Dance, audio-visuals, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, swing dancers etc.
Thu 28: Mick Cantwell Band @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Ace blues band.
Thu 28: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Sunday, May 29, 2022

Album Review: Radha Botofasina – Carry On – The Spirituals Vol 2

Main musicians on various tracks: Radha Botofasina (lead vocals, harp); John Lehman (piano); Gemi Taylor (guitar); Cecil McBee Jr (electric bass); Munyungo Jackson (percussion); Surya Botofasina (synth organ); John Barnes (synth/rhythms); (Aankha Neal, Isabel Beyoso, Arianna Gouvela, Shyam, Tony Reyes; Kristen Barnes, McCrary Sisters (backing vocals, handclaps, footsteps). Also brass and strings on some tracks

This album is gospel and soul music rather than jazz, although I did detect lots of improvisation, notably in the lively choruses with backing singers which round off some tracks. Ms Botofasina is a rousing lead singer rather than a soloist and the whole album shines with commitment and enthusiasm. I was unsure if I liked what I'd heard after listening to the first track but after that I wanted to join in with the singers!

I Know the Lord Laid His Hands on Me brims over with joyful singing, rhythm and clapping. My Soul Gonna Shine has a distinct New Orleans feel with no less than two each of baritone saxes and tubas, plus a trombone for good measure. Going Back With Jesus by contrast is slow and heartfelt with some string accompaniment. 

The final track is an original by Ms Botofasina which opens with a moving chorus of Ethiopian women singing as they sort Arabica coffee beans. Fascinating stuff! The track continues with clapping, voices and clever guitar work.

Ms Botofasina is an Afro-Cuban American who was brought up in various foster homes. She has studied voice and jazz piano and is a multi-instrumentalist on piano, organ, synthesizer and harp. She is also a composer and record producer who has recorded with the late Alice Coltrane, the Buena Vista Social Club and many others. Our singer has produced over 17 albums of various genres such as children's music, spirituals and spoken word. She has played at many gigs in Southern California and around the world.

The album is available from all fine retailers and if you visit www.radhaharp.com you will find information about the harps that Ms Botofasina plays, should you wish to take up jazz harp.

Satan we Gonna Tear Your Kingdom Down; I Know the Lord Laid His Hands On Me; Woman at the Well; My Soul Gonna Shine; Going Back With Jesus; Mary Don't You Weep; Mind on Jesus/God Is God; Move on up a Little Higher; Carry On - Ann Alex

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