Total Pageviews

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

15867 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 874 of them this year alone and, so far, 72 this month (Sept. 25).

From This Moment On ...

September

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.

Fri 29: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 29: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 29: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.

Sat 30: John Pope Quintet + Late Girl + Shapeshifters @ Bobik's, Jesmond, Newcastle.
Sat 30: Papa G's Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

OCTOBER

Sun 01: Smokin' Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm.
Sun 01: Dulcie May Moreno sings Portrait of Sheila @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Moreno sings Sheila Jordan with Giles Strong, Mick Shoulder & John Bradford.
Sun 01: Middlesbrough Jazz & Blues Orchestra @ Saltburn Community Hall. 2:00pm.
Sun 01: The Easy Rollers @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £13.70., £11.55.
Sun 01: Brand/Roberts/Champion/Sanders @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sun 01: Papa G's Troves @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 02: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Mon 02: FILM: Wattstax; 50th Anniversary @ Forum Cinema, Hexham. 8:00pm.

Tue 03: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 03: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Paul Wight (drums).

Friday, May 06, 2022

Cheltenham Jazz Festival: Fascinada @ Parabola Arts Centre - May 1

Iain Ballamy (sax), Rob Luft (guitar), Huw Warren (piano), Conor Chaplin (bass guitar), Will Glaser (drums).

I didn’t initially realise I’d seen Ballamy and Warren in Quercus at Sage Gateshead a number of years ago. Quercus were a trio I’ve seen described as jazz-ish, though I tend to refer to them as a kind of folk-jazz hybrid, with celebrated singer June Tabor ensuring everybody goes home miserable, which folky types will confirm is no bad thing. I’d also seen Ballamy earlier that day in the Electric Ladyland Big Band.

 

An update on Rob Luft was also part of the motivation for my return to Cheltenham and he was back an hour after his impressive contribution to Laura Jurd’s set.

 

Ballamy and Warren came out first and dazzled with a duo piece before the rest of the band joined them.       

 

The motivation for the band - given the name Fascinada – is a shared love of Brazilian music, and Ballamy gave us the names of musicians and song titles in Portuguese I’m making no attempt to replicate here. Nor were they attempting to make what he described as ‘authentic’ Brazilian music but was a personal tribute. He confessed his titling of pieces was uninspired and revealed after his first piece he’d called it Absolute Beginners, but you wouldn’t think it from their playing and from the joy in the music.

 

This continued through Portoscino, featuring a stunning solo from Mr Luft, his almost unbelievable clean, precise technique blowing ‘impressive’ through the hole he tore off the roof, followed by some inventive comping behind a splendid piano solo, Glaser also rising to the occasion at the drumkit.

 

Huw Warren’s composition This and That followed with a lush piano intro, joined by guitar then the band, sax and guitar playing in unison. Piano upped the ante and it kicked in. A tremendous sax solo and Luft was out but the rest were swinging. Another guitar solo and Luft raised his game once more.

Incredible musicianship all around and things were definitely getting better and it’s always  a sign of a good festival when you have to leave early to get to the next gig, and the next one was a big one and would be considered an odd one at most jazz festivals. Steve T  

1 comment :

Chris Kilsby said...

Steve - I'm following your reports from Cheltenham with bated breath! What next? What is " the big one"?!

Who knew festivals were this exciting!!??


Many thanks, and don't keep us in suspenders too long, Chris K

Blog Archive