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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

17328 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 612 of them this year alone and, so far, 17 this month (Sept. 5).

From This Moment On ...

September

Tue 10: ???

Wed 11: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 11: The Tannery Jam Session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. A ‘second Wednesday in the month’ jam session.
Wed 11: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 12: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 12: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:30pm. £4.00. ‘A Great Day in Harlem’.
Thu 12: The Cuban Heels @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Pete Tanton & co.
Thu 12: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. Free. THC with guests Donna Hewitt, Bill Watson, Dave Archbold, Adrian Beadnell, Mark Hawkins.

Fri 13: Jeff Barnhart & Neville Dickie @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Two pianos, two pianists! SOLD OUT!
Fri 13: Noel Dennis Quartet @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Dilutey Juice @ Old Coal Yard, Byker, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £11.00. adv..
Fri 13: Ray Stubbs R & B All-stars @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm. Classic blues.

Sat 14: Jeff Barnhart’s Silent Film Fest @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 14: Customs House Big Band w. Ruth Lambert @ St Paul’s Centre, St Paul’s Gardens, Spennymoor DL16 7LR. 7:00pm (6:45pm doors). Tickets £10.00. from the venue or tel: 01388 813404. A ‘BYOB’ event.
Sat 14: Emma Wilson @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. £12.00. Acoustic blues.
Sat 14: Rat Pack - Swingin’ at the Sands @ Billingham Forum. 7:30pm.

Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Jude Murphy, Steve Chambers & Sid White @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 15: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Panharmonia @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 16: Swing Manouche @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00.
Mon 16: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 16: John Hallam with the James Birkett Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00. A Blaydon Jazz Club 40th anniversary concert!

Monday, May 09, 2022

Jazz Festival Memories 3: Guy Lafitte Quartet @ Breda Oude Stijl Jazz Festival - May 22, 1982

For those jazz fans whose leanings were, as the title implies, towards the earlier styles, the Breda Oude Stijl Jazz Festival was almost like a pilgrimage to Lourdes, or Mecca or Preservation Hall. Holidays were planned, not for Majorca or Lanzarote but for the charming Dutch city of Breda.

North east bands such as the Savannah Syncopators, the River City Jazzmen and the Saratoga Jazzmen, were frequent visitors often returning with deservedly won silverware.

The atmosphere was good, jazz seemed to reverberate throughout the city, the natives were multi-lingual and, apart from the competing bands, there were quite a few name players such as Waso, Joe Turner, Warren Vaché, Bob Wilber and French tenor saxist Guy Lafitte. 

Lafitte had played a sextet set with Wilber and Vaché earlier, which was excellent, but it was this late night set with, I think, a Dutch trio where he really came into his own.

From my scribbled programme notes I recall that his set list included: If I Had You; I Want to be Happy; Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans? and The Way You Look Tonight

It was the latter tune that stayed with me. Hawkins in the phrasing, Don Byas in the sound - quite a combination! I subsequently sought out as many of his albums as I could find and I was rarely, if ever, disappointed.

Happy days...Lance

2 comments :

Mike Farmer said...

Liked your piece about Guy Lafitte. On March 28th 1980 I was in Amsterdam and hoping to hear some jazz but there was none to be found. I did however see a sign on top of a parked car that said The Arnett Cobb Kwintet tonight in Utrecht so I got a train to Utrecht and found the venue was a small theatre which was part the station. Arnett had a great line-up Roland Hanna piano, Jimmy Woode bass and Eddie Locke drums. After a couple of tunes Arnett introduced Guy Lafitte and things really took off. Used to have a great LP of Lafitte called Corps et Arms which had Hank Jones piano, plus bass and drums.

Lance said...

Yes, Guy was a great player. I still have the LP you mention corps et âme it includes the number that kayoed me in Breda The Way You Look Tonight.

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