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

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

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: La Malbec Orchestra @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Thu 21: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.
Thu 21: Linsday Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Ray Stubbs R & B All Stars @ The Schooner, Gateshead. 8:30pm. Free.
Thu 21: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

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.

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.

Blog Archive