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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

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.

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club - May 25

Brian Bennett (banjo); John Faragher (clarinet/vocals); David Gray (trombone/vocals); Lawrence McBriarty (trombone/vocals); Dave Eckhard (bass guitar) + Neville Sarony, John Broddle, Fred Thompson (vocals)

The Vieux Carré Jazzmen stomped off their regular Wednesday spot at the Crescent Club with George Lewis' Move the Body Over Here. Lewis disciple Faragher took the vocal on this one setting a pattern for what was to follow - vocals, vocals, vocals!

Lawrence McBriarty stepped up to the plate and sang Dallas Blues. He reminded me of Eric Burdon before Eric became an Animal.

Young Gray began the set on tenor trombone but, for this one, he switched to the Bb/F and remained with the bigger horn until the death which was when the band's former drummer/vocalist Fred Thompson sang Indiana.

This brought back memories of when Peter Gascoigne ("Gassy") who led an earlier version of the band would dedicate the tune to Prince Charles and introduce it as In Diana. It's a wonder he (Gassy) didn't end up in the Tower!

I digress. In between, Gray sang a number originally made famous by The Chordettes - Mr Sandman. The well-intentioned attempt to replicate the legendary intro was more dischordettes! The Puppini Sisters did a superb cover that was most surely more rehearsed!

Now came the long awaited headline act. Neville Sarony has built up a following during the course of several visits to Cullercoats in the company of Colin A - our man somewhere east of Suez - always delivering some hot vocals.

This time his remit was two-fold - to jam with the band and to promote his latest novel - The Chakrata Incident. Jamming, he sang  I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say (complete with his own lyrics), Deed I Do and Ain't Misbehavin'. Bookwise, he made his pitch during the interval which wasn't the best of timing as raffle tickets were being sold, drinks ordered and the general chit chat that invariably takes place during the interval meant he didn't grab everyone's full attention although, it has to be said, the novel seems to be an acute appraisal of the current situation in that part of the world and sounds well worth reading. I wonder, does any of the action take place in Ned Kelly's Last Stand?

John Broddle sang Up a Lazy River; David Gray sang Alcoholic Blues; and Fred Thompson did All of Me. Dave Eckhard didn't sing but he played solid bass guitar and it was also his birthday. This mightn't have been his best ever birthday but I'm sure it was somewhere on the list - Lance

2 comments :

Brian said...

Great to meet up once again with our good friends from Hong Kong, Neville and Angel Sarony. Neville’s last appearance with the VCJ was for Jeannie Aitchison’s 50 birthday celebration in 2018. Memories came flooding back of so many great gigs that we’ve done in the past including the fabulous ‘Jazz ‘n’ Ale Trains’. He’s still got the ‘old magic’.

Unknown said...

Neville Sarony: Lovely to meet up with Brian and the Vieux Carre Jazzmen, even though my voice barely held out! As always, Lance Liddle’s summaries are informative and make easy reading, especially when he says nice things about me. The introduction of a young ‘bone player, vocalist, David Gray, gives great hope for the future of jazz in the North East. The welcome here is the warmest in any part of the UK.

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