Total Pageviews

Bebop Spoken There

Simon Spillett: “ Bebop and hard bop came naturally to him [Tubby Hayes]". Morning Star, March 28, 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

16287 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 169 of them this year alone and, so far, 41 this month (Mar 18).

From This Moment On ...

March

Fri 29: FILM: Soul @ The Forum Cinema, Hexham. 12:30pm. Jazz-themed film animation.
Fri 29: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 29: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free. POSTPONED!
Fri 29: Thundercat @ Newcastle City Hall.
Fri 29: John Logan @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Fri 29: True Colours @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 9:00pm. Blues, jazz & swing.

Sat 30: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 30: Pete Tanton’s Cuba Libre @ Whitley Bay Library, York Road, Whitley Bay. 8:00pm.

Sun 31: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 31: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields NE30 1HJ. 3:00pm. Free. Lambert, Alan Law & Paul Grainger.
Sun 31: Sid Jacobs & Tom Remon @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. USA/London jazz guitar duo.
Sun 31: Bellavana @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

April
Mon 01: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 01: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 3:00pm. Free.

Tue 02: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Dean Stockdale, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 03: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 03: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 03: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 04: FILM: Soul @ Forum Cinema, Hexham. 2:00pm. Jazz-themed film animation.
Thu 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 04: Funky Drummer @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 04: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 04: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Friday, September 23, 2022

Album review: Raph Clarkson's Dissolute Society - This is How we Grow.

I've taken the easy way out and posted the press release. The easy way out? Yes. A cop out? Most certainly not. Truth is, I couldn't improve on the PR. It may be a sales pitch, as all press releases are, but after listening to the album that is released early next month (Oct. 7), it deserves all the kind words in the huckster's spiel. The merging of the children's voices with the seasoned musicians works so beautifully well and the solos are so attuned to the mood. Incidentally, talking of soloists, Laura Jurd, who plays so brilliantly here, can also be heard at Sage Gateshead this coming Wednesday (Sept. 28).

(Press release)

October 2022 will see the release of ‘This Is How We Grow’, the new album from pioneering collective Dissolute Society, led by trombonist, improviser, composer and educator Raph Clarkson.

Dissolute Society explores Raph Clarkson’s interests in contemporary improvisation, European jazz, 20th century classical music, poetry, spoken word, song, and soulful grooves. These varied elements are brought together through a highly personal and expressive narrative, exploring themes of family history, grief, friendship and hope.

 

This Is How We Grow is a genuinely unique body of work that features children’s voices on every track, combined with the distinct compositional styles of Raph Clarkson and his collaborators in Dissolute Society. The result is a refreshingly original album infused with both energy and innocence, bound to fuel the imagination of young children, aspiring musicians and seasoned creatives alike.

 

Having lent his expertise to a the work of many different collaborators including Laura Jurd’s ‘Stepping Back/Jumping In’ album, Chris Dowding and Rob Milne's ‘Holding Hands’ as well as Dan Samsa's ‘Contours’, Raph Clarkson is clearly a musician and creative figure that is very much in demand. On This Is How We Grow, Raph Clarkson teams up with Laura Jurd, Simon Roth and Fini Bearman – the album also features various special guests including Mark Lockheart and John Parricelli. All of these collaborators are well-established musicians in their own right and leading figures on the jazz scene, each adding their own inimitable enhancements to the project.

 

As well as the strong jazz credentials of the aforementioned group, the experimental nature of Dissolute Societies’ music includes numerous sounds and concepts that allow them to widen their scope to explore alternative genres. The prog-rock influenced guitar on the track ‘Please!’ and the classical / choral themes on the song ‘Ada Lovelace’ are just two examples of many different approaches to their art that exist across the album as a whole.

 

As a musical educator, Raph Clarkson is involved in diverse community and learning & participation projects, including extensive work with young people with additional needs and adverse childhood experiences. Speaking about the album Raph says: “My contention is that music making with young people / communities should be taken seriously as ‘mainstage’ artistic work. This is one reason I’ve made this album, to bring together varied parts of my practice and show that young voices are to be taken deeply seriously in terms of what they express and what they teach us.”

 

This Is How We Grow is an undoubtedly inspirational and unique project that will touch the hearts of many.

No comments :

Blog Archive