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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

17421 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 695 of them this year alone and, so far, 100 this month (Sept. 30).

From This Moment On ...

October

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. Wed 09: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 5:00-7:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 09: The Tannery Jam Session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. A ‘second Wednesday in the month’ jam session.
Wed 09: Shunya, Dudù Kouate & Seb Rochford @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 8:30pm (7:30pm doors). £21.00.

Thu 10: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 10: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. ‘Collaborations - it happened all the time’.
Thu 10: Indigo Jazz Voices w. the Little Big Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.
Thu 10: Side Cafe Orkestar @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
The 10: Classic Swing @ Carlisle Rugby Club, Warwick Rd., Carlisle. 8:30pm. £9.
Thu 10: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. With guests Donna Hewitt (sax); Bill Watson (trumpet); Graham Thompson (keys); Ron Smith (bass). Free.

Fri 11: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 11: Dulcie May Moreno @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 11: The Jazz Quartet + Stratosphonic @ Tynedale Rugby Club, Corbridge. 7:00pm. £15.00. A Rotary Club of Hexham event. The Jazz Quartet (Jude Murphy & co), Stratosphonic (blues/rock). CANCELLED!
Fri 11: Joe Steels Trio @ The Pele, Market Place, Corbridge NE45 5AW. 7:30pm. Free.
Fri 11: Crooners @ Tyne Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Fri 11: Mo Scott Band @ Blues Underground, Nelson St., Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free.

Sat 12: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 12: Michael Woods @ Victoria Tunnel, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £12.00. (£10.00. adv.). Country blues guitar & vocals.
Sat 12: Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £13.28, £11.16, £9.04. A two-track recording launch gig.
Sat 12: Stuart Turner @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Rockabilly, rhythm & blues etc. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 12: Lapwing Jazz Trio @ The Ship Inn, Low Newton. 8:00pm. Free. New trio: Paula Whitty, Richard Herdman, Jude Murphy.

Sun 13: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 13: Emma Wilson @ Tyne Bar, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sun 13: Catfish Keith @ The Cluny. 7:00pm. Country blues.
Sun 13: Cath Stephens & Paul Grainger @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Stephens & Grainger, one third of a triple bill.
Sun 13: Dulcie May Moreno Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 14: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 14: Black is the Color of My Voice @ Hippodrome, Darlington. 7:30pm. Apphia Campbell’s one-woman show inspired by Nina Simone, performed by Nicholle Cherrie.

Tue 15: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law (piano), Paul Grainger (double bass), Bailey Rudd (drums).

Reviewers wanted

Whilst BSH attempts to cover as many gigs, festivals and albums as possible, to make the site even more comprehensive we need more 'boots on the ground' to cover the albums seeking review - a large percentage of which never get heard - report on gigs or just to air your views on anything jazz related. Interested? then please get in touch. Contact details are on the blog. Look forward to hearing from you. Lance

Tuesday, October 04, 2022

Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music: Orphy Robinson in conversation + Beck Hunters with Laura Cole & John Pope + Daniel Levin + Black Top with Mariam Rezaei @ The Lit & Phil - Oct. 1

(© Ken Drew)
Beck Hunters: Mick Beck (tenor sax, bassoon, whistles); Laura Cole (piano); Anton Hunter (guitar); John Pope (bass); Johnny Hunter (drums)

Beck Hunters, an established trio, with the addition of Laura Cole and John Pope got proceedings underway for Saturday Night at the Lit and Phil. 


Rarely is a bassoon  seen in a jazz context but Mick Beck employed this orchestral woodwind behemoth to marvellous effect yet that was only one of the many instruments employed by the doyen of the Sheffield improvised jazz scene. An ordinary whistle and a swanee whistle were also employed and of course the more conventional tenor saxophone. 


You would not have believed that this was the first time this band had played together. The music was absolutely exceptional as it flowed seamlessly throughout. Beck is a master saxophonist, the fabulous Hunter boys were fabulous as usual, festival favourite John Pope on double bass (by my calculations the  Pontiff will have participated on 5 of the 8 festival's days) was his usual ebullient self. Laura Cole on the piano was sensational. There was so much fantastic playing it was impossible who to select who to focus on as wonderful sounds seemed to be emanating from every  corner of the stage. A real great performance -  my favourite of the festival.


Daniel Levin (cello)


In keeping with the theme of instruments rarely seen in a jazz context the cello was featured in the solo spot of the night. Brooklyn based Daniel Levin is a one man activity centre. 


Every part of the cello is incorporated into his routine. Even the bow is used in a number of non-standard ways including swishing it through the air (as I was  seated literally in front of Levin  this was quite alarming as any miscalculation would have seen me floored) and using it as a stick to beat things with. Levin mixes classical passages with free improvisation and the percussive effects he manages to carve out from every part of the instrument  including the spike on the bottom of the cello was captivating.


The cello is more often than not associated with gentle and melancholy music. In the hands of Daniel Levin it is a brute of an instrument able to conjure up an exciting and exhilarating  musical and visual extravaganza.


Black Top: Orphy Robinson (xylosynth & electronics); Pat Thomas (piano & electronics); Mariam Rezaei (turntables).


(© Ken Drew)
The evening culminated with yet another unusual vehicle rarely, if ever, seen at a jazz gig. This time it was the turntables of Mariam Razaei. Black Top is the brainchild of Orphy Robinson and Pat Thomas and since its inception they have invited many guests to participate. Both Thomas and Robinson had their regular instruments but they also had electronic devices so to be honest at times it was hard to work out who was doing what with what but judging by the amount of activity on stage it appeared that Razaei was doing most of the hard yards as she frantically worked the dials and knobs of her music station.  

The band themselves describe their output as "archaic Nubian dubstep". I'm not sure what that means but what was witnessed was a high tech, high energy, high volume  celebration of improvised electronic composition.

 

(© Ken Drew)
At the start of the evening there was an  enjoyable conversation between Orphy Robinson and Corey Mwamba. I remember seeing Orphy Robinson in the Jazz Warriors in the 1980s' so it was a very enjoyable trip down memory lane for me. Robinson reminisced about his journey as a multi instrumentalist, composer and educator going as far back as his early school days in Hackney. As a youngster he used to take teaspoons up to his room at night to use them to practice with hoping he wouldn’t disturb the rest of the house. Of course they heard the disturbance and also noticed there was nothing to stir their tea with. Robinson has certainly had a fulfilling and illustrious  career to date and judging from his number of appearances in this festival fortunately shows no signs of slowing down. Steve H 

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