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Bebop Spoken There

Béla Fleck: “ And that's the great thing about live performances, you take people on a journey. It doesn't have to be like something else they've heard. It's not supposed to be". DownBeat, April, 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

Thu 28: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 28: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm.
Thu 28: Richard Herdman Quartet @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 28: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Guests: Josh Bentham (alto sax); Alan Marshall (tenor sax); Neil Brodie (trumpet); Adrian Beadnell (bass); Graham Thompson (keys); Steve Hunter (drums).

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.

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.

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Album review: Duncan Eagles – Narrations (Ropeadope)

Duncan Eagles (tenor sax); Tomasz Bura (piano, synth); Max Luthert (bass); Zoe Pascal (drums)

Sometimes, after listening to some Albanian folk/jazz*, you just want to listen to someone blowing. If that’s you, and, if you don’t mind some heavy duty rhythmic support and a drummer who sounds like she’d be happy to run through buildings, then this album is for you. It would probably be best described as post-bop, though, these days that seems to cover a multitude of styles without really saying anything. Suffice to say, it’s energetic with strong melodies and stronger playing by a very tight unit that you would be overjoyed to listen to down at the Globe on a Sunday evening. It would be a great way to end the weekend.

I mainly know of Eagles from his membership of Partikel and he is featured on an album I recently reviewed, namely Ignored Advice by Estraven as well as other albums I own by Samuel Eagles and Ollie Howell. He also maintains a career as a teacher.

The album opens with bold, clean sax lines being driven by Pascal’s drums. It’s a call to arms, but one with a noire-ish edge. Some angular rhythms see piano, bass and drums drop in and out before Bura embarks on a long solo powered from behind by Pascal’s drumming. Eagles’ sax elevates the tune. There is none of the weight associated with being the sole lead instrument in this band and he carries the role easily.

Elden is a piece that builds across its six minutes to a wailing, bellowing, overpowering sax solo that drowns out the band and is worth the price of admission on its own. Pascal’s drumming grows from splashes of cymbal to a four to the floor regular beat before she follows Eagles in some of his wilder imaginings.

Suburbiton sees us in more familiar territory. It’s mid-pace, shuffling rhythm deceives and its apparent mainstream opening leads into a heavily chordal piano solo and staccato drumming whilst Luthert holds it all together on the bass. After all the frantic action, a breathy sax solo over cymbal splashes and regular bass notes show us how far from the mainstream we’ve travelled in the last 8 minutes before everything breaks up and down and out again. Surbiton was never like this on The Good Life, what would Margo and Gerry say? I believe, at times like this we are required to say that we have been on a journey.

Local Hero is a delicate duet for bass and sax. Unlike anything else on the album, it is not out of place and seems to be an opportunity for the listener to catch their breath.

Severance takes us round some oblique corners before Bura plays a lyrical solo backed by Pascal’s light cymbal wash and occasional bass drum thumps; the two seem to be pulling the tune in opposite directions with the energy of an argument but the intelligence of a debate. Eagles’ sax suddenly comes in and draws it all together again.

I was reminded of Joe Henderson playing the covers on his State of The Tenor during Rosebush, another delicate edge-of-the-seat ballad that has you leaning in so as to capture every nuance. Bura takes over after a flowing, lyrical solo from Eagles and matches him whilst Pascal gently covers all of the kit and, as he has done for much of the album so far, Luthert is the rock on which the others build.

Closer, The Bakehouse, is another hyperactive, multi-rhythmic blow. Its points all round to those responsible for recording and mixing this album as the separation and clarity of each instrument is excellent and you can hear what everyone is doing individually and collectively. The Bakehouse is full of fury and its sudden end leaves you feeling a little lost and stranded.

There’s a huge amount of variety and imagination across the album and often within a single tune. There are no wasted moments and it feels longer than its allotted 46 minutes, but in a good way. I like this album a lot and I’m going to put it at the end of the shelf next to Phoenix by Lakecia Benjamin so I remember it for my end of year lists.

Duncan Eagles’ website, which can be found HERE, is a good example of how to maintain a musician’s website with lots of video and music clips and plenty of info about Eagles and his projects. Narrations is released on 19th May on digital and CD formats. Dave Sayer

* Lost Ships by Elina Duni and Rob Luft (very good album, despite the dismissive comment above)

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