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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

17444 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 718 of them this year alone and, so far, 100 this month (Oct. 10).

From This Moment On ...

October

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

Wed 16: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 16: Cath Stephens’ improvisation workshop @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 4:30-6:00pm. Collaborative group focusing on vocal improvisations.
Wed 16: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 16: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 17: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 17: Olivia Cuttill Quintet @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 17: Moonlight Serenade Orchestra UK: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Phoenix Theatre, Blyth. 7:30pm.
Thu 17: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. Ragtime piano. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 17: Niffi Osiyemi Trio @ The Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 17: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. Guests Jeremy McMurray (keys); Richie Emmerson (tenor sax); Mark Toomey (alto sax); Adrian Beadnell (bass). 8:30pm. Free.

Fri 18: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 18: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 18: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 18: Hot Club du Nord @ St Cuthbert’s, Crook. 7:30pm.
Fri 18: Chet Set @ Seventeen Nineteen, Hendon, Sunderland. 7:30pm. Pete Tanton & co.
Fri 18: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. Doors 7:30pm (upstairs). A Hoodoo Blues dance & social event. £10.00. class & social (£10.00., £7.50., £5.00. social only). Michael Woods (country blues guitar) on stage 9:00pm.
Fri 18: East Coast Swing Band @ Hexham Abbey. 7:30pm. £9.00.
Fri 18: Ben Crosland Quartet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 18: Durham University Jazz Society’s ‘High Standards’ @ Music Dept. Music Room, Divinity House, Palace Green, Durham University DH1 3RS. 8:009-30pm. Tel: 0191 334 1419. £7.00., £5.00.
Fri 18: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Blues Underground, Nelson St., Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free.

Sat 19: Sat 19: Paula Jackman’s Jazz Masters @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 19: Howlin’ Mat @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Country blues guitar & vocals. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 20: Kamasi Washington @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. POSTPONED! New date Saturday 5 April 2025.
Sun 20: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 20: Magpies of Swing @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 21: Gideon Tazelaar Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00.
Mon 21: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 21: Gideon Tazelaar Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm.

Tue 22: Bywater Call @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Americana/blues/soul excellence.

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

Wednesday, June 07, 2023

Black Swan Jam Session, Newcastle Arts Centre - June 6

The house trio opened up with All the Things You Are - has there ever been a jam where Kern's immortal classic didn't show up either in toto or as contrafact? Who cares? It's still a good tune.

Earlier the death of Astrud Gilberto had been announced so it was inevitable that there would be numbers associated with the Brazilian singer popping up during the course of the evening and the trio set the ball rolling with One Note Samba which, despite the title, actually contains several notes particularly in the middle eight. 

Stu sang I Thought About You despite playing keyboard and juggling with a swaying mic stand simultaneously.

It was now time for the jammers to take centre stage and first up was Kate O'Neill who sang Billy Taylor's I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free. Loud and earthy, Kate wrings out every amount of emotion from a song. The Girl From Ipanema, as Astrud demonstrated, demands a more subtle, laid back approach, nevertheless, this version offered an interesting contrast.

On both of these numbers the super Spanish sax star Luis Verde (pictured) spiced things up just as Stan Getz did on the original Ipanema.

Verde stayed aboard for Coltrane's Soul Eyes. As the name implies it was indeed soulful - beautifully so.

Alex Shipsey played bass guitar on C Jam Blues before being joined by the indefatigable Edgar whose atonal approach to jazz could be the next 'new thing' - then again ...

Showtime joined him for Watermelon Man which, if it wasn't all (Herbie) Hancock at least some of it was.

Debra Milne added her tribute to Astrud with  Corcovado (Quiet Nights) although it was perhaps too quiet. Perdido was more audible with an impressive scat chorus. By this time, Jacob Egglestone had signed in and, as always, he delivered.

A brief interval to allow Sid White to switch the kit around to suit the inscrutable Kris Finney's more orthodox set-up before Katrina Miller sang How Deep is the Ocean? An out of tempo first chorus followed by a nice easy swing feel.

Owen Jones (he's Welsh) took over on double bass and 'Showtime' showed as Theo (surname unknown) crooned They Can't Take That Away From me. It's rather wonderful that young singers such as Theo and Katrina manage to delve into the GASbook without hitting on Summertime!

Gray and Verde played Ornithology trombone and alto working well together with excellent solos then, just as the number was drawing to a close, David slipped in a vocal chorus of How High the Moon which is, of course, the chord sequence that Ornithology is based on.

Out of Nowhere had more good solos from alto and trombone plus the inevitable vocal. Is the trombonist who sings fast becoming the singer who plays trombone? Whichever, he does both very well.

At this point, knowing the hoards of 'Kissettes' would soon be exiting the nearby Utilita Arena I made my exit. However, the saga will continue shortly courtesy of Russell. Lance

Stu Collingwood (keys, vocals); Paul Grainger (bass); Sid White (drums) + Edgar Bell (trumpet); David 'Showtime' Gray (trombone, vocals); Luis Verde (alto sax); Jacob Egglestone (guitar); Alex Shipsey (bass guitar); Owen Jones (bass); Kris Finney (drums); Kate O'Neill, Katrina Miller, Theo, Debra Milne (vocals). 

(Late arrivals - see Russell's separate post) Esther Coombes (clarinet); John Pope (bass); Jamie Watkins (bass guitar); Freddie Richards (drums).

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