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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

17328 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 612 of them this year alone and, so far, 17 this month (Sept. 5).

From This Moment On ...

September

Mon 09: Mark Williams Trio @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00.
Mon 09: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 10: ???

Wed 11: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 11: The Tannery Jam Session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. A ‘second Wednesday in the month’ jam session.
Wed 11: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 12: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 12: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:30pm. £4.00. ‘A Great Day in Harlem’.
Thu 12: The Cuban Heels @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Pete Tanton & co.
Thu 12: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. Free. THC with guests Donna Hewitt, Bill Watson, Dave Archbold, Adrian Beadnell, Mark Hawkins.

Fri 13: Jeff Barnhart & Neville Dickie @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Two pianos, two pianists! SOLD OUT!
Fri 13: Noel Dennis Quartet @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Dilutey Juice @ Old Coal Yard, Byker, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £11.00. adv..
Fri 13: Ray Stubbs R & B All-stars @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm. Classic blues.

Sat 14: Jeff Barnhart’s Silent Film Fest @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 14: Customs House Big Band w. Ruth Lambert @ St Paul’s Centre, St Paul’s Gardens, Spennymoor DL16 7LR. 7:00pm (6:45pm doors). Tickets £10.00. from the venue or tel: 01388 813404. A ‘BYOB’ event.
Sat 14: Emma Wilson @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. £12.00. Acoustic blues.
Sat 14: Rat Pack - Swingin’ at the Sands @ Billingham Forum. 7:30pm.

Sun 15: Jude Murphy, Steve Chambers & Sid White @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 15: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Panharmonia @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Thursday, September 28, 2023

Alice Grace Quartet @ King's Hall, Newcastle - Sept. 28

(© Ken Drew)
Alice Grace (vocals); Pawel Jedrzejewski (guitar); Paul Grainger; Abbie Finn (drums)

I'd approached the uni from a different direction and found myself lost. I asked a student as to the whereabouts of King's Hall. He didn't know. I found out it was in the building he'd just left. The future could be in his hands...

However, once inside, all that was forgotten as the Alice Grace Quartet delivered a masterclass of jazz singing/playing to a packed auditorium.

Devil May Care opened up with just voice and percussion for the first chorus before Paul and Pav joined the party. Abbie took a drum solo and the show was well and truly on the road.

There Was a Time, composed by tenor sax legend Paul Booth. This was a brooding melody by one of my,  maybe the, favourite sax players. It was okay but don't give up the day job Paul.

Long Road, composed by Alice had a a nice swing to it with some interesting tempo/chord changes for Pav to cope with.

Blame it on my Youth - they don't get any better than this. It knocks Summertime into a cocked hat. If you want to be a jazz singer, forget about Cry me a River and study this one and you could do no worse than listening to Alice's version. Paul Grainger also soloed effectively.

I thought it couldn't possibly get any better than this and then, it suddenly did!

Guess Who I Saw Today is surely the greatest song/story in the long history of popular music. Eydie Gormé, Carmen McRae and Nancy Wilson nailed it and so did Alice. With only Pav for accompaniment the story unfolded. Every time I hear this song I wish that I was hearing it for the first time so strong is the punchline. Which brings me to the tiniest of criticism. I felt Alice should have put a little more emphasis on that punchline. But, who am I to criticise a  musical Mona Lisa?

No More Blues, another original from Alice, Travelling Light, led us into another classic. Love You Didn't do Right by me from the movie White Christmas where Rosemary Clooney bemoans losing the love of Bing Crosby who was 25 years her senior but that's Hollywood. 

The afternoon drew to a close with Alice scatting her way through A Night in Tunisia. Dizzy's tune originally included a few bars from Charlie Parker that became known as 'The Famous Alto Break'. Today's audience may remember it as 'The Famous Alice Break'.

Four great musicians at the top of their game. Lance

1 comment :

NeilC said...

A superb lunchtime concert with consummate musicians, in an elegant auditorium and an astounding vocalist, what a wonderful way to spend an lunchtime . A huge thank you to Newcastle University for staging this . The only minor disappointment was it did not generate a huge interest from the Students , yes there were a number there but they were outnumbered by the likes of myself and local jazz fans, which is such a shame because they missed a great show.

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