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Bebop Spoken There

Orrin Evans: “Now, getting a teaching spot is the new record deal”. (DownBeat, November, 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

17487 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 761 of them this year alone and, so far, 66 this month (Oct. 30).

From This Moment On ...

November

Tue 05: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Victoria & Albert Inn, Seaton Delaval NE25 0AT. 12:30pm. £12.00. ‘Guy Fawkes Steak & Ale Pie & Pea Lunch’. To book tel: 0191 237 3697.
Tue 05: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:00pm. Free.
Tue 05: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Stu Collingwood, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 06: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 06: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 06: The Horne Section’s Hit Show @ Tyne Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Wed 06: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 07: Jazz Appreciation North East/Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. ‘George - named musicians, vocalists & composers (Chisholm, Duke, Lewis, Shearing, Benson, Melly, Gershwin et al)’.
Thu 07: Aki Remally: The Gil Scott-Heron Songbook @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Remally (guitar, vocals); Fraser Urquhart (piano); Tom Wilkinson (bass); Max Popp (drums).
Thu 07: Rat Pack Live @ Whitley Bay Playhouse. 7:30pm.
Thu 07: Mo Scott @ The Mill Tavern, Hebburn. 8:30pm. Free.
Thu 07: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. Free. Guest band night with the new Pensacola Boulevard: Josh Bentham (trumpet!); Donna Hewitt (clarinet); Ron Smith (bass); Graham Thompson (keys); Mark Hawkins (drums); Django ZaZou (trombone); Vicky Jackson (vocals).

Fri 08: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 08: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 08: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 08: Joe Steels Trio @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm.
Fri 08: TC & the Groove Family + Swannek + Knats @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.

Sat 09: Moscow Drug Club @ Hamsterley Village Hall, Co. Durham DL13 3QF. 7:30pm. £15.00.
Sat 09: Anth Purdy @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. ‘Swing Jazz Guitar’. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 10: The New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free. A ‘second Sunday in the month’ residency.
Sun 10: Panharmonia @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £6.00.
Sun 10: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 10: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 10: Jude Murphy, Steve Chambers & Sid White @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 10: Moscow Drug Club @ Lesbury Village Hall, nr. Alnwick NE66 3PP. 7:30pm. £15.00.
Sun 10: SH#RP Collective @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Tue 12: Matthew Forster Quartet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm.
Tue 12: Phil’s Elastic Band @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm. Free, but ticketed, book online.

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

Thursday, October 19, 2023

The return of the Black Swan jam session - Oct. 17

Due to circumstance there hadn't been a Black Swan jam session for a month. Arriving in good time for 'doors at seven' it came as surprise to find the doors already open and a good number of folk taking their seats. What's going on?

Descending the stairs into Newcastle Arts Centre's Black Swan bar/performance space it quickly became clear some were keen as mustard. Within twenty minutes the place had rapidly filled up - what's going on? All the indications were it was going to be one busy old night. By the seven thirty down beat all seats were taken - what's going on? 

The house trio - Messrs Alan Law, Paul Grainger and Mark Robertson - got things under way with a nice take on Close Your Eyes. So busy was the place, MC Grainger opted to get the first of the evening's guests up earlier than is the norm, the place was that busy. Tenor saxophonist Harry Keeble, sporting an unseasonable Christmas jumper, elected to play In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning - fabulous! Alto saxophonist Paul Ruddick joined HK to play All the Things You Are - equally fabulous. The place was busier than busy - what's going on? And still they kept on coming down the stairs. It was still early o'clock, a 'late-arriving couple' - by the usual standards they weren't late, but this evening was turning out to be anything but 'usual' - remarked: We should have got here earlier.

Abbie Finn was in the house, she sat in, of course. Kate O'Neill sang Billie, and then, and then...in walked Elliott Todd. Abbie, Harry and Elliott took Seven Steps to Heaven to the cleaners, top stuff, the joint was jumpin'. Becky Tuck joined the party, as did Bailey (that's drummer Bailey Rudd), bassist Liam, pianist Murray (Alan Law went to the bar) and the keen-as-mustard Edgar Bell (trumpet), Becky Put a Spell on You - yes, that's you and you and you, every last one of you. Tremendous.

The jam session's 'all-hands-on-deck' finale started some forty minutes earlier than usual - what's going on? For the next forty minutes we were in Bedlam. Upstairs they were hanging over the rail looking down on the action, they were on the stairs, no one was about to give up a seat. Jude Murphy, that's Jude the flautist, summoned the spirit of Roland Kirk and, right on cue, in leapt Haaruun Miller, simultaneously blowing tenor and soprano, by accident or design channelling his inner Rahsaan. The Chicken took it out, going round and round and round, wonderfully chaotic. MC Grainger thanked one and all, a collective thanks and rather neatly described the finale as the 'Esther Coombes Extravaganza'. As MC Grainger put it: It's always this good. Russell   

Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Mark Robertson (drums) + in something like order of appearance: ? (vocals); Harry Keeble (tenor sax); Paul Ruddick (alto sax); Adam Sams (guitar); Shivan Ruddick (trumpet); Abbie Finn (drums); Kate O'Neill (vocals); Elliott Todd (trumpet); Bailey Rudd (drums); Becky Tuck (vocals); Liam ? (guitar); Murray Wankling (piano); Edgar Bell (trumpet); Haaruun Miller (tenor sax, soprano sax); Owen Jones (double bass); Ian Drever (vocals); Jude Murphy (flute, vocals); Johannes Dalhuitsen (bass clarinet); Esther Coombes (clarinet, alto sax); David Gray (trombone, vocals); Gary ? (bass guitar)

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