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Bebop Spoken There

Marcella Puppini (in concert with the Puppini Sisters at Sunderland Fire Station, November 27, 2024): ''We've never played there, but we've looked it up, and it looks amazing.''. (The Northern Echo, November 21, 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

17523 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 797 of them this year alone and, so far, 35 this month (Nov. 10).

From This Moment On ...

November

Fri 22: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The White Swan, Ovingham. 12:30-3:30pm. Line-up: Chris Perrin (clarinet, tenor sax); Phil Rutherford (sousaphone); David Gray (trombone, trumpet, vocals); Brian Bennett (banjo). To book a table tel: 01661 833188.
Fri 22: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 22: East Coast Swing Band @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:30pm.
Fri 22: Dilutey Juice @ Independent, Sunderland. 7:30pm. £10.00. + £1.00. bf.
Fri 22: Archipelago @ Poprecs, High St. West, Sunderland. 7:00pm. £10.00. Multi-bill, Archipelago on stage 8:00pm. A Boundaries Festival event.
Fri 22: Groovetrain @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. £15.00. + bf. 8:45pm (7:30pm doors).

Sat 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay. 11:00-1:00pm. £6.00. at the door, £4.00. advance. Tel: 0191 691 7090. A Spanish City ‘Xmas Market’ event in the Champagne Bar.
Sat 23: Durham Alumni Big Band @ Number One Bar, Skinnergate, Darlington. 11:00am-12:30pm. Free (donations, fill up the bucket!).
Sat 23: Washboard Resonators @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. £12.00.
Sat 23: Paul Skerritt Big Band @ Westovian Theatre, South Shields. 7:30pm.

Sun 24: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay. 11:00-1:00pm. £6.00. at the door, £4.00. advance. Tel: 0191 691 7090. A Spanish City ‘Xmas Market’ event in the Champagne Bar.
Sun 24: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Skerritt (solo) performing with backing tapes.
Sun 24: Greg Abate w. Dean Stockdale Trio @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 24: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: Washboard Resonators @ Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. £8.00.
Sun 24: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: Groovetrain @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. £15.00. + bf. 5:15pm (4:00pm doors). SOLD OUT!
Sun 24: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 24: Greg Abate w. Dean Stockdale Trio @ The Globe. 8:00pm.
Sun 24: Lighthouse Trio @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Mon 25: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 25: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Wheatsheaf, Benton Sq., Whitley Road, Palmersville NE12 9SU. Tel: 0191 266 8137. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 26: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £12.00.; £10.00. advance.

Wed 27: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 27: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 5:00-7:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Wed 27: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 27: Puppini Sisters @ The Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm.
Wed 27: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 28: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 28: Paul Skerritt @ Ashington High Street. 5:45pm. Xmas lights switch-on.
Thu 28: Mick Cantwell Band @ The Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Superb blues singer!
Thu 28: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. Free.

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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