Total Pageviews

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

17421 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 695 of them this year alone and, so far, 100 this month (Sept. 30).

From This Moment On ...

October

Tue 08: ???

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. Wed 09: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 5:00-7:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 09: The Tannery Jam Session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. A ‘second Wednesday in the month’ jam session.
Wed 09: Shunya, Dudù Kouate & Seb Rochford @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 8:30pm (7:30pm doors). £21.00.

Thu 10: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 10: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. ‘Collaborations - it happened all the time’.
Thu 10: Indigo Jazz Voices w. the Little Big Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.
Thu 10: Side Cafe Orkestar @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
The 10: Classic Swing @ Carlisle Rugby Club, Warwick Rd., Carlisle. 8:30pm. £9.
Thu 10: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. With guests Donna Hewitt (sax); Bill Watson (trumpet); Graham Thompson (keys); Ron Smith (bass). Free.

Fri 11: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 11: Dulcie May Moreno @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 11: The Jazz Quartet + Stratosphonic @ Tynedale Rugby Club, Corbridge. 7:00pm. £15.00. A Rotary Club of Hexham event. The Jazz Quartet (Jude Murphy & co), Stratosphonic (blues/rock). CANCELLED!
Fri 11: Joe Steels Trio @ The Pele, Market Place, Corbridge NE45 5AW. 7:30pm. Free.
Fri 11: Crooners @ Tyne Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Fri 11: Mo Scott Band @ Blues Underground, Nelson St., Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free.

Sat 12: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 12: Michael Woods @ Victoria Tunnel, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £12.00. (£10.00. adv.). Country blues guitar & vocals.
Sat 12: Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £13.28, £11.16, £9.04. A two-track recording launch gig.
Sat 12: Stuart Turner @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Rockabilly, rhythm & blues etc. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 12: Lapwing Jazz Trio @ The Ship Inn, Low Newton. 8:00pm. Free. New trio: Paula Whitty, Richard Herdman, Jude Murphy.

Sun 13: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 13: Emma Wilson @ Tyne Bar, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sun 13: Catfish Keith @ The Cluny. 7:00pm. Country blues.
Sun 13: Cath Stephens & Paul Grainger @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Stephens & Grainger, one third of a triple bill.
Sun 13: Dulcie May Moreno Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 14: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 14: Black is the Color of My Voice @ Hippodrome, Darlington. 7:30pm. Apphia Campbell’s one-woman show inspired by Nina Simone, performed by Nicholle Cherrie.

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

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, March 07, 2024

GNBBJF - Sunday March 3 (Youth Section)

Sunday afternoon's session at the Great North Big Band Jazz Festival featured six bands in the youth section. Six bands drawn from across County Durham and Yorkshire, all keen as mustard to put on a show and, hopefully, take home an award or two. The bands' MDs were familiar faces, the young musicians less so, let's see what they have to offer.

Durham Music Service Youth Jazz (MDs Billy Bradshaw Amy Thompson) started the ball rolling, the Durham Music Service MDs taking it in turn to conduct the ensemble. A straight ahead set bookended by Freddie Hubbard's Blues for Duane and Blood, Sweat & Tears' big hit Spinning Wheel, the young musicians were a credit to Durham Music Service. It is quite possible that in just a few short years the likes of young trumpeter Jenson Dunn will be playing in the Durham Alumni Big band! 

Musica Holme Valley Big Band (MD Gavin Brown) visits Chester-le-Street on a regular basis. This year Gavin Brown's enthusiastic ensemble presented a wide range of material - Strike Up the Band (Reuben Williamson, alto sax, soloing), Astor Piazzolla's engaging Libertango, big band favourite Count BubbaLi'l Darlin' and, out of leftfield, Britney Spears' Toxic. An enjoyable set.

Harrogate Youth Jazz Orchestra (MD, James Heaton) walked onto stage in boilersuits or were they overalls? Either way, it looked like the band meant business. A couple of Sammy Nestico charts for openers - The Queen Bee and Katie. Excellent soloists, Earth, Wind and Fire's Fantasy upped the ante and Gordon Goodwin's Count Bubba showcasing Harrogate's trumpet section, the money went down on a north Yorkshire victory. 

Musica Colne Valley Big Band (MD Peter Simons) is another of the Huddersfield area big bands which regularly visit Park View Community Centre. The Chicken (a popular number at the GNBBJF!) and Stevie Wonder's Superstition (good tenor sax on both numbers) rattled along, heads nodding and feet tapping in the audience. An entertaining set, would adjudicators Mick Donnelly and Marcus Brown be impressed? 

Scissett Youth Band (MD, Johnny Beevers) maintained the Huddersfield area takeover. Scissett adopted its now familiar semi-circular formation, more street brass band than formal big band set up. A confident ensemble, Ruby Walker momentarily stepped out of the ranks to sing Yebba's Evergreen. Walker and band were well received. A contender.

The final band at this year's GNBBJF, yet another Yorkshire outfit, Musica Youth Jazz (MD, Adam Kingham) came up with a real mix of numbers. Bobby Timmons' Dat Dere (arr. Erik Morales) featured an excellent trombone solo, Mr. Zoot Suit (comp. Mark Cally; arr. Roger Holmes) included vocals by Lucy Dolling and an excellent trombone section and Doug Beach's A Nasty Bit of Blues brought the curtain down on the 21st Great North Big Band Jazz Festival. It had been a great weekend of big band jazz. The adjudicators' work done, Bill Watson read out the results as follows...
                            
Adjudicators' award: Ruby Walker, vocals for Evergreen (Scissett Youth Band)

Adjudicators' award: Bassist (Musica Youth Jazz)

Adjudicators' piano award: Trumpeter (Durham Music Service Youth Jazz)

The Mark Jon Bolderson Percussion Foundation award: Drummer (Durham Music Service Youth Jazz)

Best Programme: Musica Youth Jazz

Best Section: Trumpet section (Harrogate Youth Jazz Orchestra)

Best Soloist: Tenor saxophonist for The Chicken (Musica Colne Valley Big Band)

Best Band: Harrogate Youth Jazz Orchestra 
Russell

No comments :

Blog Archive