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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

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

Monday, March 25, 2024

Sunday night @ the Globe: Bold Big Band - March 24

(© Russell)
Pippa Morgan, Max Storey, Crissi Booth, Lucy McCarten, Brian Wicks (saxes); Billy Bradshaw, Sam Armstrong, James Bateman, Andrew Marshall (trumpets); Alex Utting, Bertie Marks, Fiona Duxbury, Conor Polley (trombones); Ben Davies (guitar); Alex Ngeyu (keys); Joe Sharples (bass - 1st set); Ifede Osiyemi (bass - 2nd set); Dan Arenstein (drums); Conor Polley/Ifede Osiyemi (vocals).

A band well-named. Bold as brass is an old saying meaning, among other definitions, 'audacious' and they are all of that and more. From the opening Barnburner they hit the deck running. The power of the brass overwhelming, the precision of the sax section awesome. Crissi on tenor, Pippa on alto and Sam on trumpet had the solo spots on this one. The whole shebang driven along by Dan Arenstein, Joe Sharples, Ben Davies and Alex Ngeyu.

After a piano intro from Alex there was more tenor from Crissi on Sandunga with Billy Bradshaw hitting the screamers. Ifede Osiyemi played bass guitar and sang back in the band's early days and he returned to sing Straighten up and Fly Right as well as taking over on bass for the second set. Lucy took the tenor solo on the King Cole classic.

Another member of the band multi-taxing was Conor Polley who, when not playing bass trombone sang Just One of Those Things (complete with scat chorus), Bare Necessities (à la Harry Connick Jr.) and Brazil (à la Frank). 

As well as Conor, all of the trombones were interesting. Alex Utting had a fine solo feature on Dream of the Return, Bertie had a blast on the cleverly titled Toccata and Fudge while Fiona did sterling work in the section and also told a joke.

There were lots of jokes inflicted upon the audience most of which were rewarded with groans rather than laughter. The exception was Billy Bradshaw's which I won't repeat in case he tells it again to a different audience who might know the punchline in advance. As well as his joke his trumpet solos also hit the spot.

Guitarist Ben Davies, riding high on his recent Adjudicators' Award at the GNBBJF, demonstrated just why he'd caught the judges' eyes and ears with solos on The  Incredibles and, at length, on Friday Night at the Cadillac Club.

Lead alto Pippa switched to soprano for Beulah Witch. This was the first time I'd heard Pippa with the band and she seems to have slotted in nicely.

Giddyup! had Crissi and Alex Utting galloping along, The Party's Over wasn't the finale but a cool foxtrot (remember them?)  that had Crissi once more soloing along with Andrew Marshall who had his first bite of the cherry.

The actual finale was Pat Metheny's Minuano. Minuano is described as a 'cold southwesterly wind that blows in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul' although, to my ears, the 6/8 rhythm gave it an inexplicable Irish lilt! Sam Armstrong took the solo honours.

Of course none of this would have been possible without the organisational skills of baritophonist (I think I've just invented a new word) Brian Wicks who apart from his 'jokes' kept it all together.

Catch them when you can although don't expect to split your sides. Lance

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