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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

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: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
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.

Mon 16: Swing Manouche @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00.
Mon 16: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 16: John Hallam with the James Birkett Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00. A Blaydon Jazz Club 40th anniversary concert!

Sunday, August 25, 2024

R.I.P. Ann Alexander (Ann Alex)

I've just received the devastating news that my dear friend and BSH reviewer Ann Alexander (Ann Alex) has passed away.

It was only last month that I met up with her for lunch and she seemed fine. Eleven days ago Ann emailed me to cancel a meet-up with a mutual friend at the Bowes Railway museum saying she'd picked up a virus and been taken ill at the Laing Art Gallery.

I didn't follow it up as she made it sound very trivial - and now this!

Ann was a latecomer to jazz having been heavily involved in the local folk scene. I first met her at a writers' group and found her an interesting person and a keen supporter of the arts in all its many forms. A founder member of the Jazz Coop she was very active in those early days. Delivering leaflets and bringing a folk element into the organisation.

The photo shows Ann with Michael Garrick at a JNE concert in 2010.

I'm in a state of shock as I'm sure are all those who knew her,

Funeral details when known.

Sadly missed. Lance

14 comments :

Russell said...

Oh, hard to believe.

Hugh said...

Very sad news. I did not meet Ann, but always enjoyed reading her reviews on BSH.

R.I.P. Ann

Steve T said...

So sad; she was a very special lady. I remember her coming to a college I was working in when we had a Folk Conference; her and Martin Carthy. We had a bar underground that I always compared to a tavern in Middle Earth, and I banged my head every time, but she had no such problem. They always had good singalongs and I recall her being humble with her meagre talents on some folk type whistle but once she got going she was away. Loved her music and I'm shocked and saddened that I'll never bump into her at a concert somewhere - when you least expect it - ever again.

Vince Taylor said...

So many of us folkies are saddened to have heard this. Ann was indeed a great supporter of folk music over the years and her conversion to jazz was never quite complete (!). She continued to perform folk songs and played tunes on her tin whistle. We even allowed her to perform some jazz numbers on the Tyne Valley Folk Train on occasion. Everything she did had a lightness of touch and was delivered with a twinkle in her eye. And, yes, she was.a Globe regular as well as a founder member. I too walked with her after many a Globe gig back to the Central Station - probably her guiding me tho. We will be honouring her at the next Folk Train on Sunday 15th September. It’s a public event (search Facebook for details). All genres welcome! She was indeed a lovely woman. ❤️❤️❤️

Miriam McCormick said...

So very sad to hear this. Ann was such a lovely woman and very supportive 🖤

Jen said...

Like everyone, I am absolutely devastated to hear the sad news of Ann's passing. I am finding it hard to believe. I first met Ann at Blue Jazz Voices which was then held at the Sage. She was also a regular and willing volunteer at the Globe when I was organising the list.
Ann joined Indigo Jazz Voices at the onset in 2015 and sang with us for several years. She willingly did the advert for our gigs - the last one was June this year - and she had a wonderful creative and humorous style of writing something unique every time.
She will be very sadly missed.

Pam said...

So very sorry to read this Lance, Anne was a lovely lady and will be sorely missed. Sending love

Liza said...

Ann was such a lovely, kind, supportive person. A wonderful singer, writer, poet, ukulele player, song writer and so many other creative talents. With ever undertaken she did it with full enthusiasm and always smiling. She was the first to welcome me to the Blue Jazz Voices, she always made time for the newbies and always made time for people she met. Like so many feeling the same , it is so sad that we won't have a chance for another catch up, but your smiling face and kind words will never be forgotten. Liza

Steve T said...

She also loved writing for Bebop Spoken Here and considered it a great honour to be given a platform to discuss her likes and dislikes. She was grateful to you for that Lance and you should feel proud and comforted by it.

Holly Cooper said...

Oh no, I'm so very sorry to hear this. Ann was so supportive of our artists and I loved reading her reviews. She seemed like such a lovely, loving person. I am so sorry for your loss. Such a shock.

Lance said...

I do Steve, I do. Thank you.

Carrie McCullock said...

Ann was a member of Indigo Jazz Voices among very many other things including running the folk night at The Globe when it started. We used to walk to the metro late at night. We had some interesting conversations on our walk and walk by walk she revealed snippets of her interesting life and all the things she has been involved with. I haven’t seen her for ages and now I won’t get another opportunity. I thank her for her kindness, her enthusiasm, her light and her company on our late night ventures through the dark towards as we headed homewards.

Dave Brownlow said...

Just a comment on the sad passing of Ann, I recall the death of drummer Peter McKeith - this was exactly the same a "virus" took him in a matter of days......

I met Ann when she was keen on getting into jazz at one of the courses run by Chris Yates. We also met at gigs where we would discuss BSH etc

Anonymous said...

I am very saddened to hear the news about Ann. We met quite often at jazz gigs (and sometimes folk events) and she was always very friendly and happy to chat. While we both loved jazz, as far as I know we were the two most dedicated folk fans amongst the BSH community and would try and smuggle folk references into our reviews.
As I was keen to find out about the North East folk scene she was very generous with her time and we met on a couple of occasions when she willingly shared her detailed knowledge of local folk history and the clubs and bands past and present.
A very nice woman who will be sadly missed.
JC

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