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Bebop Spoken There

Quincy Jones: ''What's great about coming from a little town is that you're a big fish in a little pond and it gives you the confidence when you get to New York to be able to really compete''. (Jazzwise, December 2024/January 2025).

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

17586 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 860 of them this year alone and, so far, 5 this month (Dec. 2).

From This Moment On ...

December

Tue 03: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:00pm. Free.
Tue 03: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Dean Stockdale, Paul Grainger, John Hirst.
Tue 03: Bold Big Band @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Wed 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 04: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 2:30-4:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Wed 04: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 8:00pm. Concert. Free. .
Wed 04: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 04: Kat Eaton @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 8:15pm. Soulful vocals, excellent band.

Thu 05: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 05: Jazz Appreciation North East @ 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 05: Jools Holland’s R & B Orchestra @ Newcastle City Hall. 7:30pm.
Thu 05: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. Free.
Thu 05: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. Guest band special with the Middlesbrough Jazz and Blues Orchestra 8pm. Free.

Fri 06: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 06: Sue Ferris Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 07: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 07: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £25.00. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 07: Hot Club du Nord @ St. Cuthbert’s Church, Shadforth DH6 1LB. Tel: 01429 823400. 7:30pm. £15.00. (inc. refreshments).
Sat 07: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 07: Bellavana @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 7:45-9:45pm. Free.
Sat 07: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 08: The New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free. A ‘second Sunday in the month’ residency.
Sun 08: Learning & Participation Showcase @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Free. Multi-genre event followed by a jam session. All welcome.
Sun 08: Zoë Gilby Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 08: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 08: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: Jason Isaacs @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 5:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Sun 08: Paul Skerritt @ The Black Candle, South Shields. 6:30pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 08: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 08: Durham University Big Band + Durham University Jazz Orchestra: Jazzy Christmas @ Sir Thomas Allen Assembly Rooms Theatre, North Bailey, Durham DH1 3ET. 7:30-9:30pm. £7.00., £6.00. concs., £5.00. Durham Student Music member. Durham University Jazz Ensembles’ annual charity event.
Sun 08: Jools Holland’s R & B Orchestra @ The Globe, Stockton. 7:30pm.
Sun 08: Mick Beck, Dominic Lash, Paul Hession @ the Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm (doors 7:30pm) JNE. £10.

Mon 09: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Wheatsheaf, Benton Sq., Whitley Road, Palmersville NE12 9SU. Tel: 0191 266 8137. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 09: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30-8:30pm. Free.
Mon 09: James Birkett Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 10: ???

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

Sunday, November 24, 2024

The Matthew Forster Quartet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury - Nov.12

Matthew Forster (tenor sax); Ben Lawrence (keyboards); John Pope (double bass); Adam Stapleford (drums).

My 1952 'King's England' book on Northumberland (purchased in Barter Books in Alnwick recently) says about Rothbury that 'This little health resort has been called the capital of Coquetdale'.  Having been in Rothbury a number of times over the years, I would said this is a fair description of a very pleasant town which also has an excellent butcher's shop that sells fine ham and pease pudding sandwiches.

This time we were here for the latest event organised by Coquetdale Jazz, a new grouping that has been bringing the best of the region's jazz musicians to Rothbury for over a year now. Definitely a healthy pursuit and it is obviously the capital of jazz in Coquetdale.

Lingering over an expresso in the local Italian restaurant prior to the gig, my companion queried if the jazz would really start at 7.30pm as advertised, pointing out that most jazz events I had encouraged her to attend often started quite a while after the advertised time. I suggested that perhaps as this wasn't an actual jazz club different rules might apply.

We eventually arrived at the gig about 15 mins after the start time. The place was jammed and the band was in full swing. The organisers were very welcoming with one giving up his seat to my companion. I casually asked one of the organisers if the session had begun at 7.30pm. He said 'yes' so I lightly joked that this was a bit of an 'unjazz' thing to do. 'Maybe so', he replied, 'but this is Rothbury'. The word 'Jake', although unspoken, hung in the air at the end of his sentence.

Shortly after we were able to settle down at the back of the room, borrowing a stool off the band's photographer as he plied his trade further up the room.

While the sound of the band was excellent in our position the unamplified announcements were harder to hear. However the bursts of laughter from the audience nearer the stage suggested that Matthew Forster was developing a good rapport with the audience.

What about the music then? Well, my companion who is easily put off by too much squeaking or noodling during jazz pieces found the whole concert totally engaging. This was, of course, due to the quality of the musicians. I hadn't heard Matthew Forster before but he is technically excellent and the lyrical character of his playing, particularly in the first set was wonderful to hear.

John Pope on bass is a true original producing magical moments to light up the numbers.

Ben Lawrence on piano is a fine player and Adam Stapleford produced a variety of percussive instruments to add to his excellence on the drums.

As I wasn't able to catch the song titles, our new acquaintance, the photographer, kindly offered to get me a set list at the end. My understanding is that all the pieces played were Forster originals and very good they were too.

As one of the organisers was thanking Forster and the band he said that they had a full house of 66 people in the audience, which I later calculated was over 3% of the local population. Name me any other jazz club or venue that manages the same!

Rothbury already has a longstanding musical reputation, but for traditonal music rather than jazz. The last time I was at anything musical in Rothbury was over 40 years ago when we went to a concert in the local village hall to raise money to replace the hall's roof. A teenage Katherine Tickell was performing, as were the legendary 'Shepherds' - Joe Hutton (Northumbrian pipes), Willy Taylor (fiddle) and Will Atkinson (harmonica or 'moothie') - named because they actually were shepherds - (and Alistair Anderson, of course).

Let's hope that Coquetdale Jazz can create a similar tradition. It has certainly made a very good start and it looks like they plan to continue it as the next gig features The Zoe Gilby Quintet on Tuesday  January 14, 2025.

Keep an eye on the Coquetdale Jazz facebook page for more details. (Make sure to get there on time, Jake). JC

Slate Mill; Go On, Son; Gino; Lucky One; Maiden; Mindful; Black Shiraz; Cats in the Coffee; Hoping for Deja Vu; All Bets Are Off.

1 comment :

Russell said...

Great review, JC. I've been to Coquetdale Jazz. A warm welcome, well organised, prompt start (!), and a full house. The future for jazz in Rothbury is bright!

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