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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

Tuesday, November 05, 2024

Yellowjackets @ Stoller Hall, Manchester - Nov. 2

Bob Mintzer (tenor sax, EWI); Russell Ferrante (keyboards); Dane Alderson (bass); Will Kennedy (drums)

After an incredible week away in Cologne and Amsterdam, with an added opportunity to see the incredible Bjørn Solli and Johan Hörlén at Salon de Jazz, you would think that coming home back to the UK would feel somewhat deflating, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Staying an additional night in Manchester, we got to see the famous Yellowjackets at Stoller Hall, comprised of Russell Ferrante on keys, Bob Mintzer on tenor sax and EWI, Dane Alderson on bass and Will Kennedy on drums. Shockingly, the audience seemed rather thin on the ground, and despite a rush of people grabbing their seats only seconds before the gig began, there were plenty of empty seats. It seemed a real shame to us, but it certainly didn’t seem to have any kind of negative impact on the exceptional performance to come.

We previously saw the Yellowjackets in 2023 at Ronnie Scott's, and have been telling everyone about their amazing performance ever since. Needless to say, we were expecting great things from this amazing group of musicians. For those of you who don't know the band, they've been going for over 40 years and have recorded almost 30 albums with countless Grammy nominations and two wins. 

From the off, the band reminded us of their musical superiority, performing a mix of tunes old and new with not a single piece of sheet music in sight. One highlight for us was the tune Greenhouse, the title track of the 1991 album, a piece with a spacey, rubato introduction (a common theme for many Yellowjackets tunes), before settling in to a long and weaving, grooving composition. Bob Mintzer, who did the night’s talking, spoke of how the piece was written as a piece of commentary about the climate crisis, and how now seemed like a poignant time to revisit it.

Another tune deserving of a highlight was Like Elvin, a tune in 7 heavily featuring Will Kennedy, departing from the more groove-based feel of the other tunes, and swinging like mad. As a performer, Will has a wonderful melodic touch, and builds his solos magnificently, rather than simply throwing out all his chops at once, but also had a fantastically playful nature during his comping and solos. This drummer can really groove! Russell Ferrante is the only original member of the band since their founding over forty years ago, who has stayed with them the entire time. He has the most inspiring hand independence, particularly when he plays the tune Imperial Strut, check it out!

We got to hear Intrigue, a wonderful tune from their latest album Parallel Motion. It gave this incredibly groovy yet disjointed feel, and was a hugely engaging listen. We would recommend their latest album to anyone. This tune was a feature for Alderson to show his unmatched dexterity on the bass, and like any instrumental grandmaster, he made it look effortless. He has been with the group for almost 10 years and had just recorded with them for the fifth time. Mintzer revealed that the brand new album, recorded in August, would be released early next year. We think he said the album was to be called Fasten Up, but we could be wrong about this as we were in awe of the whole performance! They performed two tunes from the upcoming album, which was a real treat, keep a watch out for this one. 

Mintzer masterfully soared over all tunes in the performance, but gave this wonderful feeling of restraint and consideration with every single phrase, especially over The Red Sea, and all throughout the remainder of the set. Bob Mintzer is of course a highly celebrated saxophonist who sits well up there with some of the greatest names of all time, so it’s unsurprising that his performance was awe inspiring. What made it ten times better however was getting the chance to have a short conversation with the band afterwards, where they displayed very humble and kind natures.

In summary, A-list musicians, top gig, go see these incredible players if you get the chance! Abbie & Harry

1 comment :

Mike Farmer said...

An epic review! But it does not surprise me there were empty seats. I only knew about this gig when talking to drummer Tim Franks at the Moor Club on Sunday night. The advertising for Jazz in the North West is either bad or does not exist. Still, I'm glad you enjoyed the music and good luck with all gigs. I like the Stoller Hall and the acoustics are first rate,

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