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Bebop Spoken There

Ambrose Akinmusire: “ I am certainly always aware of what the masses are doing. And when I see too many people going one way, I'm going another way - even when I don't know what's over that way". DownBeat, March, 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

16287 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 169 of them this year alone and, so far, 41 this month (Mar 18).

From This Moment On ...

March

Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Tim Johnston.

Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Castillo Neuvo Trio + Conor Emery & His ‘Bones Band @ The Grove, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £10.00. (£7.00. student).
Thu 21: Remi Banklyn + Chris Corcoran Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.50. Chicago blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Thu 21: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Ragtime piano.
Thu 21: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 22: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 22: Nauta + Remy CB + Last Orders @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 8:30pm (7:30pm doors). Free.
Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £15.00. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 22: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sat 23: Jambone @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 6:30pm. Free (ticketed). End of term performance in the Northern Rock Foundation Hall.
Sat 23: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 23: Red Kites Jazz @ Rowlands Gill Community Centre NE39 1JB. 7:00pm. Tickets: £12.00. (gibsidecommunityfarm@gmail.com). A ‘Build a Barn’ fundraiser. BYOB, tea/coffee available.
Sat 23: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00. + bf (book in person at venue - no booking fee!). Featuring pianist Martin Litton.
Sat 23: Pete Tanton’s Cuba Libre @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 24: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 24: Luis Verde @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Verde (alto sax); Joe Steels (guitar); John Pope (double bass); John Hirst (drums). Alto sax brilliance!
Sun 24: Elsie Franklin @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. £10.00. Country blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Sun 24: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: Las Vegas Live with the Rat Pack @ The Forum, Billingham.
Sun 24: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Otterburn Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Sun 24: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Note start time - 7:00pm.
Sun 24: Bold Big Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 25: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 25: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Willie Payne - a Guitarist's Guitarist .

Roly made reference to Willie Payne trading choruses with Tal Farlow back in the 1980s and seeks more information on the West Indian guitarist who so enlivened the local scene 30 years ago.
I recall many Corner House sessions where Willie left an impression on both audience and musicians yet info on him is so sparse as to be almost non existent.
His name is missing from the jazz guitar tomes and, to the best of my knowledge, recordings probably only exist in privately recorded tapes and cassettes.
If anyone can add any memories or info on Willie we'd love to share them.
Lance.

11 comments :

Roly said...

Yes, it was a real treat to have him playing on Tyneside.
I remember bassist Derek Dixon raving about how he could imply chord cycles, with total control, in his improvisations - he had a very advanced sense of harmony and his Wes styled playing was quite something. I remember his playing from the Syd Warren Quintet's Tuesday Corner House residency.
I do remember he was an Ibanez endorser - there were occasional large b/w photos of Willie advertising Ibanez guitars in Crescendo Magazine. I heard he came over from West Indies as an accompanist with pianist Winifred Atwell and settled in London then came up to Newcastle.
I have very happy memories of those times and had great admiration for his playing.
Roly

Anne Harper said...

Scott (Adair) first met Willie in Trinidad. Scott's parents lived there and he went on holiday, where he met Willie who was playing at the Hilton Hotel. This was c.1959-60.
In 1962 we were walking down Northumberland St and guess who was walking towards us - Willie carrying his guitar case!
He was working with Winnie Atwell for a while (they both came from Trinidad) but I believe it was when he sat in with the EMCEE 5 that his career took off.
He played with the Sid Warren Quintet and did loads of work at the Corner House.
His playing was awesome, he admired Wes Montgomery and the like, although he was short on reading. Willie was the most gentle guy I ever knew.
He set up home with vocalist Peggy Shaw and their life became 'the days of wine and roses' if you catch my drift! Peggy was a sweet person and adored him.
Before that he came to live with Scott and myself for a while - he had lost his driving licence and could no longer do gigs so we 'adopted' him.
He eventually got the dreaded day job at the Ministry, Longbenton, and hated it. Willie's playing became very erratic due to a drink problem and it was difficult to book him then Peggy died suddenly and Willie was on his own.
I had a business in Jesmond and one of my customers let slip that she was keeping an eye on this chap from Trinidad who was ill and not eating - yes it was Willie. She put him on a plane to go home to Trinidad and his family and not long after I heard he had died. This was 1994.
Willie was the only man I cut my nails for - he was teaching me guitar!!
Anne

Mike Carr said...

Willie and I played together in the 60s and much later on, at that time he was an outstanding Player very much in the Wes Montgomary style and he worked with me at La Dolce Vita in Newcastle and had he stayed off the booze he could have been a great player. The last time he played was on a tour with me and Kenny Clarke on drums and he didn't play so well as he had a secret Whisky problem. Maurice Summerfield I think gave him a guitar for the gig, I can't be sure if it was a free gift. He also did some European gigs in Germany and Belgium I think with my trio and also worked with me at Ronnie Scott's Club with Irene Reid the New York vocalist who was Count Basie's singer in the early '60s.
He worked in Newcastle at the large pensions department for possibly 20 years and when he left to return to his roots in the West Indies, I heard a rumour that he passed on but I can not tell you the date.
He was Winifred Atwell's guitarist probably in the '50s touring Australia and also working with her here.It was this time that I met him.
That's the best that I can tell you right now.
Mike

Mal Maddock said...

I worked with Willie very early in my career...& one of the gigs was a defining moment..... It was a trio gig Organ, Guitar (Willie) & drums (The late Ron Studholme)
It was a ballad, not sure what, but I played a solo & it was the first time I felt a true jazz connection with the piece... Afterwards Willie leant over & said " Great solo man " I felt on top of the world.. I was about 17....Someone as good as Willie thought I played good....He still is one of the best guitarist I have ever heard or played with.... the essence of what Jazz is or should be..... Sad to hear he passed away.... Mal Maddock

Dave The Rave said...

I have fond memories of hearing Wilie play with Sid Warren and other great players, like Bill Harper. Actually, when the Willie Payne Quintet played support for Slim Gaillard at the Corner House in Heaton (12 December 1982), I was doing the sound mixing for the gig and Willie graciously invited me to join them on trumpet, and we played "Games" by Nat Adderley. Earlier the quintet had played Jimmy Heath's "The Voice Of The Saxophone", and unfortunately these two are the only ones I have recordings of. The Slim gig was recorded in its entirety. Dave The Rave

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Lance said...

What site is that?

cranhpc said...

In 1967 I played guitar (badly) with the resident band in the infamous BirdCage Club in Stowell Street. Willy Payne used to come in late on & would sometimes listen to us from the bar. I first recognised him from his appearances on Tyne-Tees TV where they would put in a local musician as a continuity filler around the news time.

I did have pretensions to playing a jazz guitar style & Willy kindly offered to take me under his wing for tuition. By then, however, I had decided that I really wanted to go to university & declined his offer. Eventually, I spent most of my working life in Academia but often wonder what might have happened, had I accepted Willy's offer of help?

Really sorry to learn of his decline, he was quite a nice guy to talk to. I had long wondered what became of him before I chanced upon this thread.

Unknown said...

I'm pleased to see that Willie Payne is so well respected and remebered.
I first watched Willie on TTT where he used to sit in the canteen with his guitar until an announcement said “willie to Studio?”
He would go to the studio and play solo jazz as long as needed. This was in the days of unedited TV.
The saddest thing I heard him say was, when he was in the resident band at the Sands Club, Whitley Bay he was thinking of swopping his jazz guitar for “one of those electric things” so he could fit into the band better. Hope he never did.
My other local hero was Charlie Smith. I took over studio guitar after Charlie [with Ken Maddison}]
Charlie told me he was a banjo player but got a gig on guitar so he pawned his banjo and tuned the guitar like his banjo. He thought afterwards, there must be more to the guitar than this and a long term love started.

Pauline Crowley said...

I met Willie in Auckland New Zealand when he was playing with Winifred Atwell. I was 17 years old and totally enamoured with Winifred’s style of music. She and her band played on contract for 6 months in a cafe restaurant off Queens Street Auckland.

I became a fan and every Friday would sit for hours listening to them. Eventually the Kiwi kid was invited backstage to meet Winifred and her band. I was star struck and totally amazed at the talent of Winifred and her guitarist/drummer Willie Payne. I was a constant Friday night listener and friend and went out with Willie for the 6 months they were in NZ. He was a gentle and lovely man. Winifred offered to fly me to London as in those days entertainers could not take their earners out of NZ. I was so tempted but at 17 knew my parents would be horrified. Willie wrote to me for sometime afterwards and I was so happy his career took off. I was a privilege to meet them all. Pauline Crowley, Zieltjes NZ

Mike Farmer said...

I heard Willie Payne just once at the Birch Hall Oldham with Mike Carr and Kenny Clarke and he made a lasting impression on me. He had the sound I love to hear on guitar.

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