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Bebop Spoken There

Simon Spillett: “ Bebop and hard bop came naturally to him [Tubby Hayes]". Morning Star, March 28, 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

Thu 28: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 28: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm.
Thu 28: Richard Herdman Quartet @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 28: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Guests: Josh Bentham (alto sax); Alan Marshall (tenor sax); Neil Brodie (trumpet); Adrian Beadnell (bass); Graham Thompson (keys); Steve Hunter (drums).

Fri 29: FILM: Soul @ The Forum Cinema, Hexham. 12:30pm. Jazz-themed film animation.
Fri 29: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 29: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free. POSTPONED!
Fri 29: Thundercat @ Newcastle City Hall.
Fri 29: John Logan @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sat 30: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 30: Pete Tanton’s Cuba Libre @ Whitley Bay Library, York Road, Whitley Bay. 8:00pm.

Sun 31: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 31: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields NE30 1HJ. 3:00pm. Free. Lambert, Alan Law & Paul Grainger.
Sun 31: Sid Jacobs & Tom Remon @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. USA/London jazz guitar duo.
Sun 31: Bellavana @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

April
Mon 01: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 01: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 3:00pm. Free.

Tue 02: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Dean Stockdale, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 03: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 03: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 03: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

IAN CHRISTIE R.I.P.

Back in the early days of trad-dom Ian Christie was frequently heard at Newcastle City Hall with the bands of Mick Mulligan and Alex Welsh. He later, along with brother Keith, re-formed the Christie Brothers' Stompers. Trombonist Keith eventually joined Johnny Dankworth to pursue a more modern path giving the musical press licence to refer to them as the 'Christies ancient and modern'.
Ian himself would say, "The name's Christie as in the serial killer."
As well as playing clarinet he also worked as film and music critic for the Daily Express.
Sadly, when I typed "Ian Christie" into the "Daily Express" search engine it came up with "Sorry, no results found for Ian Christie please try again."
Be that as it may jazz fans will always remember Ian for his clarinet playing which was rooted in New Orleans and he stood equal to his contemporaries such as Archie Semple, Wally Fawkes, Monty Sunshine, Acker Bilk and Sandy Brown.
Ian died Jan 19, 2010 aged 82.
Lance.
PS: Time may have coloured my opinion of Ian's playing. In his well known autobiography (well one of them), "Owning Up", George Melly describes Ian's playing as "...a continuous stream of notes played at approximately the same volume from the first bar of a number to the coda. As a result his solos, when on form, were often beautiful in an unpretentious and restrained way, but in ensemble, because he didn't listen to what the rest of the frontline were up to, had no give or take. Furthermore he had a bad memory for arrangements. This suited Mick (Mulligan) very well, as it gave him a perfect excuse not to hold rehearsals.
"What's the use cock?" he would ask. "Ian can never remember new numbers."
Be that as it may I certainly enjoyed hearing him all those years ago.

1 comment :

Paul Dawson said...

Hi. I had the great honour of being a member of Ian's (ir)regular band for the last ten years or so of his life, and can say with confidence and some authority that he remained a fine player. He told me that, since returning to playing after a long break, he'd resolved to try never to play any phrase he didn't 'hear' in his mind, and this helped to make his later playing even more individual and distinctive than it had been earlier in his career. Ian was a genuine talent, an irreplaceable link to a glorious jazz past, and a wonderfully witty and generous man. I'll always be grateful to him for all of his help and encouragement, as well as his friendship. I'll miss him.

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