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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, December 17, 2012

CD Review: MILES DAVIS – “Original Album Series – “Tutu”; “Siesta”; “Amandla”; “Dingo”; “Doo-Bop”, 5 CD set, Rhino / Warner Bros, 2012 .

(Review by Dave Weisser).
Miles Davis hated repeating himself.  “I have to change, it’s like a curse”, he once said.  Leaving aside the albums of the ‘60s where he seemed to play ‘live’ the same tunes (e.g. ‘All Blues’ and ‘So What’) he’d recorded years earlier; on albums such as “At The Blackhawk” or “Live At Carnegie Hall”, he succeeded in doing just that.  His experiments with electric instruments led to jazz-rock and fusion, genres which have pretty much been dismissed by purists over the years, but he pointed the way for such as Weather Report, the many incarnations of the Herbie Hancock band and others too numerous to mention.  
Inactive for several years after a lengthy bout of ill-health, during which he took up painting, he started to record again in 1978 and 1980, tracks which were alas never issued.  He also played and rehearsed for a bit with the band his nephew, Vince Wilburn was in.  Leading on from that, he first recorded with Marcus Miller, then aged 22, the polymath musician who plays just about everything (and is mainly responsible for the content of the first three albums listed here) for the 1981 album “Man With The Horn”, using two tracks from the Wilburn band sessions and supplemented with new additions.  Even more convincing as proof that Davis had returned was the album “We Want Miles”, an album of live performances which included Marcus Miller, Mike Stern, Bill Evans (the saxophonist) and drummer Al Foster.  
 A few more years and albums went by before he re-connected with Miller – he had recorded “Star People” with him in the line-up described above in 1982, then Miller was replaced – Marcus was a first-call session musician and probably wanted to get back to that – In 1985 Miller called producer Tommy Li Puma, asking whether Miles wanted any new material.  Li Puma suggested he send some demos of these tracks, and when they arrived, they were close to finished tracks on which he’d played every instrument.  The wheels were set in motion for what Li Puma anticipated would be a spotless, trouble-free Miles Davis record.  This is largely what was produced, save one track, “Backyard Ritual”, produced by keyboardist George Duke.  1986’s “Tutu” was Miles’ biggest success in quite a while, and a fitting inaugural album for his new label, Warner Brothers.     
On 1987’s “Music From Siesta”, an album less than 35 minutes long, Marcus Miller et al succeed in conjuring up an updated spin on the “Spanish tinge” exhibited by Miles with Gil Evans on “Sketches of Spain” back in 1959; this time it’s combined with state-of-the-art electronics and creative mixing, to produce Miller’s concept of sadly emotional film soundtrack music, on which Miles plays convincingly.  Sadly, the film didn’t get far.  
 “Amandla”, made in 1989, again features Miller’s compositions, along with another from George Duke (“Cobra”) and one from John Bigham, “Jilli”.  This album represents Miles’ final collaboration with Marcus Miller, and heavily features ace alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett, part of Davis’ then-current band.  Other members, Foley McCreary and Ricky Wellman also participate.  One of the best moments comes in “Mr. Pastorius”, a tribute to the late lamented Jaco, on which Miles plays a wonderful solo.
 For “Dingo”, released in 1990, Miles is reunited with his old friend, pianist and composer Michel Legrand, with whom he last worked on 1958’s classic album “Legrand Jazz”.  Here, Legrand has conjured up a film soundtrack for an Australian slice-of-life musical drama, in which Miles also played aging jazz musician “Billy Cross”, interacting with the film’s protagonist, “Dingo Anderson”.  There are several playing encounters depicted in the film, with Miles in jam-session mode with “Dingo Anderson”, whose trumpet playing is dubbed by one Chuck Findley, a Hollywood session ace and no mean trumpeter himself.  Legrand even composed “Concert on The Runway” to be reminiscent of “Milestones”!  The film sadly went nowhere, but the album, featuring a big band made up of some of  L. A.’s finest, is pretty enthralling.  Though Miles is sounding a little bit less commanding on some of it, it’s basically a good Davis album, and Chuck Findley is a revelation!
 “Doo-Bop” was released posthumously, with only six tracks (about 30 minutes) finished in Miles’ lifetime.  Added to this were two tracks taken from the famous “Rubberband” sessions, and the whole lot, including these two tracks (“High Speed Chase” and “Fantasy”), were created by the rapper Easy Mo Bee, whom Miles had met and got on with.  For the two tracks mentioned, Easy created backings for existing Miles Davis solos, and the results will either please one or infuriate one, depending on whether or not you like rap music!    
Anyway, ENJOY ! ! 
Dave Weisser.
MUSICIANS LISTING “Tutu”: MILES DAVIS, trumpet (all trax); MARCUS MILLER, bass clarinet, keyboards, guitar, bass, bass guitar; drums, composer ; JASON MILES, synthesizer programming;  ADAM HOLZMANN, keyboards, synthesizer programming; BERNARD WRIGHT, additional sythesizers on 2 and 7;  GEORGE DUKE, (“Backyard Ritual” only) composer plus all instruments except percussion, bass guitar & trumpet ; OMAR HAKIM, drums & percussion on 2;   PAULHINO da COSTA, percussion (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5); STEVE REID, additional percussion on 4;  MICHAEL URBANIAK, electric violin (“Don’t Lose Your Mind”).  Recorded between February – March 1986.                                                                                                                                                                                                         
Music from “Siesta”: MILES DAVIS, trumpet (all trax); MARCUS MILLER, bass clarinet, guitar, bass, drums, composer; JAMES WALKER, flute; EARL KLUGH, guitar.  Recorded March, 1987.                                                                                                                                                                                                   
“Amandla”: MILES DAVIS, trumpet (all trax); MARCUS MILLER, bass, keyboards, drums (1), guitar (1, 7), bass clarinet (1 – 4, 7, 8), soprano saxophone (1, 3), bass guitar (4), composer (all except 2 & 7) ; KENNY GARRETT, alto saxophone (1, 3 – 6), soprano saxophone (2); DON ALIAS (1, 3, 6), MINO CINELU (1), PAULHINO da COSTA (4, 5), BASHIRI JOHNSON (6), percussion; MICHAEL LANDAU (2), FOLEY McCREARY (3 [also solo], 4, 7), JEAN-PAUL BOURELLY (3, 5), guitar; JOEY De FRANCESCO, additional keyboards (2); RICKY WELLMAN (3, 7), OMAR HAKIM (4, 6), drums; RICK MARGITZA, tenor saxophone (5); JOHN BIGHAM, guitar (7); BILLY ‘Spaceman’ PATTERSON, Wah-Wah guitar (7).  Recorded between September 1988 – January 1989.                                                                                                           
“Dingo” – selections from the film soundtrack: MILES DAVIS, “Billy Cross” trumpet; CHUCK FINDLEY, “Dingo Anderson” trumpet; NOLAN SMITH, RAY BROWN, GEORGE GRAHAM, OSCAR BRASHEAR, trumpets; KEI AKAGI, ALAN OLDFIELD, MICHEL LEGRAND, keyboards; MARK RIVETT, guitar; JOHN BIGHAM, RICK WELLMAN, HARVEY MASON, ALPHONSE MOUZON, drums & percussion; BENNY REITVELD, FOLEY McCREARY, ABRAHAM LABORIEL, bass & lead bass; BUDDY COLLETTE, JACKIE KELSO, MARTY KRYSTALL, BILL GREEN, CHARLES OWENS, JOHN STEPHENS, woodwinds; VINCE de ROSA, DAVID DUKE, MARNIE JOHNSON, RICHARD TODD, French horns; JIMMY CLEVELAND, DICK NASH, GEORGE BOHANON, THURMAN GREEN, LEW McCREARY, trombones; KENNY GARRETT, saxophone.  Music arranged, orchestrated & conducted by MICHEL LEGRAND.  Recorded May, 1990, Crystal Studios, Los Angeles, U.S.A.  Mixed in Adelaide, Australia, from where film originated.                                                                                                               
“Doo – Bop”: MILES DAVIS, trumpet (all trax); DERON JOHNSON,keyboards; EASY MO BEE, J. R., A. B. MONEY, vocals; others unlisted.  Many samples also used.  Mostly recorded in 1991.

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