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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

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.
Fri 29: True Colours @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 9:00pm. Blues, jazz & swing.

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.

Thu 04: FILM: Soul @ Forum Cinema, Hexham. 2:00pm. Jazz-themed film animation.
Thu 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 04: Funky Drummer @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 04: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 04: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Monday, March 06, 2017

Great North Big Band Jazz Festival @ Park View Community Centre, Chester le Street. March 3

(Review by Russell/Photo on left from Facebook. Credit will be given when known. Other two by Russell).
The fourteenth edition of the Great North Big Band Jazz Festival relocated to a new venue in the County Durham town of Chester le Street. Since its inception, this annual event in the British big band calendar has been staged in Sunderland on the banks of the Wear. Major redevelopments are continuing apace to transform the heart of the city of Sunderland into a vibrant, progressive place to live, work and study. The University of Sunderland continues to give unstinting support to the jazz community, thus ensuring this indispensable event retains its place on the region’s wider cultural map.
For the first time Park View Community Centre welcomed musicians, organisers and audience to the multi-purpose facility located just off Front Street in an historic part of town, little more than a well-struck six from Durham County Cricket Club. Free on-site parking. Food and drink available and space to accommodate something like twenty-nine bands over three days made this an ideal alternative to Sunderland’s North Shore venue.
A change of venue a necessity, the long weekend’s format remains as before. A Festival Big Band and a guest band – this year Mick Donnelly’s Musicians Unlimited – opened proceedings on a wet Friday evening. Big band fans weren’t to be deterred by a disappointing forecast, turning out in encouraging numbers for this annual curtain raiser. 
The Festival Band is a hand-picked outfit. The many familiar faces in the sections sat, or stood, alongside rising stars of the music. Bill Watson is the man responsible for coaching an on-campus student big band throughout the academic year at Sunderland University in addition to being the busy director of the Great North Big Band Festival. A first-night festival concert in which he participates is, perhaps, his reward. Playing both trumpet and flugelhorn, before turning his thoughts once more to the forthcoming two days of non-stop big band competition is, surely, a form of relaxation! Mick Donnelly (a competition adjudicator) made a guest appearance with the band, playing his usual commanding tenor saxophone. County Durham Music Service has an enviable track record nurturing talent, and one of its recent success stories – Alice Buhaenko – on a short break from her studies at Oxford University, presented the band with a new composition to play and to occupy the piano chair on the evening.
Musicians Unlimited is the pride and joy of Hartlepool. An institution, Mick Donnelly’s big band is something like two decades young. If it’s one o’clock on a Sunday you’re likely as not sitting in the Park Inn listening to the band. Occasionally Donnelly and his band ventures further afield to play a concert to new ears in new surroundings. Park View Community Centre was hearing the band for the first time. America’s Jim Martin featured in the pad as arranger and composer, an arrangement by the late Dave Connolly of Georgia featured veteran late-night saloon bar king Bob Caswell, and that mere whipper-snapper of a rat packer Paul Skerritt gave Wonderwall both barrels. Musicians Unlimited breeds trumpet players – Kevin Eland and Tom Hill but two of them. They had a blast, as did the reeds – Sue Ferris excelling on flute. The engine room lads (Mick Shoulder, bass, and Tom Chapman, drums) worked up a head of steam. Sister Sadie, Gordon Goodwin’s Count Bubba, the opening night of the 2017 Great North Big Band Jazz Festival an hors d’oeuvre of things to come.   
Russell            
Musicians Unlimited: Mick Donnelly (MD/tenor); Alan Catherall, Bob Temple, Tom Hill, Kevin Eland, Bill Watson (trumpets); Dave Brock, John Day, Helen Grainger, Peter Morgan (trombones); Jill Nelson, Kim Webb, Mark Toomey, John Hudson, Sue Ferris (reeds); ? (piano); Mick Shoulder (bass); Tom Chapman (drums); Bob Caswell, Paul Skerritt (vocals).     

1 comment :

Paul Skerritt (on F/b) said...

The unidentified photographer is me!

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