Total Pageviews

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.

Saturday, January 06, 2018

CD Review: Various Artists - Live at the Spotted Dog.

(Review by Steve T)
Got this just before Christmas but December was still taken over by Christmas Music - not Slade, Pogues and Wizzard I should point out - but Swamp Dogg, Ojays, Houston Person, Jimmy Smith and the like.
There are some serious musicians on this and it shows. Recorded at the Spotted Dog, one of the happening places in the Nation’s Second City, it sounds like it was an uproarious night, though I'm assured the venue is no stranger to great nights of Jazz.
Many will hear the first set as big band music, and there's plenty for lovers of the sound; great blasting ensemble playing and assured soloing from the horns as they take their turns. But, as a BB philistine, I elevate this to what I consider the higher status of orchestral jazz, more akin to Duke and Gil Evans and, as the liner notes point out, to Kenny Wheeler and John Taylor.

The next couple of tracks feature the sax, bass, drums line-up which so captured my imagination when I saw JD Bloom in London last year.
Janisch is a safe pair of hands on bass and I'd buy anything he plays on. Bain on drums is inventive throughout, following O’Gallagher as he weaves his alto through two long pieces, one by Janisch and one of his own.
Jonathan Silk's Fragment mixes the brilliant trumpet playing of Percy Pursglove with a string quartet and gradually a standard jazz rhythm section. There are many precedents for this type of thing and this is up there.
Guitarist Ben Lee takes the next one with his quintet featuring organ, alto and trombone. He demonstrates a flair for composition and some unusual influences as a guitarist which I found highly intriguing; quirky but serious.
He also plays on the final track (as he does on the first three) on another fine small group offering, this time by trumpeter Sean Gibbs, which features some fine piano soloing and comping from Andy Bunting on electric.
Plenty here for lovers of big band or small group jazz and particularly anyone who appreciates the variety.
Steve T.
Release Date: January 26.
Stan Sulzmann Big Band: (sax) Stan Sulzmann, Elliot Drew, Chris Young, Helena Kay, John Fleming, Colin Mills, (trumpet) Tom Walsh, Sean Gibbs, Mike Adlington, Aaron Diaz, (trombone) Kieran Mcleod, Richard Foote, Tom Dunnett, Yusuf Narkin, (guitar) Ben Lee, (piano) David Ferris, (bass) Nick Jurd, (drums) Jonathan Silk.

(John) O'Gallagher (alto), (Andrew) Bain (drums), (Michael) Janisch (bass).

Jonathan Silk's Fragment: Percy Pursgrove (trumpet), Emily Tyrell, Beth Bellis (violin), Victoria Studwick (viola), Katy Nagle (cello), Toby Boalch (piano), Nick Jurd (bass), Jonathan Silk (drums).

Ben Lee Quintet: Ben Lee (guitar), Chris Young (alto), Richard Foote (trombone), David Ferris (organ), Euan Palmer (drums).

Sean Gibbs' Fervour: Sean Gibbs (trumpet), Ben Lee (guitar), Andy Bunting (piano), Nick Jurd (bass), Euan Palmer (drums).    


No comments :

Blog Archive