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Bebop Spoken There

Béla Fleck: “ And that's the great thing about live performances, you take people on a journey. It doesn't have to be like something else they've heard. It's not supposed to be". DownBeat, April, 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.

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.

Wednesday, August 09, 2017

Jazz Co-op Workshop @ The Globe: August 5/6

Tutors: Jilly Jarman and Jim Birkett
(Report by Ann Alex)
This is an account of what 22, or so, of us got up to at this very enjoyable and informative event. As Jim said, music is PLAYED so it should be done for enjoyment, which was what we had. We began with a plenary session of practising rhythms and pitches, singing notes 1, 3, and 5 of the scale, and clapping rhythms with eyes closed. DO try this at home and you’ll find out how difficult it is for everyone to clap correctly at the same time. Much laughter. We then became 2 groups, more advanced people upstairs with Jim doing goodness knows what heavy theory and 4 vocalists downstairs with Jilly and 2 keyboards, 4 saxes, drums and also some of the instrumentalists singing. A very unusual jazz combo indeed, and Jilly on bass guitar and keyboard.
We sang Ole Baby with call and response, lower and higher parts for voices and saxes, Recorda-Me (Joe Henderson), and the ballad You Don’t Know What Love Is. We’ll be eternally grateful for that last beautiful song as an addition to our repertoires. I thought that it was worth coming to the course for that song alone.

In the afternoon session, Jilly produced a penny whistle, all the better to let us hear the strong pure notes of Coltrane’s Equinox, another joy of a tune, and provide a useful exercise in learning both tune and lyrics by ear. Plenty to practise overnight!

On Sunday morning Jim treated us to some quite complex theory. It pays singers to know something of what instruments are doing with chords and you never stop learning about this. (I’m tempted at this point to tell the old joke about the difference between a rock musician and a jazz musician. You can email me if you haven’t heard it). We had fun practising all our songs, then realised that we had to perform for the other group, so we did a wild and free version of Ole Baby and sang a rendering of You Don’t Know What Love Is with a half chorus of solos for each singer, once through for instrumental solos, then a more rhythmic sung rendering. We didn’t do too badly. We then went upstairs to listen to the other band: approximately 2 keyboards, 4 guitars, 3 saxes, clarinet, flute, drums, but no bass. Was there ever a big band like this? They did rather well on Weaver of Dreams and a quirky version of Autumn Leaves, with solos all round.

Then it was time to pack up and go home. I had my usual struggle with my music stand. The Globe should put on a course about putting up and taking down these implements. I’d like to thank all those who made the day work well: the Tutors themselves, Derek for doing the sound as well as playing drums for our group, Sheila for organising the whole workshop which ran seamlessly, Hayley and Ali on the bar. I hope I haven’t missed anyone out.
It was really good - YOU should be there next year!
Ann Alex

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