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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.

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Ravi Coltrane Quartet @ Sage Gateshead - July 15

Ravi Coltrane (ten/sop/sopranino); Adam Rodgers (gtr); Scott Colley (bs); Nate Smith (dms).
(Review by Lance/Photos courtesy of HarrisonAPhotography.)
The quartet hadn't had a good day. Flight cancellations and lost luggage meant them arriving from mainland Europe with barely time to eat let alone perform which, I suppose, puts the failure of my Quaylink bus to turn up at Gateshead Interchange into perspective.
These trials and tribulations didn't show. Coltrane greeted the near three tier full Hall Two audience with, "Aa ye aal reet?" - Clearly a multi-linguist.
His first language, however, is undoubtedly jazz. Having heard his dad at Newcastle City Hall some 50 years ago - that concert wasn't one of My Favourite Things - I feared the sins of the father may be replicated perhaps even multiplied! I couldn't have been further from the truth! This was contemporary, make no mistake about it, but it was also very accessible. No pet shop owners were dialling 999!
The pieces were extended, allowing the soloists to stretch out. Rodgers didn't need an assortment of pedals and effects to make his point - just an amp and a pick. Colley was pure theatre on bass, striking poses as he played and as adept with the bow as he was with the fingers. On drums, Smith was an absolute powerhouse. Thundering like ten Elvin Joneses, then moving into a soft, subtle mallet mode.
Ravi? Superb! Tenor, soprano and the rarely heard sopranino sax. The fast boppy number that closed the first set was played on the latter, the second smallest of the saxophone family (the smallest is the sopranissimo which is so small you need powerful lenses to see it and only dogs can hear it), I would guess that every saxophone player in the audience will now have sopranino sax on his Christmas list!
The material consisted of compositions by Ornette Coleman, Billy Strayhorn (Lush Life), Charlie Haden (a gorgeous version of First Song - a piece the late bassist wrote for his wife) plus originals by Coltrane [Ravi], Rodgers and Colley.
The standing ovation delivered at the end was the very least they deserved. If it had been left to me they'd have been given the Freedom of the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead.
More photos.
Lance.

1 comment :

David Keighley (on F/b) said...

STELLAR gig, They were awesome

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