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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, January 15, 2015

The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra (SNJO) directed by Tommy Smith proudly presents The Jazz Genius of Billy Strayhorn

(Jazz in Scotland - Press release.)
2015 marks the twentieth birthday of the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and the stars are already in alignment for a very special year of celebrations, beginning with our February concerts and the marvellous music of the remarkable Billy Strayhorn.
Strayhorn was born in 1915 and his name is synonymous with Duke Ellington’s finest work. The hugely prolific Strayhorn composed and arranged literally hundreds of pieces for Duke and wrote many of Ellington’s greatest hits, often un-credited for his efforts.
In the 1990’s, jazz historian Walter van de Leur uncovered dozens of previously unknown compositions by Strayhorn. These captivating pieces sparkle with Billy Strayhorn’s musical ingenuity and his obvious penchant for a brightly gregarious melody. Now those lost Strayhorn tunes are in their rightful place as a restored chapter in the jazz repertoire.
In 2003, the SNJO directed by Van de Leur, brought Strayhorn’s colourful melodies
brilliantly to life. Critics at the time concurred: “Strayhorn’s adventurous harmonies… and musical textures were beautifully rendered”, said The Scotsman, while The Herald
pronounced that these shows were, “further endorsement of the orchestra's adaptability and readiness for, it seems, any challenge.” Now, the SNJO offers a more rounded portrait of Billy Strayhorn in concerts laced with Ellington era hits and sensitive Strayhorn originals.
Join the SNJO and Take the A Train down to Chelsea Bridge, where Billy Strayhorn’s
humanity and optimism are further revealed in numbers like Remember and Jo.
Strayhorn’s “Midas touch” can also be heard on Ellington’s controversial jazz treatments of the classics in Edvard Grieg’s Anitra’s Dance and Morning Mood from Peer Gynt. However, Orson and Theme from Anatomy of a Murder are strong evidence of Strayhorn’s pre-existing and barely suppressed classical ambitions. The SNJO also revisits Rhapsody in Blue, this time in an elegant arrangement by Strayhorn that condenses Gershwin’s jazz masterpiece into four minutes and forty-seven seconds of shimmering jazz gold.
The Jazz Genius of Billy Strayhorn is the story of warm, wonderful music created to spread happiness. In the hands of the SNJO it’s a sound that makes you feel a bit more optimistic about the world, and a reminder that it would have been a poorer place without the influential contribution and timeless music of Billy Strayhorn.
Friday 20th February 2015 at 19:30 Queens Hall Edinburgh, Scotland 0131 668 2019
Saturday 21st February 2015 at 19:30 Buccleuch Centre Langholm, Scotland 01387 381 196
Sunday 22nd February 2015 at 19:30 Royal Conservatoire Glasgow, Scotland 0141 332 5057

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