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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.

Sunday, July 05, 2015

CD Review: SNJO w. Makoto Ozone - JEUNEHOMME Mozart's Piano Concerto No 9 K-271

(Review by Lance).
"Jazzing the Classics" has, over the years, become quite commonplace with, it has to be said, varying degrees of success. Nine times out of time my feeling has been; Why didn't they leave well alone? A notable exception was Ellington's take oTchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite and another one is this concert recording by the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra of Mozart's Piano Concerto No 9 K-271 with Makoto Ozone in the hot seat.
We know that SNJO have a penchant for this sort of thing having heard their version of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. That was fine but, given the superior material that they have to work on here, this is several notches above even that sterling effort.
Ist Movement, subtitled Allegro Swing, reveals Ozone to be a pianist more than capable of handling the straight sections. Tommy Smith has an extended workout on tenor followed by some agile bass work by Gourley. Underneath, the pianist comps before breaking out and laying down his jazz credentials for all to hear. Andre Previn and Jacques Loussier are the only others I can think of who covered both idioms so well.
2nd Movement, subtitled Andantino Tango, opens with a Smith tenor cadenza leading into a rich probing exposition of the theme over Ozone's explorative background before the pianist once more takes centre stage - pianists do this in piano concertos. Pattison maintains the melancholy mood on soprano and Ozone returns to gently take us down into the arms of the orchestra.
3rd Movement, subtitled Rondo/ Presto Be-Bop, you know by the subtitle is going to be the swinger - and it is!
One moment Ozone is playing straight then it becomes Monkish and then a sort of ragtime cum stride chorus. Tom Walsh takes it up blowing hard bop trumpet followed by Ozone swinging his butt off throwing in a couple of bars of Honeysuckle Rose! A slower, out of tempo, go at the original - this, maybe, is Mozart playing after hours in the bierkeller. Some shouting trombone from Chris Grieve then Ozone takes it on a Night Train ride. More soprano from Pattison then Cosker builds up his drum solo telling the jazz people the end is nigh bringing the band in at fff telling the classical people it will soon be over but not before Ozone returns to give a few quirky bars of cocktail piano, some more stride before reassuring Mozart that all's well at the Queen's Hall in Edinburgh.
An album that will surely delight open minded jazzers and classicists alike.
SNJO w. Makoto Ozone - JEUNEHOMME Mozart's Piano Concerto No 9 K-271 will be available on Spartacus Records from July 31.
Lance.
Makoto Ozone (pno); Tommy Smith (ten/fl/MD), Konrad Wiszniewski (ten), Ruaridh Pattison (alt/sop), Martin Kershaw (alt/clt), Bill Fleming (bar); Cameron Jay, Tom MacNiven, Tom Walsh, Lorne Cowieson (tpts); Chris Grieve, Phil O'Malley, Michael Owers (tmb) Calum Gourlay (bs), Alyn Cosker (dms).

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