Total Pageviews

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.
Mon 01: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 3:00pm. 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.

Monday, August 14, 2017

Matt MacKellar Trio with Julija Jacenaite @ Empty Shop - August 13

Joel Brown (keyboards), Paul Grainger (double bass) & Matt MacKellar (drums) with Julija Jacenaite (vocals)
(Review by Russell)
A mid-August late Sunday afternoon gig at Durham’s Empty Shop. Would anyone show up? The first floor speakeasy with its paint-splattered mix and match tables and chairs, floorboards and a minimalist lighting rig, slowly but surely filled up with a mix and match audience of regulars, jazz musicians (established and emerging) and first time visitors. The band, fronted by vocalist Julija Jacenaite, made a first visit to Durham, and in so doing said farewell to a young man destined to perform at the world’s great jazz venues.
Lithuanian born, Newcastle resident, Julija Jacenaite is a welcome addition to the north east’s A- list of, almost exclusively, female jazz singers. Misty, All of Me, a premiere of a Jacenaite-penned number titled By the River, our vocalist worked hard to generate a late night jazz club atmosphere in a sun-dappled, white wall room. Summertime (note to BSH Editor, calm your apoplexy!) given a new treatment with a drum ‘n’ bass/funk groove worked surprisingly well as Jacenaite’s energetic, dynamic performance engaged the audience. JJ never gives less than 100%, immersing herself, body and soul, in the tune at hand. None better than Angel Eyes, a drama played out before our very eyes. The boys in the band (‘boys’ being an accurate description of two young men making a name for themselves – pianist Joel Brown, 17, and drummer Matt MacKellar, 18) were given more than enough space to do their thing. Joel improvises a solo for fun, frequently glancing at the man at the helm, Mr Paul Grainger, seeking reassurance, and receiving it.  A smiling PG indicates that all is well. To our bassist’s left, Matt had everything covered and, for good measure, knocked out a superb solo on There Will Never Be Another You.

The Steam Machine Brewing Co has established a summer-long tap takeover at Empty Shop. The new (retro) thing, beer in a can, was on offer. It’s enough to make you drink pink lemonade!

A Mood Indigo like you’ve never heard before featured a Joel Brown intro and JB soloed on A Train as only he can. Wave introduced a Latin element to the set, and Cream’s Sunshine of Your Love – Julija inquired if any rock fans were in the house…surprisingly few hands went up – kind of rocked out. By way of contrast, How High the Moon? refocused on the jazz with bassist Grainger grabbing a solo. The audience demanded an encore. Julija’s whispered intro to What a Wonderful World put the world to rights on a sunny Durham afternoon.                   

The young man destined for great things, Matt MacKellar, is heading to Berklee in a matter of days. We wish him well, and he is sure to return to play a few gigs during, as his American friends would say, ‘vacation’. Bon voyage!
Russell.   

No comments :

Blog Archive