(Review by Lance).
Frankly, I can't think of any Jazz Festival/Party - call it what you may - like this one. Party, I think, is the operative word because that's what it is, an annual get together of musicians and fans from all over the world to play or listen to jazz which lives up to it's title - Mike Durham's Classic Jazz Party.
Conceived by the late Mike Durham, and continued in his name by Patti Durham, Allen Walton and their team of helpers, the weekend comprises themed concerts from noon till night with after hours jam sessions into the early hours, it is little wonder that many book into the Village Hotel for the whole 3 days.
The festival actually began for those staying at the hotel on Thursday with an hour's set in the Victory Pub by the Union Rhythm Kings.
I wasn't resident so I missed this and today's opening sets which began with a Tribute to Mike, followed by a Memphis Five set and our own fave Emma Fisk's Hot Club de France. Emma on fiddle with Spats Langham, Martin Wheatley (gtrs) and Henri Lemaire (bs)..
I did arrive in time to catch the remnants of Litton's Jelly Roll set. Martin Litton emulated the Jelly Roll Morton Red Hot Peppers and, on Wolverine Blues, Josh Duffee (pictured above) gave a masterclass on the use of skulls, woodblocks and other bits of paraphernalia that the early drummers loved and used so effectively.
Rico and Bunny Berigan - an absolute gem! Rico (Enrico Tomasso (right) - with Matthias Seuffert) had the Berigan style off to a B. I've always regarded Berigan (Rico too) as a player who combined the bravura of Armstrong with the lyricism of Bix which, at the time, was surely a heady cocktail indeed! I particularly enjoyed their re-creation of the legendary Jam Session at Victor session by Berigan, Tommy Dorsey, Fats, Dick McDonough and George Wettling. Today it was Rico, Robert Fowler (on clarinet), Alistair Allen, Keith Nichols, Malcolm Sked (bs) and Richard Pite. Honeysuckle Rose and Blues. Rico said he grew up with those 2 sides. You and me too Rico!
The Avant-Garde, Nichols, Mole was, I suppose, avant-garde(ish) for it's time and did give me a chance to, at last hear Emma. That it was fairly straight playing on My Gal Sal didn't matter - in the going for broke ending she held her head high! Andy Schumm and Alistair Allen did Red Nichols and Miff Mole proud
An entertaining set featuring Spats Langham - Spats and his Hot Combination - added some jocularity to the proceedings even though Spats declared that Blue Evening would be the saddest song they'd hear all weekend - possibly ever! It was melancholic despite there not being a wet eye in the house!
The afternoon session drew to a close with Frisco Jazz - Lu Watters. This was a particular delight for me. For years the 'pundits' have slighted or ignored Watters' Yerba Buena Jazz Band - the Penguin Guide to Jazz and the Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz ignore them yet, compared to the British 'Traddies' that came later, this was far superior. The gang assembled here by Keith Nichols put the record straight.
Lance.
For further details of today's concerts, personnel and those to follow click here.
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