Mike Durham’s Classic Jazz Party @ The Village Hotel. Nov 4, afternoon

(Review by Russell).

The 2016 edition of Mike Durham’s Classic Jazz Party began with an informal session on Thursday evening in the Village Hotel’s on-site Victory Pub. Early arriving guests – they came from all over the world! – sat with a drink to listen to some of the star names of this year’s festival. Musicians arrived a day or two ahead of Friday’s official start to catch-up, rehearse and – in theory – sleep-off jet lag.

Friday 8:00am. Rehearsal time, then non-stop classic jazz over the weekend. Sleep would have to wait until an early Monday morning flight out of Newcastle International Airport!
            

Twelve noon: Tribute to Mike. Maestro Keith Nichols led a session dedicated to the late Mike Durham, founder of the Whitley Bay Jazz Festival, now known as ‘Mike Durham’s Classic Jazz Party’. The participation of Phil Rutherford (brass bass or sousaphone, if you will) maintained the local connection of a now truly international event. A further six half   or one hour sets during the afternoon session ranged from Jelly Roll Morton to Grappelli,  Bix and Clarence Williams, concluding with Menno Daams’s survey of Chicago’s pivotal role in the  development of the music.

Emma’s Hot Club Jazz featured Grappelli/Venuti virtuoso Emma Fisk leading a strings’ super group comprising Thomas ‘Spats’ Langham and Jacob Ullberger, guitars and Henri Lemaire, bass. A superb thirty minutes, Fisk imperious, the quartet played I’m Confessin’ with the Hot Club’s original introduction and coda. The very best of hot jazz, the highest of standards. Bix and his Gang - 1927 went about their business, maintaining the quality courtesy of Andy Schumm, cornet, Bixian slick-back hair ‘n’ all. At the Jazz Band Ball, a stompin’ Royal Garden Blues, Jazz Me Blues, this was a classy session, a full strength US contingent in support – Jim Fryer, trombone, the brilliant David Boeddinghaus, piano and the equally brilliant Josh Duffee, drums – alongside Europeans Robert Fowler, grappling with the bass saxophone, and the prodigiously talented Lars Frank, clarinet, mark this one down as a winner!

Claus Jacobi, reeds, led a one hour set playing the music of Clarence Williams’ Bands. The washboard band of the late 20s-early 30s trained the Inspiration Suite’s spotlight on Gunther Andernach. There can’t be too many washboard virtuosi; Mr Andernach has to be one of them! Martin Litton and Spats Langham’s Library of Congess – Volume 3 is proof, if any were needed, of the encyclopedic knowledge of the participants’ specialist subjects. Pianist Litton and the ever-popular Langham revisited the Library of Congress’ Alan Lomax interviews with Jelly Roll Morton. A rich seam awaits to be mined in 2017, 2018 and on.

Holland’s Menno Daams closed the afternoon session with a look at The Chicagoans. A stellar line-up (they are never less than stellar at the Classic Jazz Party) included Thomas Winteler (a Bechet man, for sure), New Orleanian pianist Boeddinghaus and UK vocalist Janice Day.