WHAT A BLAST! Article published in The Syncopated Times - January 2026
WHAT A BLAST!
At 4am on a Monday last year, I ambled down the front steps of the Village Hotel, humming ‘Clap To’ Hands’ from Michael McQuaid’s Roger Wolfe Khan set. That was my first time at Whitley Bay, and I was a convert by the end of day one. “I’m coming back next year” I said to the wind and the birds.
Walking back into the lobby this year, I felt like I had never left. It’s that of familiarity, of anticipation; “Cheer Up, Good Times are comin’,” and I could feel it. Mike Durhams International Classic Jazz Party is a festival, a reunion, a party, and then some. Between the front desk and the elevator, I caught a glimpse of some of the musicians already hard at work. It was during rehearsal time, and one session had just let out. I kept my hello's brief, partly to stay out of their way, and partly because I’d been awake for some 30 hours by then.
Two meals and a long nap later, I made it to the welcome concert. The music started right as I got to the bar, and Enrico Tomasso was already hitting high C’s before I finished the first pint, giving an exciting preview of the hot fives set he would lead. It was a joy catching up with friends both sides of the pond, some I hadn’t seen since lat year’s fest. The musicians were particularly excited about what was to come. “The Earl Hines Rehearsal sounded really good!” “Oh, your gonna like the Ramblers set!” “I’ve got a surprise for you...”
Organisers Patti Durham and Jonathan Holmes opened the festival on the first day with words of welcome to the attendees and warm remembrance of many past greats of the festival, including, of course, Mike Durham, Klaus Jacobi and Keith Nichols. The pair presented this year’s Young Talent Award’ to trombonist, arranger and fellow Chicagoan Steve Osorio; I’ll be sure to catch his gigs back home.
Reedman David Horniblow, kicked off the music with the Oliver Naylor set, and we're off to the races! Natalie Scharf led a set paying tribute to tenor saxophonists in the 1930’s, including Lester Young, Benny Carter, Bud Freeman, Coleman Hawkins and others. Lorenzo Baldasso performed a set of music from Artie Shaw’s Orchestra on the day and was the talk of dinnertime that night!
Mike Davis led a set of rare Trumbauer, recreating some of my favourite Bix tunes like ‘Krazy Kat’ and emulating both Bix on cornet and Tram on vocals. Michael McQuaid portrayed Tram on C- Melody and expertly tackled tunes like ‘Trumbology’. Mike Davis later led a King Oliver set with vocals by Nicolle Rochelle, who, throughout the festival beautifully portrayed a wide array of singers on this an many other sets, including Billie Holiday, May Alix, Ivie Anderson, Eva Taylor, Cleo Brown, Ethel Waters, and many more.
In the strings section, Harry Evans demonstrated his slap bass on his Thelma Terry set. He also led a Kansas City Six set, featuring an electrified (gasp!) guitar, true to the 1938 recordings with Eddie Durham portrayed by Curtis Volp. Curtis also led a set of guitarist Teddy Bunn’s music. Martin Wheatley led a set featuring string bands, playing guitar and banjo with Thomas ‘Spats’ Langham, mandolin with Curtis, upright bass with Malcolm Sked, and violin with Emma Fisk. Martin affixed a kazoo on Spats for the tune ‘Salty Dog’ and it was quite the visual! Spats later led a set on Nick Lucas. Guitarist Felix Hunot led a set of Irvin Berlin tunes.
Nick Ball performed some incredible acrobatics on his Joe Daniels ‘Drumnasticks’ set, and he led a Washboard Empires set featuring South Side Chicago washboard groups. Josh Duffee led a set on Cleo Brown and a set on Phil Napoleon’s music. On top of providing percussion on many sets, Josh also wowed us with his cat vocals on Napoleon's ‘The Cat’. That was not the only animal siting this year; at the final jam session, Josh, Andy, TJ and Nick Ball performed a duck call quartet! Later that same session, there was also a drum trio featuring Nick Ball, Nick Ward and Josh, all playing on a single drum set!
Trumpeter and first-timer Joe Boga of New York, led a set of Elliongton’s small groups. Multi-instrumentalist and also first-timer TJ Muller led a set of music featuring the Arcadia bands of St. Louis, where he now resides and leads the great Arcadia Dance Orchestra. Ana Quintana of New York sang a beautiful rendition of Sophie Tucker’s ‘I’ve Got A Cross-Eyed Papa’ on that set.
Each evenhing session began with solo piano sets, this year featuring Andy Schumm, Andrew Oliver and Martin Litton. Andy performed a mix of jazz and jazz adjacent pieces, including Bix’s ‘In The Dark’ and selections from Eastwood Lane’s ‘Adirondack Sketches’. Mostly playing cornet on other sets, Andy led his fiery Earl Hines Orchestra set from the piano, with Lewis Taylor and Joe Boga on horn. Andrew Oliver played a selection of jazz tunes, as well as a beautiful tango piece titled ‘Maldita’. Andrew also led a set of Willard Robison tunes and a set of Harry Dial’s music. Martin Litton performed one of my favourites, Duke Ellington’s ‘Black Beauty’, and, continuing the jazz adjacent genre, some Cyril Scott pieces. Martin also led the Ivie Anderson set with Nicolle. David Boeddinghaus was plenty busy, providing expert piano accompaniment and solos throughout the festival on many of my favourite sets.
Colin Hancock, in his Whitley Bay debut as both bandleader and musical director, started with a set featuring the music of Andy Preer and Harry Cooper, an Ethel Waters set and a Jimmy Joy set, during which fellow music director Michael McQuiad played two clarinets at once on ‘St Louis Blues’. In addition to all the organising work and playing and singing on many other sets, Michael himself led a set of Sidney Bechet-Muggsy Spanier music, a set of Richard M. Jones music, a Calfornia Ramblers set and the closing Dorsey Brothers set.
I could write individual essays on the fine music of each of the thirty-ish sets and the quality of playing of each of the thirty-ish musicians, but I’d rather say ”You had to be there” and “You should go next year”. The penultimate tune of the festival was the Dorsey’s ‘Fine and Dandy’and that certainly described how I felt about the whole weekend. I enjoyed the wonderful music and especially enjoyed seeing how much fun the musicians were having on and off stage. Months and months of hard work go into these transcriptions and arrangements, and then finally putting them together with such top talent (and their friends) in one place for an audience that actually understands and appreciates it, must be such a rewarding feeling. In the closing remarks, Jonathan asked how many attendees were there for the first time, and about two thirds of the room raised their hands!
I left at a more reasonable time, this time, and bid many farewell’s after breakfast. Descending the front steps of the hotel again, this time I was humming ‘Beau Koo Jack’ from Andy’s Earl Hines set. Patti, Russell, Jonathan, Colin and Michael put together another amazing festival this year, and I wish it wasn’t already Monday. I’m coming back next year!
Peter Ho - a musician and a globe-trotting jazz enthusiast.
An article from The Syncopated Times - January 2026.
