Wow! What a weekend. Newark’s 2010 coalition-style Jazz Festival showed, once again, what can be achieved when everyone works together...

The hired piano couldn’t go back straight away because the keys were still white hot after Jeff Barnhart’s searing sessions through Saturday. The standard set by the jaw-dropping opening Enrico Tomasso Sextet never dropped, through the mesmerising Curios set all the way to Tim Garland’s life-changing concert with Derby’s young Hot House Big Band. It reduced grown men to tears. Honest!

And, either the coffee was great or the jazz was even better at Stray’s where there was standing (on shoulders) room only. Phew!

We expect several airports to be closed again after the the Brass Volcanoes erupted twice to packed houses at The Mayze, Festval-goers wandered giddily away from the Malt Shovel after being spun by Dizzy About Gillespie! and Tim Kliphuis had to lie down after his stonking Swing Improvisation workshop attracted ‘the widest variety of instruments and nationalities I’ve ever had the pleasure to teach in one session.’

The spectacularly decorated brollies were a Godsend during Sunday’s huge Jazz Parade - to provide shade from the blistering sun. Hundreds of children danced and swayed around the streets of Newark in pursuit of the exuberant Grand Marshall Sullivan Dabney and Andrew Hall’s Society Brass Band, showing us all how it’s done in New Orleans. The Mississippi meets the Trent again!

Brownhills Park & Ride was so busy that the bus driver had to shuttle faster than a fast shuttling thing to keep up with demand from the customers in their caravans and motorhomes.  

Strollers were out in force, flashing their (rather groovy-looking) Stroller passes on their lapels (hips, handbags, belts...) like it was this year’s must-have fashion item while they took in chilled Braziliian-flavoured jazz, New Orleans street and dance music, jaunty trad tunes, angular guitar trios, jazz standards from the exceptionally gorgeous chanteuses Karen Lake and Joanna Hudson - and the small band that plays like a big band 12-to-the-Bar.

The hallowed gates of Newark Town Club were opened wide to all-comers with their picnic boxes and blankets to laze on its expansive lawns in the sunshine to Bob Wilson’s Jazz Band. The Tim Kliphuis Trio entertained folk aged from 2 to 92 in the wonderful garage setting of our main sponsor Ann et Vin, where, later TJ Johnson brought proceeding to a late close with a magical mix of soulful blues, jazz, gospel...and anything else you can get a great song out of.

Oh, and David Newton wants to live in Newark (and - pinch! - no I didn’t dream that bit either!)

Watch out for some great photos in the coming weeks and be sure to post your comments » - we want your feedback, ideas, grumbles and of course praise!

Clear your diaries now for 2011 - May 20th-22nd - again, sponsored by Ann et Vin. See you all again then!