Resisting retirement: Hugh Willey’s love for jazz

By Linda Engelhard

Sun contributor

Louis Armstong said, “Musicians don’t retire; they stop when there’s no more music in them.” By that measure, Hugh Willey has certainly not retired because he still lives and breathes music. At age 94, he still plays at his home and at Trinity Church in Northport, and if you walk with him, he will likely treat you to a vocal version of a favorite jazz tune.

Hugh’s love of music began as a six-year-old boy in El Cerrito, California, one of six children in a musical family. Hugh remembers his older brother Vern playing some up-tempo tunes that caught his interest. One was “Small Fry,” the mention of which prompts Hugh to sing the lyrics without missing a beat.

“Small fry, strutting by the pool room

Small fry, should be in the school room

My, my, put down that cigarette

You ain’t a grown up high and mighty yet.”

So how did this small fry from El Cerrito end up as a regular at the Park Place Hotel and the Sugar Loaf Resort for so many years?

When Hugh was eight, he and his younger brother took traditional piano lessons and continued for several years while also beginning to play saxophone in their elementary school. An older boy at school, a talented trumpet player, introduced the Willey brothers to “Elmer’s Tune,” a popular Glenn Miller song. By the time Hugh was in junior high, he and his brothers were part of a 14-member big band. When the family moved to nearby Richmond, they studied piano with another teacher who lived in town. She joined the family for dinner one night and was stunned when Hugh and his brother sat down and launched into the boogie woogie music they loved so much.

Hugh encountered his elementary school music teacher again while in high school when they were on stage together, and the teacher put him on the spot by asking him to hit an A flat. It was a test, of sorts, to demonstrate that Hugh has perfect pitch, a gift shared by all five of his siblings. Not only did they play instruments together, but his brothers and sister sang in close harmony for a church member who recorded them in his studio.

When Hugh was 16, his father took him shopping for a piano in Oakland and San Francisco. He chose a 6’4” red mahogany piano that filled the home with sound. He remembers the encouragement he received from his brothers. His older brother Lyle gave him special attention, taking him for hikes in the El Cerrito hills and on outings to check out cars. Tragedy struck when Lyle died on the USS Intrepid during World War II.

During his Amy days, Hugh met lots of musician friends. One of them, Norby, was a horn player from Racine, Wisconsin. And when Hugh left the army, another friend, a talented sax player, encouraged him to drive to Chicago and meet with a booking agent. After Hugh auditioned, the agent sent him to play with bands at small venues in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. His worst experience was at a lakeside resort in Iowa where he was directed to a piano that hadn’t been tuned in years. The band couldn’t even tune to it, and at the end of the night, Hugh wished he could roll that insufferable piano down into the lake. He finally was booked at a popular club in Wibaux, Montana. People drove from North Dakota to gamble in Montana, and Hugh has fond memories of playing boogie woogie music with his brother and other talented band members as one of the waiters danced and twirled his serving tray to the music. After 10 weeks of performing in Wibaux, the gig ended and Hugh made his way to Traverse City to look for regular work.

In Traverse City, MichCon hired Hugh, first to work in the office and later as a meter reader. He thoroughly enjoyed the freedom of being outdoors and walking from house to house, but he never walked away from the music he loved. At night, he often played with his own quartet. For five years, he was a regular, playing at the Park Place Hotel. He has high praise for his fellow musicians like Joe Bloom who played drums in Traverse City and a chief of police who played bass and had moved from Detroit to Mount Pleasant. Hugh has a knack for making friends wherever he goes.

One of Hugh’s friends convinced him to travel to Florida with her to find a piano. At a shop south of Tampa, he found a 4’11” Pearl River piano. He sat down and played “Lady Be Good” and was awed by the sound and the touch of that piano. Hugh remembers the owner commenting that he played in the same style as Oscar Peterson. Two weeks later, they returned to the shop, where Hugh’s friend bought the piano and moved it into her home. When Hugh visited her, she opened her home as a music salon and invited friends and music lovers to hear Hugh play to raise money for the music program at a nearby college. After he had returned to Michigan, Hugh saw the same model of piano in a Traverse City music store. He asked the store owner to tune the piano so that he could compare the sound of that piano to the one that he loved in Florida. It was equally as good, so he bought it. That piano, currently in Hugh’s home, was tuned recently and his ongoing excitement is evident in his smiling eyes.

In Traverse City, Hugh began working with junior high children who shared his enthusiasm for jazz. A friend who belonged to the Masonic Lodge allowed him to use the building as his studio on Saturdays, and soon he formed bands that started performing around Traverse City and Leelanau County. “Barney Google” was an audience favorite and at the mention of the title, Hugh sings the tune perfectly with some scat singing thrown in for fun.

Hugh was a cheerleader for young musicians. He brought them to perform at schools and clubs including the Sugar Loaf Resort and the Park Place Hotel. Another favorite event was the Northport Wine Festival at the Northport Marina. Hugh remembers a tenor sax student named Tom who had been hesitant to improvise from the melody line, but with time, his confidence grew. When Hugh’s quartet played at the wine festival, Tom joined them and let loose to wild cheers from the audience.

After 30 years with MichCon, Hugh and his wife retired and bought a modular home in Cherry Home Shores. He had more time to work with students and pursue the music he loved. He loved sitting in with the Suttons Bay High School band and working with the students. His eyes light up when he remembers first meeting student Andy Wheelock, who was standing next to a vibraphone without any printed music. When Hugh asked him how he managed playing the big band piece without music, Andy replied that he had a pretty good ear. Andy continues to exercise that good ear as Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Wyoming. Hugh’s commitment to music and jazz education is evident through his work with so many young people. When asked about Hugh, Andy shared these memories:

“I met Hugh Willey in the band room at Suttons Bay High School during my freshman year of high school in 2004. For some reason or another, Hugh saw potential in me and over the next 10 years generously gave of his spirit, time, and experiences while teaching me the skills needed to work as a Jazz musician. My summers from that point on were spent playing and recording alongside Mr. Willey all over Leelanau County at summer festivals in Northport, outdoor gigs in Leland, and church performances in Omena to name a few. I am forever grateful for the time and experiences Mr. Willey gave to me as a young musician and I can say without hesitation that I would not be where I am today without the support and guidance of such a masterful musician. I, Leelanau County, and the Jazz industry are blessed to have Hugh Willey!”

Hugh Willey shares his love of jazz with students and adults alike, including his daughters, three grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Several years ago, his daughter in California invited a group of friends to hear Hugh play. They brought in a Yamaha electric piano, and Hugh was amazed at how his fingers flew across the keys. He wishes Leelanau County would sponsor more opportunities to hear jazz. He appreciates the efforts of Suttons Bay band teacher Dante Billeci to bring MSU jazz bands for concerts and hopes that local event organizers will plan more frequent jazz concerts in the future. Two of Hugh’s local friends produced a documentary called “For the Love of Music” which is available on YouTube, so fans can enjoy Hugh’s music virtually.

If you are fortunate, you may hear Hugh play in person at Trinity Church in Northport. In December, he was scheduled to play a jazz arrangement of “Winter Wonderland” at the Community Advent Afternoon. When he sat down at the piano, the music that came out was “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” The audience, slightly puzzled, applauded loudly anyway. Two weeks later, Hugh stood at Trinity on a Sunday morning and asked if he could offer an apology. He explained that prior to coming for the Advent program, he had been battling a new, complicated thermostat. He was frustrated, his house was cold, and he was in no mood to play Christmas music. The honesty he brings to his music was evident. His friends at Trinity applauded warmly and assured him that no apology was needed because Hugh Willey and his music are always welcome.

The Glen Arbor Sun, which celebrates 30 years in 2025, is a free community publication supported by local advertisers and subscribers. Thanks for your readership and support.