Do you ever wish you could step back in time? Watching old movies is a wonderful way to travel to another era. Visiting a historic location, especially one which has been carefully restored and preserved, can transport you through its classic beauty. However, the mood is often spoiled by the trappings of modern life, like current music being piped through the speakers, screens attached to every wall, and people in styleless contemporary clothes.

Amazingly, there are events where old souls can gather to relive the glamour and beauty of past eras. Here in Southern California, a thriving culture of vintage fashion enthusiasts, Art Deco experts, swing dancers, and old movie afficionados has created the demand for specialized destinations and events. For instance, the historic Queen Mary is now hosting recurring vintage dances with live music.

Alex Mendham and His Orchestra

What’s a dance without music? The technology of recording sounds and preserving them on records, cassette tapes, CDs, and now digital files is a wondrous one. It’s amazing to listen to the music which was popular generations ago, but it’s not the same as experiencing live music as its being made. That’s why vintage culture enthusiasts flock to any event where Jazz Age, big band, or swing era music is being played live. Certain bands gain a terrific following because of their style, technique, and historic authenticity.

Alex Mendham and His Orchestra is one of the top groups in the Art Deco scene. This British-based group was started by Mendham when he was only 20 years old. This young saxophone player and vocalist was inspired by the music of the 1920s dance bands, and he learned firsthand from the last surviving musicians in these bands. He started his band in 2010 at the age of 20 after pitching the idea to London’s Savoy Hotel about becoming their ballroom’s resident band. As they perfected their style, collaboration, and musicianship, the band became very popular. Since then, they’ve traveled the world, playing at London’s Ritz Hotel, Belgium’s Kursaal Oostende Concert Hall, Russia, Venice, and, more locally, Los Angeles’s glamorous Cicada Club.

This summer, Alex Mendham and His Orchestra began a new residency. They played for two special events on the Queen Mary in the beautiful Queen’s Salon on July 27 and August 31. These events proved very popular, as the Art Deco crowd flocked from all over Southern California (and beyond) to enjoy the luxurious music and cultured atmosphere aboard the shore-bound ship. In fact, the August event was sold out a week in advance, as friends and followers of those who attended the July dance were keen to see the Mendham Orchestra live for only $40 per ticket. Because of the popularity of these two dances, a third dance was announced for the month of September, making the Mendham events an ongoing series instead of one-time or two-time events.

The Queen Mary

The Queen Mary began as a British ocean liner, the RMS Queen Mary. Named after the queen consort of King George V, the ship ironically made its maiden voyage the last year this queen and her husband were on the throne. The Queen Mary set sail from Southampton on May 27, 1936. It would have three glamorous years as a passenger luxury vessel before the outbreak of World War II forced it into military service as a troop ship. After the war, the Queen Mary resumed its former glory as a fast, elegant ocean liner. It remained such until 1967, when its owners, the Cunard Line, decided to sell it to the city of Long Beach, California. Since December 1967, the Queen Mary has been moored in the Long Beach harbor, operating on the shore’s utilities.

Starting in 1971, the ship became a tourist destination, changing owners and managers many times over the years. In May 2020, the ship ceased operations because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Shortly thereafter, the Queen Mary’s owner filed bankruptcy and auctioned off its lease. Since 2021, the ship has again been under the management of the city of Long Beach. After millions of dollars were spent on repairing and restoring the ship, it reopened to the public in April 2023 after opening for limited tours the December before.

On Sept. 26, 2024, the 90th anniversary of when the ship was launched and named the Queen Mary by King George V and Queen Mary was celebrated. It would be two years before the ship was completed and seaworthy, but this was an important event. To honor this anniversary, Alex Mendham’s third monthly shipboard dance was hosted on a Thursday evening instead of a Saturday. Mendham honored the regal ship’s legacy by playing mostly songs which were originally written or debuted in 1936, the year it set sail.

A Glamorous Event

I thoroughly enjoyed attending this dance. I’ve seen many jazz bands at these vintage dances before, but Alex Mendham and His Orchestra is by far the best I’ve seen. While many of the guests come to these types of events in carefully preserved vintage clothing and authentically reproduced hairstyles and makeup from the 1920s or 30s, the music often sounds more like the 1950s or 60s. It often tends to be brass-heavy and over-amplified, evocative of early rock-and-roll rather than Jazz Age or Big Band Era music.

In contrast, I was delighted by Mendham’s historical accuracy. He chose some of my favorite 1930s songs as well as a few delightfully unusual 1920s tunes I’d never heard before. The band members looked exquisite, wearing authentic tuxedos (or an evening gown, in the case of the lady violinist); many of them event sported thin mustaches. Alex Mendham himself was the star of the show. In his white tie and tails, he looked as debonaire as any 1930s movie star. The newly acquired pencil-thin mustache and charming British accent reminded me of British actor David Niven. His vocals were impressively authentic for the 1930s sound, and he was engaging and charismatic as the master of ceremonies. The audience was enjoying dancing to the music so much that the band happily played for almost an hour over the scheduled time!

At the dance, Alex proudly announced that the Queen Mary event would be an ongoing residency for his orchestra, which was met with great enthusiasm. They will skip October because of Halloween but will be back on Saturday, Nov. 9, from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and then on Dec. 28 for the final event of the year. I can’t wait to go to another of these thrilling events and enjoy the live music, energetic dancing, and inspiring company of other people who appreciate the culture and fashion of a bygone era.

For more information about Alex Mendham’s future events, visit his website.