Interviews

At Heart: A Conversation with Fred Wesley on his Incredible Career and a Preview of his 2024 Newport Jazz Festival Performance

There are few people funkier than Fred Wesley. As James Brown increasingly turned from Soul Brother Number One into the…

1 year ago

In Its Own Backyard: A Conversation with Newport Festivals Foundation’s Music Education Manager Leland Baker on his Role and SUNDAY JAZZ

It is all too easy for a misguided person to view the Newport Festivals as events that attempt to be…

1 year ago

Bringing Together: Rob Garza Previews Thievery Corporation’s 2024 Newport Jazz Festival Performance

Music has a unique ability to unite humanity. As Ella Fitzgerald once noted, "Music is the universal language…. it brings…

1 year ago

Melting Pot of Old and Young: A Conversation with Newport Festivals Security’s Ron Cudworth

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Newport Jazz Festival’s founding in 1954. But the history is not as…

1 year ago

Engagement: A Conversation with Lakecia Benjamin on ‘Phoenix Reimagined (Live)’

There is something special about a live recording compared to one edited in the studio. An increased openness to risk…

1 year ago

Vessel: A Conversation with Deron Johnson on Miles Davis and ‘Free to Dance’

From where does music derive? Some would argue the artist is the sole cause of their own creations. But, to…

1 year ago

Weaving: A Conversation with Janel Leppin

As an art form, weaving requires different threads to combine into one to create a sturdier whole cloth. How the…

1 year ago

Saving the Duck: A Conversation with Alfredo Colón on ‘Blood Burden’

Self-expression lies at the heart of all art. Creation that fails to reflect the artist's spirit will never be able…

1 year ago

Double Bill : A Conversation with Bill Frisell and Bill Morrison

Albert Einstein once remarked, “Art is standing with one hand extended into the universe and one hand extended into the…

1 year ago

Freeing the Lion: A Conversation with James Blood Ulmer on Harmolodics and the Black Rock Trio

Great artists have honed a sound that is identifiable regardless of the environment surrounding them. The truly brilliant, however, are…

1 year ago