Special Series

Tradition Fuels the Future: A Conversation with Artistic Director Christian McBride on the Newport Jazz Festival at Seventy

The Newport Jazz Festival has survived seven decades primarily due to how forward-looking it has been. The event has generally…

3 months ago

Room For It All: Braxton Cook Previews ‘Newport at 70’

As the legendary Newport Jazz Festival turns seventy years old, it is all too easy to look back at the…

3 months ago

Forever: Stanley Clarke Previews N•4EVER’s Performance at the 2024 Newport Jazz Festival (Part Two)

We continue our conversation with NEA Jazz Master Stanley Clarke. You can read part one here. PostGenre: You were one…

3 months ago

Forever: Stanley Clarke Previews N•4EVER’s Performance at the 2024 Newport Jazz Festival (Part One)

After first being mass-produced by Fender in the 1950s, the electric bass, for many years, found a home in only…

3 months ago

Fearless: A Conversation with Donny McCaslin on David Bowie, Elvis Costello, and the Newport Jazz Festival

According to a 2015 Nielsen report, “jazz” makes up a paltry 1.3% of total music consumption in the United States.…

4 months ago

Trumpet Evolution: Riley Mulherkar Previews his 2024 Newport Jazz Festival Leader Debut

In his speech to the Royal Academy on April 30, 1953, Winston Churchill remarked, "Without tradition, art is a flock…

4 months ago

Truly Magical Place: Jaleel Shaw Previews his 2024 Newport Jazz Festival Leader Debut

The Newport Jazz Festival’s history of saxophonists is vast, including heroes like John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and Ornette Coleman. What…

4 months ago

Prepared Piano with a Brazilian Identity: Amaro Freitas Previews his 2024 Newport Jazz Performance

Biologist and naturalist E.O. Wilson once noted, "Destroying rainforest for economic gain is like burning a Renaissance painting to cook…

4 months ago

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…

4 months 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…

4 months ago