The journeys in life can be just as important – if not more so – than the destinations. Music, inherently a mirror of our existence, is no different. In the words of Phillip Glass, “Every piece of music is a journey, a path that winds through the listener’s mind and spirit.” In the right hands, […]
Before setting anchor at a fortress by the sea. Before fencing the sprawling field beneath a problematic hill. Before cramming into a small stonewalled park. The Newport Casino was where, in 1954, George Wein and the Lorrilards made possible the idea of a jazz festival in the Sailing Capital of the World. Built between 1879 […]
In 1963, Gunther Schuller coined the term Third Stream to identify what he saw as “a new genre of music located about halfway between jazz and classical music.” Third Stream was more than merely tacking strings onto jazz pieces or improvising in otherwise classical scores. Instead, it was intended to be a musical style that […]
In the history of improvised music, few figures have brought the music to new audiences as much as George Wein. While the producer did not create the concept of a music festival – they date back to ancient Greece – one can draw a clear dividing line between the time before George Wein and after. […]
One criticism occasionally levied against the more recent editions of the iconic Newport Jazz Festival is that it somehow abandoned its mooring in jazz. A pseudo-purist faction asserts that the music that first put George Wein’s festival on the map was discarded years ago. But this perspective is deeply flawed. For one, it ignores the […]
The Newport Jazz Festival has survived seven decades primarily due to how forward-looking it has been. The event has generally recognized talent above notoriety. If you present high-quality artistry, people will support it. Many of the greats tied to the Newport legacy made their most important appearances when they were underrecognized or overlooked. Before placing […]
As the legendary Newport Jazz Festival turns seventy years old, it is all too easy to look back at the ages passed and the brilliant artists who made their way to the City by the Sea. However, sole nostalgia does little to push the music forward. That is not to say that lessons should not […]
We continue our conversation with NEA Jazz Master Stanley Clarke. You can read part one here. PostGenre: You were one of the first people to fully take the electric bass from the background rhythm section to being featured as a melodic instrument. Do you have a sense of why musicians did not do that previously? […]
After first being mass-produced by Fender in the 1950s, the electric bass, for many years, found a home in only the rhythm section. Its full power, to some extent, was obfuscated from view. Then came Stanley Clarke. Across his work with Return to Forever, the seminal fusion band he co-founded with Chick Corea, and records […]
According to a 2015 Nielsen report, “jazz” makes up a paltry 1.3% of total music consumption in the United States. This dire statistic suggests that the art form’s reach is relegated to its small clique of loyal followers. Fortunately, the value of art lies not in its commercial properties. Far more relevant than dollar signs […]
