As nonsensical as it may seem in the abstract, sometimes ideological wars are a necessary step towards a renewed and invigorated community. This is certainly the case with the so-called “jazz wars” of the 1980s. After decades of further sonic expansion, one side came with a zealous desire to return the music to its roots. […]
Saxophonist and composer Jimmy Greene is recognized by many as a vital member of Ron Carter’s Foursight Quartet, which will be appearing at the 2025 Newport Jazz Festival. Greene has also established a solid career as a leader, having received a Grammy nomination and acknowledgment in the DownBeat Magazine Critics Poll. He also endured a […]
Of the world’s roughly eleven thousand bird species, there is something particularly special about the dove family. Dating back to at least the Miocene epoch, twenty-three to twenty-five million years ago, across its history, the dove has developed a unique status as a symbolic creature. Many of these connections first emerged in the Biblical story […]
With our review of the second day of the 2024 Newport Jazz Festival – read day one here – we continue to draw parallels between the musical greats of the past and the artists with us today. This analysis is not intended to minimize the distinctive individualism of either the legends no longer with us, […]
In making sense of the story of jazz, historians often craft a narrative that neatly divides into different generations and schools of thought. Revolutions in composition, improvisation, rhythm, and instrumentation each producing a distinctly novel area of music. While this perspective has some truth to it, the dividing lines between each era are often far […]
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 […]
Trumpeter/percussionist/bandleader/composer/educator Etienne Charles is mostly known for his Creole Soul band and orchestrations. On Gullah Roots (Culture Shock, 2025), the Trinidadian explores another culture with a rich history in Africa and the Trans-Atlantic slave trade between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. Gullah culture – also called Gullah Geechee – resides in a narrow strip of […]
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. […]
