A History of the Newport Jazz Festival – Chapter VIII: Fortress in the Wings, 1972-1980

After the destructive summer of 1971, George Wein wanted to keep the legacy of the Newport Jazz Festival alive but realized any continuation needed to take place elsewhere. He ultimately decided upon relocating the event 180 miles South West to New York City. By the early 1970s, the once-great home for jazz was in artistic disrepair. The clubs on 52nd Street and elsewhere that once played a central role in the creation of art increasingly shuttered. There were hopes by some that the event, now called Newport Jazz Festival New York, could turn things around once moved there. With a broader geographic landscape available, it also expanded to nine days with concerts across the metropolis. 

The 1972 edition began on July 1st, with both Philharmonic Hall and Carnegie Hall presenting “Schlitz Salute to Jazz.” The first included Billy Eckstine, Sarah Vaughn, Max Roach, and the Giants of Jazz – Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, Al McKibbon, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Stitt, and Kai Winding. The other, Stan Getz, Pharoah Sanders, and the Modern Jazz Quartet. At midnight, the two converged for a large jam session at Radio City Music Hall. The next day brought the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band on the Staten Island Ferry. On July 4th, Charles Mingus presented his orchestra at Philharmonic Hall. That evening, Ornette Coleman debuted Skies of America with Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, Ed Blackwell, and the American Symphony Orchestra. A version with the London Symphony Orchestra (Columbia, 1973) was later released. Simultaneously, over at Radio City was Miles Davis’ Sextet, McCoy Tyner’s Quintet, and Sonny Rollins’ Quartet. Later that week at Carnegie Hall, John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra performed songs from the recent Inner Mounting Flame (Columbia, 1971) at a concert that additionally headlined Cannonball Adderley and Oscar Peterson.

Although only breaking even financially, there were enough indicators that the Festival could function in its new city and planning began for the following year. One of 1973’s best moments was a reunion of Benny Goodman with his original Quartet – Lionel Hampton, Gene Krupa, and Teddy Wilson – at Carnegie Hall. It was the first time the ensemble had played together in many years. And the venue was significant; the last time they were there was for their historic concert in 1938. Slam Stewart joined in on bass. 

With the city renaming the Singer Bowl in Flushing Meadow Park to “Louis Armstrong Stadium,” July 4th’s all-star night of performances – everyone from those like Arvell Shaw, who played with him, to Sun Ra – was dedicated to Satchmo. There was also a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald at Carnegie Hall with the Chick Webb Orchestra. It was later released as one of the singer’s finest albums: Ella Fitzgerald Newport Jazz Festival Live At Carnegie Hall (Columbia, 1973).

That is not to say the Festival focused solely on older sounds. Donny Hathaway, George Benson, Larry Coryell, Pat Martino, Keith Jarrett, Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack, Ramsey Lewis,  War, Freddie Hubbard, Jack DeJohnette, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Return to Forever, and Weather Report were among those exploring new ground. Chuck Mangione, Grover Washington Jr., and Roy Ayers Ubiquity targeted a smoother sound, exploring the space between pop and jazz.  Gato Barbieri fused Latin music with avant-garde experimentalism; three months later he would release Chapter One: Latin America (Impulse!, 1973). Ray Charles took part in “The Hallelujah Chrous’ The Life and Times of Ray Charles,” written by James Baldwin. Portions were captured on Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Staple Singers, and Ray Charles Recorded Live At Newport In New York (Buddah Record, 1973).

After the presentation of so many major concerts the previous year, 1974 was scaled back. Although ten days, the number of events was about half the quantity of those in 1973. They were no less artistically ambitious. The tribute to Ella Fitzgerald found an analogue in one to Sarah Vaughn. Another tribute, to Charlie Parker, included Jay McShann, Billy Eckstine, Earl Hines, Dizzy Gillespie, and the Wein-led New York Jazz Repertory Company. There was a series of solo piano sets by Eubie Blake, Bill Evans, Jess Stacy, Marian McPartland, Teddy Wilson, McCoy Tyner, Keith Jarrett, and others. Herbie Hancock, showcasing various synthesizers, provided one as well. He also appeared with his Headhunters group, a year after their epic recording (Columbia, 1973). The Festival concluded at Radio City Music Hall with a battle between drummers Buddy Rich, Max Roach, Art Blakey, and Elvin Jones, a performance by Diana Ross who had recently portrayed once Newport songstress Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues  (Paramount, 1972), and a jam session including Milt Hinton, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Charles Mingus, and Clark Terry. 

By 1975, several jazz clubs began reopening in New York. It would appear predictions that the Newport Jazz Festival’s moving there could help spur a revival were proving correct. The success spawned new Festivals as well, including Sam Rivers’ Summer Music Festival, which further strengthened the artistic scene. That summer, Wein’s event brought Thelonious Monk’s and Keith Jarrett’s Quartets. For the former, now in failing health, it was his first scheduled concert performance in two years. “Schlitz Salute to the Jazz Hall of Fame” took a cross-disciplinary approach by combining film and live performance with several musical elders. 

At Avery Fisher Hall, Miles Davis provided one of his last performances before a five-year retirement from music later that year. 

This was after significant efforts to return the trumpeter to music. Although the pianist was only in his thirties, the 1976 Jazz Festival included a three-part Herbie Hancock retrospective. It was to feature reunions of Miles’ Second Great Quintet, the Mwandishi band, and the Headhunters. Booking the first group, however, did not go as planned. Ron Carter and Tony Williams were on board. At first, Davis seemed to be as well, though ultimately changed his mind and chose not to participate. In response, Hancock reached out to Freddie Hubbard to see if he would be willing to step into the role for a very special one-time performance. The result was V.S.O.P., whose performance became a self-titled release (Columbia, 1977). Despite its name, listeners loved the ensemble so much that they would end up producing four more live recordings, a studio one, and a tour.  

The 1976 Festival also brought jazz back to 52nd Street. Although the music has undergone a resurgence across the city, the block between 5th and 6th Avenue that once housed clubs like The Onyx and The Famous Door was now littered with high-rise office buildings and immune from these forces. In some sense of symbolic beauty, Festival Productions would have a daytime fair presenting one of the nation’s great contributions to the world immediately after Independence Day of the Bicentennial year. The no admission fee’s lineup included Sonny Stitt, Barry Harris, Roy Haynes, Sam Rivers, Clark Terry, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Zoot Sims, Gary Bartz, Hannibal Marvin Peterson’s Sunrise Orchestra, and South Africa’s The Jazz Ministers. 

There were four evenings at Carnegie Hall honoring Duke Ellington. The exemplary bandleader had died two years prior and his longtime trumpeter Ray Nance did so as well in early 1976. The Festival also extended its footprint to Waterloo Village in Stanhope, New Jersey, a site of historical significance during the American Revolution as it provided supplies to George Washington’s Continental Army. 

Salsa played a significant role in the 1977 Festival, beginning with a free concert by Eddie Palmieri at Washington Square Park. Tipica 73, Machito and his Afro-Cubans, Bobby Rodriguez and Company, and the Tito Puente Orchestra filled out portions of the year’s remaining eleven days. 

But that summer’s edition was primarily dedicated to Erroll Garner, who passed away that past January. At Carnegie Hall, both Sarah Vaughn and Thad Jones included tributes to the late pianist. A programming block titled  “Solo Flight” in the same space was inspired by his pioneering solo works. Gary Burton, Joe Venuti, John Lewis, Charles Mingus, Art Blakey, Joe Pass, and Steve Swallow each individually tested the limits of their instrument as a monologuing tool. There were separate solo piano concerts there as well, featuring Earl “Fatha” Hines, Teddy Wilson, George Shearing, and Adam Makowicz. Oscar Peterson played his first unaccompanied solo piano concert. 

Elsewhere, Nina Simone, now living in Switzerland, performed twice. There were career retrospectives for both Hines and Ornette Coleman. The iconic saxophonist’s series to sold-out crowds first featured his original quartet with Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Billy Higgins. It then moved to his sextet with Dewey Redman, James “Blood” Ulmer, Ed Blackwell, and David Izenson. It then concluded with his newest group, the free-funk Prime Time, off of their Dancing in Your Head release (Horizon, 1977). 

But the 1977 Newport Jazz Festival lacked the power and influence it once had when it first came to New York City. George Wein missed the serene beauty of Newport which could not be replicated in a massive urban area. He briefly explored moving the event to Saratoga Springs, New York to obtain the feel he sought, but ultimately decided upon only having some concerts there with the rest staying put. 

1978 marked the 25th anniversary of the Newport Jazz Festival’s inaugural event. To celebrate, a mini-festival was held before the scheduled proceedings in Washington D.C. Taking place on the grounds of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the White House Jazz Festival brought many artists – ranging from Eubie Blake to Cecil Taylor – to perform for President Carter the day after he signed the Panama Canal Treaty. Charles Mingus, now at the end of his life, was in attendance as well. 

Back in New York, Latin music played a major role at that summer’s festival. “A Schlitz Salute to Jazz Latino” brought Tito Puente’s Orchestra, Machito’s Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, and Mongo Santamaria. An exhibit on the roots of Latin music at Lincoln Center presented numerous historically important instruments and other items from Central and South American cultures. Cuban band Irakere, led by Chuch Valdes and Paquito D’Rivera had a show as well. Joining them was a young trumpeter named Arturo Sandoval. At Avery Fisher Hall was “Brazillian Nights” featuring Charlie Byrd, João Gilberto, Stan Getz, and a duet with Flora Purim and Airto Moriera.

Elsewhere, Max Roach, Ted Curson, and Hellen Merrill hosted a tribute to Clifford Brown. There was another 52nd Street Festival, this time with significant avant-garde representation by Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, and Sam Rivers. Dave Brubeck, McCoy Tyner, Bill Evans, Mary Lou Williams, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Ella Fitzgerald, Gary Burton, Sonny Rollins, and Dexter Gordon also took part, among others. Two nights of performances were dedicated to Chick Corea, with one culminating in a piano duet with Hancock. 

Saratoga Springs saw a tribute to Mingus featuring young artists Michael Brecker and John Scofield. Additionally, there was a 12-hour salute to the Festival’s anniversary with nine big bands – Count Basie, Maynard Ferguson, Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, Mercer Ellington, Dave Chesky,  and the New York Jazz Repertory Company. And, with that, the Saratoga Jazz Festival, which continues to this day, was born. 

Meanwhile, in Newport, there remained significant demand for the event’s return. During its absence, several concert promoters attempted to produce their own. Newport Jazz ‘78 is one of the more memorable of these. 

Like Sid Bernstein in 1960, it boasted a stellar lineup but lacked the magic of the Newport Jazz Festival. Perhaps most notable about the Banzini Brothers’ effort was the venue selected. Fort Adams is a military stronghold built to repel primarily British invaders. Half-way between Boston and New York, it was intended to ensure any incoming brigades would struggle to hit both major cities. Construction on the current structure, formed primarily of granite to repel cannon fire, began in 1824 and was completed by 1857. It once housed 468 canons and 2,400 soldiers; more than any other of its day. During the Second World War, it was decked with 90 mm guns, a handful of 40 mm guns, and .50 caliber machine guns. However, throughout its history, it never actually saw any combat.  In later years the Fort was decommissioned and fell into disrepair due to the elements and vandalism. By 1965, it was decommissioned and, along with the nearby Eisenhower House, where the former president once vacationed, were turned into a state park. Eventually, cleanup work had proceeded to the point that the Bonzini brothers and others could safely host public gatherings there. In many ways, the spot where men once trained for war is a perfect music venue to send messages of peace and love. Surrounded by water, there are only limited ways into the area by land, something that once strategic military advantage could now be used to keep away unruly mobs that attacked the 1960, 1965, 1969, and 1971 Festivals. The peninsula also provided one of the most beautiful views on the island, with boats passing by in front of the Newport Bridge – in 1992 it was named after former U.S. Senator and supporter of the Festivals, Claiborne Pell – arched over the historic Rose Island lighthouse. 

Despite this recent development in Newport, the Jazz Festival did not return in 1979. A new event was added to Festival Production Inc’s portfolio: The Playboy Jazz Festival in Los Angeles. But the Newport Jazz Festival remained in New York. The final Festival of the 1970s included a “Salute to Black Broadway. 1900‐1945” which honored African-American theater from the era. “The Star Dust Road: A Hoagy Carmichael Jubilee” celebrated the then octogenarian composer hosted by Bob Crosby. There were tributes to Billie Holiday and Muddy Waters. Another evening presented Pat Metheny’s Quartet with Jaco Pastorious followed by a solo set by the bassist. 

In 1980, longtime sponsor Schlitz had undergone management changes and decided it would no longer support the Jazz Festival. A new one was found in Kool cigarettes, a company that Festival Productions Inc. had collaborated with on numerous other events across the country. That summer brought tributes to Charlie Parker, Eddie Jefferson, and Fred Astaire. “The Blues Is a Woman” presented female vocalists of the style – Big Mama Thornton, Nell Carter, Adelaide Hall, and Koko Taylor- who were often unfairly overlooked primarily due to their gender. 

Later that year, however, KOOL’s parent Brown & Williamson approached George Wein, requesting he abandon the Newport moniker. The company’s concern was that the name was shared with a competing brand owned by the Lorillard Tobacco Company. The producer reluctantly agreed but also started plans to return the Festival to Rhode Island, this time at Fort Adams, while keeping the New York version running. In many ways, the Lorillard name that first brought the Festival to Aquidneck Island was, coincidentally, the same to hasten its return. After almost a decade, The Newport Jazz Festival was returning home.

Significant portions of this chapter were adapted from George Wein’s autobiography (written with Nate Chinen) ‘Myself Among Others’ (Da Capo Press, 2004), ‘Possibilities’ by Herbie Hancock (with Lisa Dickey) (Viking, 2014), and ‘50: The Newport Jazz Festival, 1954-2004’.