A History of the Newport Jazz Festival – Chapter XV: Passing the Torch, 2009-2016

For most music festivals, the loss of a longtime sponsor could be a death knell.  After all, organizers killed the Newport Rhythm and Blues Festival due to its inability to maintain a steady sponsor. The death of the company hosting the event on top of it would be – for most – a certain end. While the Newport Jazz Festival’s health after both catastrophic events was less than guaranteed, it nevertheless persevered. The event’s continued vitality can be credited primarily to founder George Wein’s sharp business acumen and choice in professionals. 

As part of the sale of Festival Productions Inc. to the Festival Network, the 85-year-old Wein and his advisors insisted upon a clause that would allow the Newport Jazz and Newport Folk names and intellectual property to revert to him personally should the new venture fail. In the aftermath of its excessive spending and the worst economic downturn in generations, Festival Network ultimately defaulted on various contracts, including agreements with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management to use Fort Adams, causing the agency to terminate its contract with the festivals. 

Seizing upon this opportunity, Wein exercised the clause in his sale agreement to reclaim the Festivals and continue their legacy. Newport locals were so enthusiastic about Wein’s return, that a few formally organized Bridgefest, a series of events in the days between the Folk and Jazz Festivals. While they were not the first to provide inter-program scheduling, it has proved the most consistent. 

Assisting Wein in reclaiming the Festivals was Jay Sweet, a former editor of Paste Magazine who had a keen ear for emerging folk, Americana, and indie-rock artists. Sweet joined the Newport Folk Festival in 2007 as a consultant and ultimately became the Folk Festival’s producer. Wein increasingly relied upon Sweet for the continuance of the Folk Festival while he remained focused heavily on that more comfortably within his background, the Jazz Festival. On the Jazz side, Danny Melnick, an established festival presenter who worked with Festival Productions, Inc. served as associate producer. 

To compensate for JVC’s withdrawal, the Newport Jazz Festival found a sponsor in a medical technology company specializing in prescription drug distribution. CareFusion was a relatively new business, having spun off from Cardinal Health earlier in the year. The enterprise saw a two-year sponsorship of a high-profile event like the Newport Jazz Festival as an opportunity to spread awareness of its business before its public listing on the New York Stock Exchange in September of 2009. Despite behind-the-scenes struggles to present the event billed as George Wein’s Newport Jazz Festival 55, the 2009 offering was in many ways in line with what came before. Familiar artists included Roy Haynes, Branford Marsalis in duet with Joey Calderazzo, Joshua Redman, The Bad Plus (featuring vocalist Wendy Lewis), Hiromi, Brian Blade, Christian McBride, Cedar Walton with Lew Tabackin, Esperanza Spalding, and James Carter. Steven Bernstein, who last appeared at Newport with Sex Mob almost a decade earlier, presented his Millennial Territory Orchestra. Rudresh Mahanthappa showcased his Indo-Pak coalition with Rez Abbasi on sitar-guitar and Dan Weiss on tabla. Two years before releasing Bird Songs (Blue Note, 2011), Joe Lovano presented his USFive group. Dave Brubeck and Tony Bennett performed together on the main Fort Stage. In support of his album Historicity (ACT, 2009), Vijay Iyer presented his trio with Stephan Crump and Marcus Gilmore. 

Continuing the Festival’s history of looking beyond the confines of “jazz” was a performance by the rapper Mos Def. Backed by Watermelon Syndicate, a 12 member big band, the artist who would later become known as Yasiin Bey guided the audience through the space between conscious hip hop and jazz. The songs selected were in promotion of his most recent recording at the time, The Ecstatic (Downtown, 2009), which borrowed from a wide range of stylistic concepts from hip hop, soul, Eurodance, jazz, reggae, and music from Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. While not everyone in the audience fully appreciated the sounds presented, it hinted at some future hip hop presentations at Newport. 

The weekend began with a performance at the Tennis Hall of Fame and Newport Casino by Chaka Khan backed by the George Duke Trio. It was the first time at Newport for either. Other Newport debuts included those of singers Claudia Acuña and Jane Monheit. The avant-garde scene was represented well by the Newport debut of two acts- Ken Vandermark’s Vandermark 5 and a trio of Rashied Ali, Charles Gayle, and William Parker titled “By Any Means.” Miguel Zenon, who appeared with Branford Marsalis in 2004, made his Newport debut as a leader. Berklee College of Music established a tradition with the Newport Jazz Festival of co-presenting an up-and-coming artist, in this case, guitarist Roy Guzman.

Despite the initial difficulty of presenting the 2009 Festival, it proved a success. For the 2010 Festival, the small Waterside Stage was replaced with a much larger one, the Quad Stage. The new location was part of a nearly 6 1/2 acre field within the Fort’s walls; space once used for the training, housing, and recreation of soldiers.

Returning artists for the 2010 event included Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, George Wein’s Newport All-Stars, Jamie Cullum, Anat Cohen, Chris Botti, Julian Lage, Trio Da Paz, Jon Faddis, Ben Allison, and Matt Wilson. Ahmad Jamal, who once appeared at the 1960 Festival at Freebody Park, engaged in a solo piano performance. Jason Moran’s trio with bassist Taurus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits presented pieces from Ten (Blue Note, 2010). 

Nasheet Waits also provided drums for Dave Douglas’ Brass Ecstasy, an otherwise entirely horn-based group. Two trumpets, a french horn, a trombone, and a tuba provided unique instrumentation to the ensemble and new avenues of exploring composition. The performance was later released as United Front: Brass Ecstasy at Newport (Greenleaf, 2011). 

Ken Vandermark followed up his well-received performance at the 2009 festival with the music of another of his ensembles, Powerhouse Sound. The quartet fused avant-garde sensibilities with hues from funk, punk, rock, and reggae to create unique statements that are experimental but with a heavy groove. 

Also from the creative music scene was a trio of Marshall Allen, Matthew Shipp, and Joe Morris. 

Newport newcomers in 2010 included saxophonists Grace Kelly, David Binney, and J.D. Allen, violinist Mark O’Connor, pianist Arturo O’Farrill, vocalist Gretchen Parlato, and the trio, Fly- of Jeff Ballard, Larry Grenadier, and Mark Turner. Guitarist Rez Abbasi, part of Mahanthappa’s Indo-Pak coalition the previous summer, led his own trio. Composers and conductors Maria Schneider and Darcy James Argue incorporated new ideas into the ages-old big band context. As to the latter, he presented songs from Infernal Machines (New Amsterdam, 2009) in a set originally scheduled to feature Bob Brookmeyer as a guest. Unfortunately, the legendary trombonist who once appeared with the Jimmy Giuffre 3 in 1958 as shown on Jazz on a Summer’s Day would fall ill and be unable to perform; he died the following year.  

After the 2010 Festival, CareFusion chose not to renew its sponsorship. The stated reason had little to do with the success of the event or its artistic merit. Instead, the initial agreement was primarily to draw attention to the company and, finding that goal accomplished, sponsorship no longer served its purpose. By 2015, CareFusion would cease to exist after a merger with medical technology conglomerate Becton Dickinson. A sponsor for the 2011 Festival was found in Natixis Investment Managers, an American French-based global asset management company. 

Throughout this time, George Wein, now in the tail end of his 80s, increasingly focused on the future of both the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals and his succession plan to keep them going for generations to come. Out of these considerations emerged the formation of the Newport Festivals Foundation, a non-profit entity to organize and run both. In a fascinating move, the events which created corporate sponsorship shifted to not-for-profit status. The entity would begin producing the Festival starting in 2011 and the new structure opened the door for additional organizations to provide funding for the Festivals.

Such additional funding included grants by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. During her lifetime, Duke, a tobacco heiress, was actively involved in preserving historically significant buildings in Newport and engaged in various philanthropic efforts including supporting and educating Black students in the South who were disadvantaged because of their race. She was also herself a jazz pianist. 

The 2011 Festival began Friday, August 5th, at the Tennis Hall of Fame with Wynton Marsalis and Michael Feinstein with Noe Negri. Across Saturday and Sunday, Newport debuts included those of Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue (in two sets), the New Black Eagle Jazz Band, organist Joey DeFrancesco, John Hollenbeck’s Large Ensemble with special guest Uri Caine, and the irreverent avant-garde ensemble, Mostly Other People Do the Killing. Trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire’s quintet presented the music of his first major-label release When the Heart Emerges Glistening (Blue Note, 2011). 

Perhaps most surprisingly, 2011 marked the Newport debut of Steve Coleman. The saxophonist has been one of the most impactful composers in the idiom since the 1980s, with his M-Base approach playing a central organizing principle for several artists. But the saxophonist had not previously performed at the Festival. Coleman appeared with both a saxophone trio set with Ravi Coltrane and Miguel Zenon and with his own Five Elements ensemble. The latter- composed of Jen Shyu, Jonathan Finlayson, David Virelles, Thomas Morgan, and Tyshawn Sorey – explored music from around the globe, unique structures from nature, and jazz. One of their compositions was a cover of “Little Girl I’ll Miss You.” The song was composed by the often overlooked saxophonist, Bunky Green. Green also appeared that weekend with Rudresh Mahanthappa. 

The summer of 2011 marked the first and final appearance of Randy Weston since the 1958 Festival. Other returning performers included Eddie Palmieri, Michel Camilo, Angelique Kidjo, Avishai Cohen, Ravi Coltrane, Miguel Zenon, the Mingus Big Band, and Grace Kelly joined by Phil Woods. 

Esperanza Spalding – whose first Newport appearance as a leader was in 2008 – had finally received major media attention with Chamber Music Society (Heads Up, 2010) earning her a Grammy Award for Best New Artist. At the 2011 Newport Jazz Festival, she appeared with two ad hoc groups of other young musicians. 

Hiromi also performed in two sets – a solo performance and with her trio. Charles Lloyd explored the interplay between jazz and Indian music with his Sangam trio featuring Zakir Hussain and Eric Harland. Regina Carter’s Reverse Thread explored connections of the music to West Africa. 

Al Di Meola appeared with a paired back version of his World Sinfonia group as all but himself and Gonzalo Rubacalba encountered immigration issues at the time. Joshua Redman, Aaron Parks, Matt Penman, and Eric Harland presented the music from James Farm (Nonesuch, 2011).

But perhaps the most touching moment came in what audiences did not see. Dave Brubeck performed at Newport more times than any other artist. From his classic quartet to The Gates of Justice to duets with Wynton Marsalis or Tony Bennett, Brubeck appeared at Newport 36 times during the 56 years since his first booking there in 1955. He also played several times at George Wein’s Storyville. Now in his ninth decade, Brubeck was no longer a young man. For 2010’s lineup, the Festival had booked his sons’ Chris and Darius’ independently successful band, The Brubeck Brothers. The plan was to have Dave join them for a few tunes as a special guest. Initially waiting for his moment to take the stage, the pianist sat in a nearby car with George Wein, listening to his sons and their beautiful music. When it came time for him to step before the audience, the elder Brubeck chose instead to stay in the vehicle, taking pleasure in not just the music of his family but the presence of a nearly lifelong friend and colleague. It would be Dave Brubeck’s final moment at Newport; he passed away the following December. 

The 2012 Festival brought an Artist In Residence: Bill Frisell. The guitarist performed with three groups. One interpreted the music of the Beatles and John Lennon. Another was a unique collaboration between the guitarist and the trio The Bad Plus which paid homage to the recently departed Paul Motian. The final was a duet with violinist Jenny Scheinman blurring jazz, bluegrass, and Americana. 

Jack Dejohnette was also a significant presence at the 2012 Festival, with both his band – featuring Rudresh Mahanthappa, David Fiuczynski, George Colligan, and Jerome Harris – and an all-star collaborative – Colligan Lionel Loueke, Jason Moran, Christian McBride, Tim Ries, Lusito Quintero, and Jason Palmer. McBride also performed that weekend with his group, Inside Straight. Moran did as well, with his group, Bandwagon. Mahanthappa’s Samdhi set found him backed by Fusincki and his saxophone manipulated by a laptop in a sharp clash of jazz, Indian music, and fusion.

The large ensemble format found representation with the returns of Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society and Maria Schneider’s Orchestra and the Newport debuts of Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks and Ryan Truesdell’s Gil Evans Centennial Project. The last of these was particularly fascinating as it presented several previously unrecorded charts by one of the best arrangers to ever live. 

Recurring artists at the 2012 Festival included Dianne Reeves, Kurt Elling, Ambrose Akinmusire, James Carter, Pat Metheny, and John Hollenbeck, and Susan Tedeschi with the Tedeschi Trucks Band. Anat Cohen appeared with two groups – a trio of clarinetists alongside Ken Peplowski and Evan Christopher, and a band with her brothers Yuval and Avishai. Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas visited the music of Wayne Shorter with their band, Sound Prints. Miguel Zenon and pianist Laurent Coq provided an elegant soundtrack to writer Julio Cortazar’s book, Rayuela, featuring Dana Leong alternating between cello and trombone. 

First-time artists included Pedrito Martinez, Lewis Nash’s Quintet, and Dafnis Prieto’s Sextet. Vocalists Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens provided a unique set with guitarist Lionel Loueke. The year also started the Festival’s hosting of the Rhode Island or Massachusetts high school all-state jazz bands as a way to further musical education. 

The opening Friday night concert took a New Orleans focus with performances by Dr. John, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and a young and upcoming pianist, Jon Batiste. The city’s sounds were also represented at the Fort in the summer of 2012 with John Ellis’ Doublewide. 

The 2013 Festival began with performances by Natalie Cole and her uncle, Freddy Cole. Across the weekend, a heavy focus was placed on the intersection of jazz with the sounds of various cultures across the globe, something that in many ways has been on display at Newport since its inception. Rez Abbasi’s Trio was influenced by both jazz and the music of Pakistan. Harpist Edmar Castañeda returned with his latest compositions, tying jazz to the music of Colombia and Venezuela. Eddie Palmieri’s Salsa Orchestra and Michel Camilo’s Sextet emphasized Latin rhythms. The Berklee College of Music’s offering was a set by qanun player and vocalist Ali Amr. The Doris Duke Foundation funded an original work by trumpeter-santurist Amir ElSaffar’s Two Rivers Ensemble.

Another significant undercurrent to the 2013 Festival was the continued prowess of living legends. Wayne Shorter’s steady Quartet was augmented by Herbie Hancock in what, in all likelihood, will be Shorter’s final performance at Newport. Hancock also made a surprise visit to Terence Blanchard’s set. Saxophonist Bob Wilber was joined by Bill Charlap and Anat Cohen on the Harbor stage. Roy Haynes returned with his Fountain of Youth Band. The legacy of jazz guitar was showcased in a cross-generational conversation between Jim Hall and Julian Lage. Newport mainstay Lew Tabackin shared the music of his quartet. Steve Coleman headlined three projects; his Five Elements band, a moment with string group the Talea Ensemble, and a duet with pianist David Bryant. Chick Corea further developed the fusion sound which made him a household name in the 1970s with his new band, the Vigil. Marcus Miller’s iconic bass tone led his band in presenting music from Renaissance (Concord, 2012).

Other returning artists included Joshua Redman, Hiromi, Jon Batiste, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Robert Glasper and his Experiment blended ideas from jazz, hip hop, soul, and R&B in the songs from Black Radio (Blue Note, 2012), a tour of force album released the prior year. 

Newcomers included Gregory Porter and significant representation from the avant-garde with Ray Anderson’s Pocket Brass Band, Dee Alexander, and an artist who would take on great importance in that scene; Mary Halvorson. 

Donny McCaslin’s Group with Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre, and Mark Guliana performed songs from the acclaimed Casting for Gravity (Greenleaf, 2012), four years before their inclusion on David Bowier’s farewell message, Blackstar (ISO, 2016). 

First-timer David Gilmore’s Numerology ensemble was a superpowered affair with Claudia Acuna, Christian McBride, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Luis Perdomo, Miguel Zenon, and Mino Cinelu. 

And the Festival continued its investment in music education with the University of Rhode Island Big Band. 

In 2014, the Jazz Festival celebrated its 60th Anniversary. As part of its commemoration, a third day – Friday – was added to the event. It marked the first time the event had expanded its daytime offerings beyond just Saturday and Sunday since returning to Newport in 1981. Established artists including Miguel Zenon, Darcy James Argue, and Rudresh Mahanthappa – with the world premiere of his Charlie Parker project – performed that day. So did prolific composer-saxophonist John Zorn as part of something called Masada Marathon, a nine group – Masada, Abraxas, Bar Kokhba, Erik Friedlander on solo cello, the Masada String Trio, a duet of Sylvie Courvoisier and Mark Feldman, Cyro Baptista’s Banquet of the Spirits, Dreamers and Electric Masada – extravaganza spread across a three-hour block. 

But the new day of music primarily emphasized emerging artists. Most, including Jon Batiste, Mostly Other People Do The Killing, Amir El Saffar, and Vince Giordano had appeared at Newport previously. Two others, Cecile McLorin Salvant and Snarky Puppy, were at the Fort for the first time. 

Given the significant buzz over her vocal skills, McLorin Salvant also appeared on Saturday. The majority of the weekend, however, was composed of returning artists including Robert Glasper, Gregory Porter, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Trombone Shorty, Brian Blade, Pedrito Martinez, Dave Holland, Kurt Rosenwinkel, The Brubeck Brothers, the Mingus Big Band, Gary Burton, Ron Carter, Lee Konitz with Grace Kelly, and Ravi Coltrane.

Vijay Iyer led his new sextet with Graham Haynes, Steve Lehman, Mark Shim, Stephan Crump, and Tyshawn Sorey three years before Far From Over (ECM, 2017). Dick Hyman led a trio with Howard Alden and Jay Leonhart. There was a special cross-festival showcase with the Umbria Jazz Festival presenting a duet of pianist Stefano Bollani and bandolinist Hamilton De Holanda. 

The Cookers, a stellar assembly of artists – Eddie Henderson, Billy Harper, George Cables, Cecil McBee, Billy Hart, Donald Harrison, and David Weiss – as well known for their sidemen gigs as they are recordings under their own name, generated an electrifying set. 

The Django Festival All-Stars revisited the music of their namesake and Danilo Perez’s piano stylings spoke of his homeland with his group, Panama 500. David Sanborn returned to the Fort for the first time in sixteen years, this time alongside Joey DeFrancesco, Billy Hart, and Warren Wolf with the music from the ailing Bobby Hutcherson’s final album,  Enjoy the View (Blue Note, 2014).

In a throwback to the Festival’s earliest days, there was a symposium on Newport’s history over the past six decades. There was also a return of George Wein’s Newport All-Stars group and a special set by a touring band, the Newport Now 60 Band, formed to commemorate the anniversary. 

The weekend ended with Bobby McFerrin performing at Newport for the first time since 1991. This time, in support of Spirityouall (Sony, 2013), his interpretations of old Black spirituals. 

The 2015 Newport Jazz Festival further upped the ante of three days by adding a fourth stage to the Saturday and Sunday schedules.  Named after the club that started it all, the Storyville stage provided an intimate experience that was missing when the Waterside stage moved to the Quad. It is also the only indoor stage, taking over a small area formerly occupied by the Museum of Yachting, an institution dedicated to the region’s sailing history. 

The new stage also served as a prime location for lectures and panel discussions. As 2015 marked the 60th anniversary of Miles Davis’ landmark performance at the 1955 Festival, these conversations focused on the trumpeter. Nate Chinen interviewed George Wein on his relationship with Miles. Other discussions focused on his relationship with the Newport Jazz Festival more generally, his relationship with the electric guitar, and his placement within the context of St. Louis trumpeters across history. This focus also coincided with the release of Miles Davis at Newport, 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4 (Columbia, 2015), a box set collecting many of his performances at the Festival. Miles’ influence was also palpable in the performances of artists that weekend. Some – the Mike Stern/Bill Evans Band – performed with Miles. Others were merely inspired by it, including a set called Triumph of the Trumpets in which Jon Faddis, Marquis Hill, Sean Jones, and Max Darche led a horn-laden ensemble. They even played the song “Seven Steps to Heaven.”

Sean Jones also appeared with the Berklee College Jazz Orchestra among the Festival’s Friday dedicated to emerging artists. Other musicians on July 31st  included Gerald Clayton, John Hollenbeck, Snarky Puppy, Ambrose Akinmusire, blues guitarist Lucky Peterson, Kneebody, Christian McBride’s trio, Herlin Riley, Bria Skonberg, and the University of Rhode Island Big Band. Drummer Jonathan Blake honored the greats of jazz with a forceful quartet with Chris Potter, Mark Turner, and Ben Street. 

With the second chapter of her Coin Coin series, Matana Roberts melded jazz, gospel, and narrative storytelling. 

Steve Lehman’s Octet showcased the power of improvisation within the context of spectral harmony while Peter Evans thrust listeners into the outer realms of space with the music from Destination: Void (More is More, 2014). 

Evan’s experimentalism flowed into the first set at the Fort stage on Saturday, that of Jack DeJohnette’s Made in Chicago. The group – with Muhal Richard Abrams, Roscoe Mitchell, Henry Threadgill, and Larry Gray – was a touching tribute to the continued importance of the AACM. 

James Carter explored the music of Don Byas on Byas’ own horn. Other returning artists included Maria Schneider, Jon Batiste, Cecile McLorin Salvant with the Arron Diehl Trio, Hiromi, Arturo Sandoval, Jamie Cullum, and Bill Frisell. Dr. John performed with his Nite Trippers to make up for a scheduled appearance from the prior year that was canceled due to illness. Michel Camilo appeared in two sets, in a piano duel with Hiromi and visiting the Latin side of Horace Silver’s music with Conrad Herwig. Future NEA Jazz Master Cassandra Wilson visited the music of Billie Holiday. 

Arturo O’Farrill’s Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra combined the turntablist skills of DJ Logic, the Indo-American style of Rudresh Mahanthappa, and Cuban music. 

There were also the Newport debuts of Jose James, Ms. Lisa Fischer and Grand Baton, the Pat Martino Organ Trio, Wycliffe Gordon, Tom Harrell, Christian Sands, Helen Sung, Billy Childs’ Jazz-Chamber Ensemble, Jason Linder Now vs. Now, Fred Hersch, and Giorgi Mikadze.  Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra also appeared for the first time, a moment later released as Live at Newport (Basin Street Records, 2017).

One highlight of the weekend included Scott Robinson performing on mezzo-soprano and bass saxophones and theremin with the Bronze Nemesis Doctette, a band inspired by the Doc Savage pulp novels of the 1930s.  

A child piano prodigy, Joey Alexander, performed to a packed audience at Storyville and received such significant acclaim that an impromptu performance was later scheduled the same day at the Quad Stage. At the opposite end of the age spectrum, in between cracking jokes, 88-year-old saxophonist Lou Donaldson played some soul-jazz hits from throughout his career. 

After the 2015 Jazz Festival, Geroge Wein and the Festival Foundation’s board gave further serious consideration to a succession plan. Out of these discussions, Danny Melnick would become the Jazz Festival’s producer and Jay Sweet the executive producer of the Foundation. But part of what made Wein’s work in Newport such a success over the past six decades was his ability to find and book superbly talented artists. This role would fall to an artist who had performed at Newport in various projects over twenty-five years as both a leader and sideman, Christian McBride. 

The 2021 Edition of the Newport Jazz Festival will take place from July 30th to August 1st at Fort Adams State Park. We plan to have live coverage of the event. More information can be found on the Festival’s website.