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\u2019s health after both catastrophic events was less than guaranteed, it nevertheless persevered. The event\u2019s continued vitality can be credited primarily to founder George Wein\u2019s sharp business acumen and choice in professionals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To compensate for JVC\u2019s 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\u2019s 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<\/em> (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<\/em> (ACT, 2009), Vijay Iyer presented his trio with Stephan Crump and Marcus Gilmore. <\/p>\n\n\n\n