Newport Jazz

Never Stop Grooving: Bernard “Pretty” Purdie Previews his Newport Jazz Leader Debut

In a recording studio sat a drummer behind his kit with two signs hanging nearby. One read “You done it.”…

1 week ago

Beyond the Myth: Rick Anderson on His Mother’s Dance That Fueled Ellington’s Rebirth at Newport ‘56

1956. In the popular consciousness, the grandeur of swing era big bands had ceded to the vibrant electric spark of…

1 week ago

A History of the Newport Jazz Festival – Chapter VI: Electric Aquidneck Experiment, 1969

At the time of the first Newport Jazz Festival in 1954, there were two primary ways to enter the city…

6 years ago

A History of the Newport Jazz Festival – Chapter V: The New Thing, 1965-1968

Despite its rough shape, the new site was at a fantastic location. Near the JT Connell Highway, it had sufficient…

6 years ago

A History of the Newport Jazz Festival – Chapter IV: Revival, 1961-1964

Following the riots of the prior summer, there was no Newport Jazz Festival in 1961. However, the city had not…

6 years ago

A History of the Newport Jazz Festival – Chapter II: Diminuendo and Crescendo, 1956

The 1956 Newport Jazz Festival’s schedule was adjusted slightly compared to the prior two outings. While still a three-day event…

6 years ago

A History of the Newport Jazz Festival – Prologue: Born in Storyville, 1950-1954

In September of 1950, twenty-four-year-old George Wein used his college savings to open a nightclub, Storyville, at Boston’s Copley Square…

6 years ago

Five Genre-Defying Selections from the Newport Jazz Festival’s First Wave of 2020 Performers

The historic Newport Jazz Festival has released a list of 36, out of approximately 60, groups which will appear across…

6 years ago