The first Newport Jazz Festival in 1954 set the formula for all major jazz festivals to follow. Popular artists were the attractions that sold tickets.
But it was the important unsung jazz heroes from the traditional to avant-garde that attracted the critics and gave the festival an artistic credibility.
ELLA FITZGERALD
In 1954, Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Gene Krupa, George Shearing and Billie Holiday were popular jazz artists of the day.
The program included tributes and reunions, which are commonplace nowadays.
Panels treated the academic approach to the music.
This formula, commercialism blended with artistic credibility, continues to this day.
The difference is that as the great names in jazz passed away, the Ellingtons, Armstrongs, Fitzgeralds, etc. it had been necessary to sometimes use crossover groups that reflect many aspects of American popular music that do not necessarily reflect the purity of jazz.
What is jazz, what is its place in the world’s arts spectrum? The complexities of the music never seem to fully unfold.
All we know is that jazz has become a part of our cultural lifestyle. In the mid-fifties members of the board of directors discussed the possibility of moving the festival from Newport to a larger city like New York where the music would be more accessible to a greater number of people.
NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL
Critically acclaimed tenor saxophonist Kamasi Washington was announced as the first Newport Jazz Festival artist of 2016.
Performers Include Chick Corea, Gregory Porter, Angélique Kidjo, Robert Glasper, Charles Lloyd, Kamasi Washington, Django Festival All Stars, Galactic, John Scofield/Joe Lovano, JoséJames, Steve Coleman, Darcy James Argue, Mary Halvorson, Monty Alexander, Kneebody, Kenny Barron, The Bad Plus, Christian Scott and Many More
Tickets Go On Sale Thursday, January 21, 10:00 am
The Festival features music on four different stages on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 am - 7:00 pm at Fort Adams State Park.
In addition, the festival hosts an evening concert on the Friday, at the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino.
Newport plays host to a number of festivals during the summer months, including the Newport Jazz Festival, the Sunset Music Festival, the Newport Folk Festival (where Bob Dylan infamously “went electric” in 1965), the Newport International Film Festival and the Newport International Boat Show.
