By Matt Micucci
George Wein, festival producer and chairman of the Newport Festival Foundation, announced the line-up for the 2016 Newport Jazz Festival, which will take place on July 29-31 at historic Fort Adams State Park and the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino.
Wein, who has produced the festival since its inception in 1954, announced said, “The Newport Jazz Festival is quite different from other jazz festivals around the world. With multiple stages of music each day, we are able to present a panoply of the world of jazz. Having the opportunity to utilize the creativity of more than 50 different artists means that we can present every style of jazz.”
This year’s festival will include a wide variety of jazz, from ragtime piano to the genre’s most progressive innovations.
As previously announced, Chick Corea and Gregory Porter will be performing at the festival’s opening concert at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. They will also both be doing a second performance at Fort Adams in the following days.
Saxophonist Kamasi Washington will also be doing double duty by performing at both venues. His appearance will mark his Newport Jazz Festival debut. Among other artists making their debut appearances are vocalist Tierney Sutton, brass quartet The Westerlies and the supergroup Potter, Holland, Loueke and Harland.
Among the more than 50 musicians and bands appearing are singer songwriter Angélique Kidjo, the John Scofield/Joe Lovano Quartet, the Kenny Barron Trio, Steve Coleman and Five Elements, José James, Kneebody and many others.
Leading new ensembles such as the Eric Revis Parallas and the Edmar Castañeda World Ensemble will also be featured in the programme. Among the new projects in the lineup, jazz trio The Bad Plus’ performance of Ornette Coleman’s landmark 1972 album Science Fiction particularly stands out.
Emerging artists will also have the chance to participate at the festival, particularly on Friday at Fort Adams. New compositions funded with support from the George Wein/Doris Duke Artistic Programming Fund will be presented. In addition, the festival will welcome a recipient of The ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards.
Tickets for the 2016 Newport Jazz Festival are on sale now. Visit www.newportjazzfest.org for more details.
