By Matt Micucci
Gregory Porter and Chick Corea Trilogy with Brian Blade and Christian McBride will take to the stage for the Opening Night concert of the 2016 Newport Jazz Festival, on July 29, at the International Tennis Hall of Fame at Newport Casino. The cocktail party begins at 6:30 p.m, followed by the concert at 8 p.m.
This year, the Newport Jazz Festival begins on July 29 and ends on the July 31.
George Wein, festival producer and chairman of the Newport Festivals Foundation, said, “Our history of Friday night concerts at the International Tennis Hall of Fame has been extraordinarily successful, both in the quality of performance and the continuing growth of our audience. This year’s concert will be no exception.”
Pianist Chick Corea is an indelible contributor to jazz piano lore. He will be celebrating his 75th birthday on stage at this year’s Newport Jazz Festival, joined on stage by bassist Christian McBride and Brian Blade on drums.
To round out the program, the festival will also welcome Gregory Porter. He has appeared at Newport two times before, but this will be the first time he will be performing at its Opening Night concert and at the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
The 2016 line-up for the Newport Jazz Festival also features concerts at Fort Adams State Park by Kamasi Washington, Angélique Kidjo, Kneebody, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Tierney Sutton, Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, The Westerlies and many others.
Tickets for the 2016 Newport Jazz Festival are available at www.newportjazzfest.org or at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets also can be ordered by phone through Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000.