People & Profiles

Adding to Providence’s musical variety, brass bands have come to prominence since the turn of the decade with rhythms that take hold of the soul. The Extraordinary Rendition Band and Kickin’ Brass are great examples by possessing an infectious sound that can start a party anywhere. With the Providence Honk Fest being one of the […]

In the world of bass players, few can match Victor Wooten’s mastery. He’s well-versed in the stylings of jazz and funk while also dabbling in the realms of progressive rock and metal. Wooten is always on a mission to teach the younger generation while upholding knowledge to a high standard and encouraging artistic self-identity. To […]

The story behind The Ballroom Thieves should give any child or adult who has ever dreamed of playing their favorite festival or the “big stage” hope. Just five years ago, two members of the Boston-based band were in the audience of the 2012 Newport Folk Festival without a proper name and dreaming of the day […]

The challenge of dwindling public funds to support the arts in school has inspired Christian McBride to join with his wife, Melissa Walker, founder of Jazz House Kids, to provide young musicians an opportunity to develop and grow as artists. And, with public funding for the arts in jeopardy, McBride believes musicians will not be […]

You could say about Christian McBride that the bass was in his blood – and it was. From a father and great uncle who played bass, to Julliard in New York City to study classical bass, to the stages of the most significant jazz clubs and festivals in the world – that’s Christian McBride. He […]

An amazing bass player, band leader and composer, Christian McBride, the Newport Jazz Festival’s new artistic director, brings profound respect for the festival, and a keen sense of those who should be playing at it. He’s also not afraid to showcase young talent. “Some of it you just get excited by something that you hear, […]

It was more than 25 years ago that Christian McBride played his first Newport Jazz Festival. Now, five Grammys later and considered among the best jazz bass players on the planet, McBride is taking on a huge challenge, following in the footsteps of festival founder George Wein and assuming the mantle as the festival’s Artistic […]

On January 29th, the Newport String Project presented perennial favorite Mendelssohn’s Octet for Strings in the vibrant setting of Ochre Court at Salve Regina University. The concert brought together a dynamic group of musicians working at the leading edge of socially engaged chamber music in Rhode Island and beyond. The program also featured Antonin Dvorak’s […]

A Conversation with George Wein: ‘…after all your life, and it is the last part of my life, to have reached that place. I guess, you have to say you did the right thing’ – Part 5 of 5  Throughout this five-part series, we’ve explored George Wein’s career from when he was working in what […]

Motivation. For decades George Wein has been a paramount figure in the development of the music, mostly jazz. It’s what he played, and it’s what he presented, in his Storyville Club, and at the festivals in Newport, New York, New Orleans, and around the globe. In this part three of our interview with George, we […]