What’s Up Newp sat down with a trio of young artists at the Newport Jazz Festival last weekend. We met Matthew Whitaker, Julius Rodriguez and members of Butcher Brown at the festival. Here’s what they had to say. Butcher Brown Butcher Brown, a band of five artists from Richmond, Virginia, played the Quad Stage at […]
Newport Jazz Festival
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What’s Up Interview: Late-night bandleader Louis Cato at the 2023 Newport Jazz Festival
You may know him best as the leader of The Late Show band supporting Stephen Colbert on CBS five nights a week. Jazz musician Louis Cato has been with the show since its inception in 2015, and has performed with artists as diverse as Snarky Puppy, Jon Batiste, Q-Tip and A Tribe Called Quest. We […]
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Newport Jazz Day 3: 2023 Festival ends on a high note
The Newport Jazz Festival had something for everyone this year, featuring dozens of artists performing in various sub-genres of jazz all weekend long. Sunday, August 6th had it all including funky rhythms from The Soul Rebels, pristine throwback vocals from Grammy-winning singer Samara Joy, and Cuban-influenced funk from Cimafunk. The final day of music also […]
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2023 Newport Jazz Festival: Day 2 Photo Gallery
A sold-out crowd for Day 2 of the 2023 Newport Jazz Festival was served some of the best music anywhere on the planet. From a Coltrane-inspired set from legend Charles Lloyd to the high-energy antics of jazz and folk festival veteran Jon Batiste, the day was filled was one great set after another. Check out […]
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2023 Newport Jazz Festival kicks off with new voices – Recap and photos from Day 1
The 2023 Newport Jazz Festival kicked off on Friday, August 4, before a near-sellout crowd comprised of the youngest jazz festival audience in recent memory. What brought the younger crowd to Fort Adams? A slew of contemporary artists who shatter the mold of traditional jazz, bringing fresh voices and new ideas to America’s original art […]
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‘Six Picks’ Special: Who to see at the 2023 Newport Jazz Festival
Newport, Rhode Island is at the center of the music world again this weekend when the “City by the Sea” welcomes the Newport Jazz Festival to town. Founded in 1954, the original outdoor music festival returns with a stellar lineup, which includes jazz legends, rising stars, and local heroes. Here are “Six Picks” not-to-be-missed this […]
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Newport Jazz Festival announces late substitution – Branford Marsalis to perform Friday, August 4
The Newport Jazz Festival today announced a late replacement for the opening day of the Festival, this Friday, August 4. Saxophonist Branford Marsalis will replace Kamasi Washington, who is unable to attend. Festival officials provided this update on Tuesday afternoon: ARTIST UPDATE: Something unforeseen has come up that will prevent Kamasi Washington from performing his […]
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RI high school students to perform at the 2023 Newport Jazz Festival
The Rhode Island Music Education Association (RIMEA) is proud to announce that 11 high school students from Rhode Island have been invited to perform at this year’s world-renowned Newport Jazz Festiva from August 4 – 6 at Fort Adams State Park in Newport. The 11 students include: Jason Buka on bass, Moses Densley on saxophone and Miles […]
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What’s Up Interview: Jazz great Kamasi Washington, playing City Winery and Newport Jazz Festival
Kamasi Washington exists on the cutting edge of jazz. He is the avant-garde, who, along with a group of collaborators, is setting the tone in the jazz world. Like Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman, Washington’s music transcends what came before, pushing the genre’s needle forward. I was fortunate to speak with the Grammy-nominated […]
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Newport Jazz Festival announces 2023 lineup, tickets now on sale
The legendary Newport Jazz Festival will return to Fort Adams State Park in Newport this summer. One of America’s most important and enduring cultural institutions will return for its 69th Anniversary, where it will continue to hold space for the once-in-a-lifetime performances that only Newport’s unique alchemy of intimacy and artistic community can bring. This year’s event will […]
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Tickets for the 2023 Newport Jazz Festival will go on sale on March 22
This summer, the legendary Newport Jazz Festival will return to Fort Adams State Park for its 69th Anniversary! Newport Jazz Festival today announced that 3-day tickets for this year’s event, which will take place August 4-6, will go on sale on Wednesday, March 22. General on-sale of 3-day tickets begins Wednesday, March 22nd at 1 pm via DICE. Single-day tickets and full line-up will be […]
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WUN-ON-ONE: A conversation with Jay Sweet and Dan Swain, Newport Festivals Foundation
Jay Sweet and Dan Swain, the Executive Director and Development Director of Newport Festivals Foundation, joined What’sUpNewp today for a conversation about the Foundation, the Newport Folk Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, and more. You can listen to our conversation here, or watch and listen below. More About The Newport Festivals Foundation Newport Festivals Foundation is […]
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Vinyl Release: ‘The Philadelphia Experiment Live at Newport Jazz’ is out this week
Today the Newport Jazz Festival announces the release of The Philadelphia Experiment Live at Newport Jazz. Captured live at the 2017 Newport Jazz Festival in their 5th ever performance, The Philadelphia Experiment celebrates a collaborative project featuring bassist Christian McBride, drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, pianist Uri Caine and, in this performance, DJ Logic. Newport Festival Foundation members […]
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What’s Up Interview: Samara Joy shines at 2022 Newport Jazz Festival
Among the many highlights at last weekend’s Newport Jazz Festival was the Festival debut of Samara Joy, a 22-year-old jazz vocalist who played the Harbor Stage Saturday afternoon. I sat down with the NYC-based singer for a brief chat just before she took the stage. It was her first time at the festival, and Joy, […]
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2022 Newport Jazz Festival: Shift in direction – Day 3 recap and photos
Sunday, July 31 concluded three days of fun in the sun at the historic Newport Jazz Festival at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, RI. Post pandemic, the full return of the festival was well attended, selling out on Saturday with near sell-outs Friday and Sunday. Whether intended or not, the theme of this year’s […]
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2022 Newport Jazz Festival – Day 2 recap and photos
A sell-out crowd squeezed into Fort Adams State Park Saturday, July 30 for Day 2 of the 2022 Newport Jazz Festival. Once again it was a day for youth to shine, as well as one that saw women artists taking charge. There was more energy in the line-up than ever before behind bands like Sons […]
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2022 Newport Jazz Festival off to a great start – Day 1 recap and photos
Jazz is back at Fort Adams. The 2022 Newport Folk Festival kicked off on Friday, July 29 with a diverse lineup that included some new names along with some familiar artists. In recent years, the Friday program has introduced younger artists to the festival crowd – this year’s program was no different. A series of […]
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‘Six Picks’ Events: What to do in RI this weekend (July 29-31)
It’s officially mid-summer, and before you know it … Don’t even think about finishing that thought! Here are a few good ways to spend the upcoming weekend. We present “Six Picks” Events – have a grea wekeend! Thursday: Art Night Bristol is a tradition that includes gallery and studio tours in the seaside town. The […]
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‘Six Picks’ Newport Jazz: ‘Not to be missed’ sets at this weekend’s Newport Jazz Festival
The 2022 Newport Jazz Festival arrives this weekend! The festival features a truly phenomenal line up with diverse acts representing numerous genres, all connecting to jazz on some level. These bands like to have fun, an expressed goal of festival Artistic Director and 2022 performer Christian McBride. Very few tickets remain – the festival is […]
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Newport Folk & Jazz Festival teams with 11th Hour Racing on sustainability initiatives
11th Hour Racing today announced its new role as the Environmental Awareness Sponsor of the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals. “Widely considered two of the most treasured cultural institutions in American history, for over 60 years, the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals have shown that music can positively impact the communities and lives it touches,” […]
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Newport Jazz Festival tickets will be available to purchase at Fort Adams Trust beginning June 27
Newport Jazz Festival tickets will be available for purchase in person in Newport beginning next week. Fort Adams Trust’s Visitors Center & Gift Shop at Fort Adams State Park will begin offering the tickets on Monday, June 27. There are no additional or online fees when buying the tickets in person. Ticket prices are $79 […]
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Musings from Newport Jazz Festival artists on the past, present, and future of jazz on International Jazz Day
Happy International Jazz Day! Established by the United Nations in 2011 at the initiative of UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock, International Jazz Day brings together communities around the world every April 30th. This year’s theme for International Jazz Day is “A Call for Global Peace and Unity.” The day is recognized in over 180 countries […]
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Newport Jazz Festival announces 2022 lineup
The Newport Jazz Festival today announced its 2022 line-up along with a tribute to late Newport Jazz and Newport Folk Festival Founder George Wein featuring very special guests to be announced. The Newport Jazz Festival returns to Fort Adams State Park, July 29 – 31. This year’s festival features Norah Jones, Esperanza Spalding, The Fearless Flyers, Angelique […]
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Newport Jazz Festival 2022 lineup to be announced on March 24
Save The Date Newport Jazz Festival today announced that they will be announcing this year’s lineup and will be putting 3-Day general admission tickets and 3-Day student tickets on sale this Thursday, March 24 at 11 AM. The 2022 Newport Jazz Festival is scheduled for Friday, July 29 to Sunday, July 31 at Fort Adams […]
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Newport Festivals Foundation offering free afterschool music program to Aquidneck Island high school students
Registration is now open for the Newport Festivals Workshops Program, a free, virtual afterschool music program created by Newport Festivals Foundation, which produces the Newport Folk and Newport Jazz Festivals. According to a press release from Newport Festivals Foundation, the workshops will be taught by professional musicians and music industry professionals about Songwriting, Audio Engineering, Music Industry […]