WhatsUpNewp’s Folk and Jazz Festival coverage is supported by the Midtown Oyster Bar. Midtown Oyster Bar is Newport's choice when it comes to the freshest seafood and largest raw bar in town. Located directly on Thames Street, there is no better place to watch the hustle and bustle of downtown Newport.
Newport Jazz wrapped up a sold-out weekend on Sunday.
The day included performances from Brandee Younger, Charles Lloyd, Robert Glasper, Kenny Barron, Andra Day, and several groups.
Before introducing Brandee Younger and her beautiful gold harp to kick things off on the Lawn Stage, Artistic Director Christian McBride said, “The beautiful thing about this festival is when someone is making their debut appearance you know they are going to be a part of the jazz family for years to come”.
A highlight for many traditional jazz fans took place at the Lawn Stage when David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band played a wide variety of hits from Armstrong.
One noticeable highlight and comment we heard often during both Newport Folk and Newport Jazz was the video production this year. At times it was hard to believe that the video was live and not previously recorded and edited. Kudos to the video production team.
Before welcoming Andra Day to close out the 2021 festival, McBride took a moment to FaceTime Newport Jazz founder George Wein. Wein, who is now 95, took precautions and didn’t make the trip from New York to Newport for the festival. During the call, Wein said hello to the crowd and thanked everyone for their support.
Day closed out the day with her hit “Rise Up”.
Fort Adams reopens for public tours on Tuesday.
What’s Up Newp photographer Rick Farrell was there to capture the day in photos, enjoy his photo gallery below.
