Newport Jazz Festival 2024: This is not your grandfather’s festival – Day 1 recap and photos

The 70th Anniversary of the historic Newport Jazz Festival kicked off on Friday August 2 at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, RI. A sellout crowd saw a warm summer day usher in cool vibes that rained down on musicians and attendees. Good feels were abundant.

There was great jazz of course, but there was a lot more, much of it in the “beyond” category, a sound that expands the traditional limits of the genre. High energy acts like Cory Wong, Galactic, and PJ Morton weaved R&B, blues and hip-hop into their sets while bands like the Sun Ra Arkestra and Kamasi Washington pushed jazz to the outer limits.

Purists need not be worried. Artists like Luke Stewart, Jaleel Shaw, and the Kenny Barron Trio brought more traditional sounds to the festival, connecting the generations over America’s greatest original art form.

A brilliant set from Newport Jazz/Folk singer/guitarist Brittany Howard was a major highlight, as was some innovative harp playing from rising star Brandee Younger. The sheer range of music of Day 1 demonstrated the continuing evolution of the genre.

Check out a few photos from the day from WUN Lifestyle Editor Ken Abrams below.