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 form. Not that there wasn’t some room for traditionalists, but the theme Friday was innovation and experimentation.

Festival Creative Director Christian McBride has often said that jazz needs to be fun. No doubt, the inclusion of DJ Pee .Wee (Anderson .Paak), the antics of hip-hop bounce artist Big Freedia, and the electronic keyboard/drum wizardry from the stylish duo Domi & JD Beck answered the call. Their sets were highly entertaining and kept the Quad audience on their feet all afternoon. Organizers even cleared the chairs out from under the tent for the Pee .Wee set.

Although some jazz purists might have been disappointed (or even outraged), the vast majority of those in the audience were joyful, dancing and singing along to every word. It’s not often that you see twerking on stage at the Newport Jazz Festival; no doubt Big Freedia raised a few eyebrows, but all in good fun.

Jazz purists were likely pleased with more traditional sets throughout the day, including a high-energy wake-up call from award-winning baritone saxophonist Lauren Sevian who opened the festival on the Harbor Stage. Pushing the limits of traditional jazz, a pair of young artists 23-year old Julius Rodriguez and Endea Owens, who opened with a little Stevie Wonder, also impressed in their respective sets. Later in the day, jazz great Branford Marsalis played a superb set with his quartet and then returned to the stage to join jam band Joe Russo’s Almost Dead. A fine set of jazzed-up Grateful Dead covers from the band closed out the day.

Local musicians were hard at work on the Foundation stage throughout the day, keeping the beat going during set changes on the Fort stage. Festival organizers should be applauded for presenting student groups including the URI Jazz Collective, the RI Music Educators Association Jazz All Stars, and Newport Jazz Camp, as well as Newport’s own jazz ensemble, the Chase Ceglie Quartet.

Over almost 70 years, America’s original outdoor popular music festival has weathered numerous changes, and as Friday’s opening day suggests, the festival continues to thrive in the 21st century. Check out some photos of the day below from Lifestyle Editor Ken Abrams and photographer Gary Alpert.

More from 2023 Newport Jazz Festival

2023 Newport Jazz Festival: Day 2 Photo Gallery

Historic festival brings good times to Fort Adams

August 6, 2023August 8, 2023

2023 Newport Jazz Festival kicks off with new voices – Recap and photos from Day 1

Tradition upended at Fort Adams festival

August 4, 2023August 8, 2023

Newport Jazz Day 3: 2023 Festival ends on a high note

Herbie Hancock, Diana Krall, Samara Joy and others close out the historic festival.

August 6, 2023August 8, 2023