CAtherine Russell©Andrea Canter

The 2012 Newport Jazz Festival will take place on August 3, 4, and 5 in Newport Rhode Island. On Friday, August 3, the festival will get off to a rousing start at the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino with Dr. John & The Lower 911, featuring Jon Cleary; the Preservation Hall Jazz Band; and special guests Catherine Russell and Jonathan Batiste.

Anat Cohen©Kevin R. Mason

The festival continues on Sunday, August 5 with Tedeschi Trucks Band; Maria Schneider Orchestra; Jason Moran and the Bandwagon; Kurt Elling; Miguel Zenón’s Rayuela; Jenny Scheinman and Bill Frisell; the Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet; Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Samdhi; Gretchen Parlato and Lionel Loueke with special guest Becca Stevens; John Hollenbeck’s Claudia Quintet + 1; Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks; 3 Cohens: Yuval, Anat and Avishai Cohen; Lewis Nash Quintet featuring Jeremy Pelt and Jimmy Green; Ryan Truesdell’s Gil Evans Centennial Project; and the Berklee Global Jazz Ambassadors with Adam Cruz.

Kurt Elling©Kevin R. Mason

For the second year in its existence, the Newport Festivals Foundation will give a gala reception. This benefit gala will be held at the magnificent Marble House, with performances by Dianne Reeves, Jason Moran, Anat Cohen, Bill Frisell, Lewis Nash, Lionel Loueke, Steve Wilson, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Peter Martin, and Ingrid Jensen. The proceeds from the gala with go to fund an endowment to guarantee the future of the festivals. People who purchase gala tickets will also receive general admission tickets for both Saturday and Sunday at the Newport Jazz Festival.

Dianne Reeves©Kevin R. Mason

For those who can’t make it to Newport in person, NPR Music and its partners WBGO and WGBH will offer some selected live broadcasts. For more information on NPR’s live coverage, go to www.npr.org/newportjazz.

Over the years, Newport has been host to some of the biggest names in jazz, including Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Dave Brubeck, Thelonious Monk, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Dinah Washington, John Coltrane, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Gerry Mulligan, the Count Basie Orchestra, Carmen McRae, Herbie Hancock, Anita O’Day, Tony Bennett, Branford Marsalis, and many more. The acclaimed film, Jazz on a Summer’s Day, is a documentary of the 1958 festival, and several albums have been recorded at what many call “The Grandfather of Jazz Festivals.” It was the first jazz festival in the United States, and it paved the way for the festivals that followed. For information on tickets, the gala, local hotels, or general festival information, go to www.newportjazzfest.net.

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