Saturday, August 6

The festival continued on the second day at Fort Adams State Park. The weather was warm and breezy for most of the day, near-perfect conditions for a festival. There were numerous boating parties in Newport Harbor, a “Beer Pier,” and the food and art vendors were plentiful. In fact, much of the artwork was so beautiful and unusual, some people started early holiday shopping. As expected, this world-renowned festival presented great music on three stages. Although all the acts had staggered start times, there was a lot of overlap, and it was often hard to choose which concert to attend. Festival impresario George Wein was seen traveling from stage to stage in a motorized cart fondly nicknamed “The Wein Machine.” On Saturday, there were concerts by Regina Carter’s Reverse Thread, Mostly Other People Do The Killing, New Black Eagle Jazz Band, Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet, Joey DeFrancesco Trio, Grace Kelly with special guest Phil Woods, Steve Coleman & Five Elements, and more.

Eddie Palmieri Latin Jazz Band. The Eddie Palmieri Latin Jazz Band filled the air with salsa rhythms that had people swaying in their seats and dancing in the aisles. The busy and award-winning pianist Eddie Palmieri had great support from baritone sax man Ronnie Cuber, alto player Louis Fouche, bassist Luques Curtis, trumpeter Brian Lynch, conga player Johnny Rivero, Orlando Vega on bongos, Jose Claussel on timbales, and sitting in, Miguel Zenón on alto sax. Their songs included Palmieri hits “La Libertad,” “Vanilla Extract,” and “Comparsa,” and Tito Puente’s “Picadillo.” The band cooked up a deliciously spicy musical dish that left fans wanting more, so Palmieri and his cohorts did an encore to thunderous applause, and a lot more dancing.

Hiromi. Pianist Hiromi Uehera is one of a handful of artists who can command the main stage at Newport all alone. The Newport Jazz Festival came about midway through Hiromi’s world tour, and she gave ample evidence of why she’s in demand all over the globe. At times, she sounds like a whole band, and at other times her sound is very intimate. While playing, Hiromi’s face displayed all the passionate intensity and energy of her music. She told the audience, “I’m so happy to be back in Newport. It’s one of my favorite festivals. The landscape is so beautiful.”

In her solo performance on Saturday, she played a sizzling version of “I’ve Got Rhythm.” She went on to pay tribute to her homeland with “Cherry Blossoms,” her version of a traditional Japanese song about the yearly festivals. Unfortunately, due to the earthquake devastation in Japan in March, many folks weren’t able to enjoy the festivals this year, where people camp out under cherry blossom trees, drink sake, and read haikus. Hiromi also played a song she wrote called “BQE,” about the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, which she described as “one of the craziest, most hectic highways” she had ever seen. The song really conveyed the feeling of speed and chaos of a major highway.

Hiromi also spoke of a painting that inspired her to compose a song. She wanted to name the song after the painting, but since it had no title, she called the song, “Old Castle by the River in the Middle of a Forest.” She jokingly acknowledged that it was a very long title. Hiromi used every part of the piano, including the inner workings, which she was able to make sound like a bass. She also placed some items on the piano keys that made it sound like a harpsichord. Her song, “Choux à la Crème” (French for cream puff) is about the joy she feels when she eats her favorite dessert, and it shows some of the humor that is often reflected in her music. After her show, she signed copies of her CD, Voice, The Trio Project, and all the proceeds went to Japanese earthquake relief. If you can catch Hiromi on tour, you will be in for a real musical treat.

Wynton Marsalis. On Saturday at Fort Adams State Park, Wynton Marsalis continued to impress the Newport crowds with his impeccable musicianship. He and his band were attired in suits and ties, looking like the quintessential dapper jazz quintet. Wynton didn’t have much to say. Instead, he let his trumpet speak for him, and speak it did! He and his talented musicians formed a tight group. Marsalis, with pianist Dan Nimmer, saxophonist Walter Blanding, bassist Carlos Enriques, and drummer Ali Jackson, segued from song to song with effortless skill. Both individually and as a group, they displayed outstanding virtuosity on “Magic Hour,” “Big Hat Hen,” and “Sparks.”

Esperanza Spalding & Friends. This young phenomenon has been blazing her way from jazz festival to jazz festival, amazing audiences with her musical skills. In her first of two concerts, Esperanza Spalding shared the stage with some heavy hitters, including clarinetist Anat Cohen, drummer Justin Brown, pianist Leo Genovese, violinist Sara Caswell, and saxophonist Bob Mover. About her show, Esperanza said, “It really is an afternoon of friends. Bob Mover is one of the first great musicians I played with, back in Portland when I was 16.” She thanked the audience for being there, and one person yelled back, “Thank you!” Delighted, Esperanza replied, “No, thank you! Seriously! It’s great to play and bring some friends.” She also thanked George Wein for asking her to put this together. One of the standout numbers of the show was “Nothing Like You Has Ever Been Seen Before.” Along with her exceptional talent on the bass, Spalding’s exquisite singing voice was evident during this show. In addition to the friends on stage with her, she paid tribute to all her friends who weren’t in Newport.

Randy Weston’s African Rhythm. The trio of bassist Alex Blake, percussionist Neil Clarke, and legendary pianist and composer Randy Weston performed on the Quad Stage on Saturday. Their smooth rhythmic flow fully engaged the audience throughout the set. The African journey included beautiful renditions of “Tangier Bay,” “African Lady,” “African Sunrise,” “3 Pyramids and a Sphinx,” and “Blue Moses.” Bassist Alex Blake’s stirring solo surprises kept everyone on the edge of their seats, and Weston and Clarke enjoyed the improvisational adventure. Randy Weston is a great musical storyteller and believes African rhythms are the origins of all music. 

Al Di Meola World Sinfonia with Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Al Di Meola World Sinfonia with Gonzalo Rubalcaba played the closing concert of the day on the main stage. Guitarist Di Meola and pianist Rubalcaba played a dramatic set, one that evoked many emotions. The music was, joyful, exuberant, intimate, and plaintive. The audience, however, seemed strangely uninvolved at first, perhaps enervated after a long day of visiting three stages to catch as many acts as possible. Whatever the reason, Al Di Meola certainly noticed the lack of response. After the first song, he said, “Last sucks! Maybe this will end up on YouTube, so my agent will see it.” Di Meola asked the laid-back crowd if they were burned out, joked about how his frankness sometimes got him in trouble, and said that he’d never play last again. Despite Di Meola’s pique at the audience response, he and Rubalcaba gamely continued to give a fine concert.

Unfortunately, playing last on the main stage did seem to be something of a jinx that day, because throughout the show, people left in droves. The problem was not with the music. It seemed to be a combination of people wanting to get a jump on all the cars leaving Fort Adams State Park, and the considerable cooling of the temperature at that point in the day. It was a shame, because the people who left early missed out on some remarkable music. Al Di Meola’s solo turns were delightfully intricate, and Gonzalo Rubalcaba’s piano playing was haunting and beautiful.

Sunday, August 7

On Sunday, the weather took a dramatic turn for the worse. The day was filled with torrential downpours and, eventually, many people abandoned their tents and danced in the rain. Despite getting thoroughly wet, the weather didn’t dampen the spirits of the die-hard music lovers. There was so much rain that after a while, people seemed to ignore it and concentrate on the music. The rain also brought out the best in people, who shared food, wine, blankets, and umbrellas. While the weather was less than ideal, the spirit of the festival remained intact.

The Sunday lineup included James Farm with Joshua Redman, Aaron Parks, Matt Penman and Eric Harland; Charles Lloyd's Sangam featuring Zakir Hussain and Eric Harland; Mingus Big Band; Ravi Coltrane Quartet; Apex: Rudresh Mahanthappa & Bunky Green; Miguel Zenón’s Puerto Rican Songbook with conductor/arranger Guillermo Klein; John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble with special guest Uri Caine; Avishai Cohen's Triveni with special guest Anat Cohen; Berklee College of Music’s Mario Castro Quintet, and more.

Angélique Kidjo. Angélique Kidjo started her show with an a capella song, and had the audience spellbound with just her voice. Vibrantly dressed in a multicolored jacket, magenta blouse, and a stunning necklace, the striking Ms. Kidjo was a visual antidote for the dreary weather. Her personality was as sunny and upbeat as her ensemble, and she encouraged the audience to “get up and shake it.” Kidjo said, “This is not my first time here at Newport with you, so don’t be shy. If you feel like dancing, dance. If you feel like singing, do your thing.” Born in Benin, Angélique watched a lot of Bollywood movies growing up, and one catchy song was a mixture of Bollywood and African rhythms. She referred to her microphone as “my weapon of mass loving” and spoke of the futility and stupidity of racism. Kidjo performed “Baby I Love You” as a tribute to Aretha Franklin, with a high energy call-and-response that did the Queen of Soul proud. She also sang a rousing version of “Move On Up.”

Despite the wet weather, Angélique came out into the audience and danced with a number of fans. Although there was a short lull in the rain at that point, you got the feeling that she still would have come out and danced in the pouring rain. She is also on a world tour with Sing the Truth!, a musical tribute show that co-stars Dianne Reeves and Lizz Wright. Whether you catch the busy chanteuse in a solo concert, or with Sing the Truth!, the petite dynamo gives a fantastic show. If you could bottle her joie de vivre and enthusiasm, you would have a cure for depression. You just can’t stay in a bad mood when you watch her perform.

Brubeck Brothers Quartet. The Brubeck Brothers Quartet gave an outstanding concert at the Harbor Stage, playing several songs from their various CDs. The crowd not only packed the seats under the tent, but many other people stood in the pouring rain to hear this accomplished band. Dave Brubeck was billed as special guest star. However, due Brubeck’s age, it was decided that the extreme weather made it inadvisable for him to appear. He was in Newport, and really wanted to perform, but his physician advised against it. Ironically, when first consulted before the festival, the doctor said, “What can go wrong? It’ll be a beautiful, sunny day.” The soaked crowd got a good laugh at that.

Despite the disappointing news that the legendary Brubeck wouldn’t play, the audience seemed to understand, and applauded loudly for him. The quartet ended the set with “Blue Rondo à la Turk” and “Take Five” in honor of Mr. Brubeck. His sons, bassist Chris and drummer Dan, along with guitarist Mike DeMicco and pianist Chuck Lamb, are carrying on his legacy with style and grace.

Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue. Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue had already played to an enthusiastic audience on Saturday, and closed the festival with a bang on Sunday. Although it resumed raining after a brief respite, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews and his red-hot band took a lot of the sting out of being drenched again. Trombone Shorty, who has collaborated with Lenny Kravitz, Jeff Beck, and Wynton Marsalis, played the trumpet on “The Sunny Side of the Street” in honor of Louis Armstrong. The rapidly rising star also paid tribute to James Brown with “I Got the Feeling,” even doing some of Brown’s signature moves. Shorty wowed the crowd with his exceptional circular breathing technique, and in an encore, the whole band switched instruments without missing a beat. Trombone Shorty ended up on the drums, and the band still sounded great! The audience was so impressed with the group’s performance, they clapped and yelled for another encore, and the band played “What You Gonna Do To Me.” If it hadn’t been so wet, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue might have set the stage on fire with their blistering set.

Conclusion

This year’s Newport Jazz Festival was a great mixture of jazz veterans and up-and-coming artists. Good weather or bad, people still came in droves and savored all the wonderful musical offerings, food, art, and good vibrations. This festival, which started in 1954, is now being produced by the newly formed Newport Festivals Foundation. It will surely continue to be a draw for top musicians and fans for years to come.