How much pop belongs at the Newport Jazz Festival?

Boston Globe

19 hours ago

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That's a whole lot of jazz history, past and present. But there's also a preponderance of pop, some of which you could charitably call jazz-adjacent, and some not so much. Personally, I'm happy to see the Roots,
– artists who fall under the hip-hop, funk, and soul umbrella –
on any festival bill. But how are the beat-heavy, rave-worthy soundscapes of Flying Lotus going to fit in?
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The Roots will perform at the Newport Jazz Festival this Friday.
Courtesy of the Newport Jazz Festival
Maybe the singer-songwriter Willow will lean more toward the jazz crosscurrents of her
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Newport, jazz or folk, has always been a balancing act (see: Bob Dylan, 1965). Following the jazz festival's pre-rock heyday,
Newport Jazz cofounder George Wein was always devising schemes to attract an audience large enough to make it sustainable and give lesser-known artists a bigger platform. After briefly selling off the festival to another presenter in the late 2000s, he returned in 2009 and shortly thereafter established the nonprofit
From then on, he dug hard into the festival's (and his own) legacy: an educational component, panel discussions during the week leading up to the weekend festival, regional student jazz bands playing the weekend's opening slots.
Wein's programming deployed not only veteran stars (Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea) and revered elders (Lee Konitz, Lou Donaldson) but also put an emphasis on 'emerging' artists of various ages (Amir ElSaffar, Mary Halvorson, the Bad Plus). He also
showed a healthy respect for the avant-garde; the esteemed avant-elder trio of Muhal Richard Abrams, Roscoe Mitchell, and Henry Threadgill played the main stage in 2015. In interviews, he made it clear that he was concerned not only with his legacy, but sustaining jazz as an evolving art form.
Wein died, at 95, in 2021. Since then, the Newport Festivals Foundation (with Jay Sweet as executive director and the esteemed
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This year, it's not so much that Monáe, or even Sofi Tukker, shouldn't be on the bill. But there's a whole swath of progressive jazz artists that are underrepresented, some of whom have played Newport and others not: heralded younger players like alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, trumpeter Adam O'Farrill, star vibraphonist Joel Ross, and the slightly older trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, 43, who has in recent years become a major figure in the music.
Another player, vibraphonist and composer Patricia Brennan, has been bubbling up for a while and this year swept the major critics polls for her album 'Breaking Stretch.' It would also be nice to have Halvorson back, as well as Grammy-winning pianist/composer Kris Davis.
This year, there's a promising contingent from the bubbling up London scene — the celebrated saxophonist Nubya Garcia, singer Jacob Collier, the Yussef Dayes Experience, and
Kokoroko. There's a clubby neo-soul, down-tempo electronica drift in some of these and other acts (especially Dayes and the ambient-inclined American, Rich Ruth) that made me wonder if Newport Jazz (Ron Carter et al., notwithstanding ) was going to become an electronica-jam-band dance party.
We shall see. In the meantime, here's a handful of other acts from this year's bill that might be flying below your radar.
FRIDAY
DARIUS JONES TRIO
Possibly the biggest debut of the festival. Alto saxophonist Jones, 47, brings a focused, impassioned vision to old-school avant-garde.
RACHAEL & VILRAY
The duo project of Lake Street Dive singer Rachael Price and guitarist/songwriter/singer Vilray shows off Price's glorious vocal chops in a swing-jazz context, supported by Vilray's astute songwriting. Here they front a nine-piece band.
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Tyreek McDole performs at the Newport Jazz Festival on Friday.
EBAR
TYREEK McDOLE
The 25-year-old winner of the 2023 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition has a sound and sensibility mature beyond his years and a repertoire that extends from American Songbook standards to Billy Strayhorn, Joe Williams, Leon Thomas, and beyond.
AARON PARKS LITTLE BIG
The quartet fronted by the former
Terence Blanchard and Kurt Rosenwinkel keyboardist has become something of a phenomenon, traversing jazz-rock and unclassifiable proggy grooves with uncommon flexibility and warmth.
SATURDAY
TYSHAWN SOREY TRIO
Drummer, composer, and all-around genius-level conceptualist Sorey is joined by his trio-mates from his breathtaking 2024 release, 'The Susceptible Now,' pianist Aaron Diehl and bassist Harish Raghavan.
MARCUS GILMORE PRESENTS: A CENTENNIAL TRIBUTE TO ROY HAYNES
In the 'only at Newport' category, the 38-year-old
heir apparent to his grandfather's greatness reviews the Haynes repertoire with a band that includes saxophonist Kenny Garrett, pianist Danilo Pérez, and bassist John Patitucci.
Marcus Gilmore will present a centennial tribute to the late Roy Haynes at the 2025 Newport Jazz Festival.
Ogata
SUNDAY
JORJA SMITH
Part of this year's Newport British Invasion, this 28-year-old English singer-songwriter matches compelling lyrics and emotionally weighted vocals with jazz-wise rhythms and harmonies, and an acoustic take on club beats and funk.
Jorja Smith, who appeared at Boston's Agganis Arena in 2019, will perform on the final day of the Newport Jazz Festival.
Ben Stas for The Boston Globe
EMMET COHEN TRIO
Pianist Cohen, 35, became a bona fide jazz influencer when his COVID-born
NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL
Fort Adams State Park, Newport, R.I. Aug. 1-3. Sold out. Waitlist information:
Jon Garelick can be reached at [e-mail]
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