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Day 3 at Newport Jazz Festival: Hearing the Future and Honoring the History

By Dave Kaufman
October 4, 2023
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Sunday, the fest's final day, was glorious, with perfect weather and large, enthusiastic crowds. Friday and Saturday had killer lineups, but the festival arguably saved the best for last. There were a total of 17 acts. This included young emerging stars such as

Samara Joy

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Samara Joy and

Matthew Whitaker

organ, Hammond B3
b.2001

" data-original-title="" title="">Matthew Whitaker. My festival experience was bookended by two octogenarians,

Charles McPherson

saxophone, alto
b.1939

" data-original-title="" title="">Charles McPherson and

Herbie Hancock

piano
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Herbie Hancock. Both were in peak form and among the day's highlights. At age 84, McPherson was making his first appearance at Newport as a band leader. He first appeared at the festival with Charles Mingus in 1971. The alto saxophonist was accompanied by an excellent group featuring trumpeter

Terell Stafford

trumpet
b.1966

" data-original-title="" title="">Terell Stafford, pianist

Jeb Patton

piano
b.1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Jeb Patton, bassist

David Wong

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">David Wong, and drummer

Billy Drummond

drums
b.1959

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Drummond. The quintet has played together for some time and was a finely tuned ensemble. Stafford and McPherson, in particular, were an outstanding front line.

Christian McBride

bass
b.1972

" data-original-title="" title="">Christian McBride introduced the

Bill Charlap

piano
b.1966

" data-original-title="" title="">Bill Charlap Trio as one of the greatest trios in jazz history. The Trio, which included

Peter Washington

bass
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Peter Washington on bass and

Kenny Washington

drums
b.1958

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenny Washington on drums, lived up to that billing. Regrettably, I only caught 15 minutes of their set. However, the consensus among my friends was that their performance was among the festival highlights. Scary Goldings is a collaboration between jazz organist

Larry Goldings

organ, Hammond B3
b.1968

" data-original-title="" title="">Larry Goldings and the contemporary funk group

Scary Pockets

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Scary Pockets, featuring guitarist and keyboardist Jack Conte. Scary Goldings has released five albums to date. On this occasion, guitarist

John Scofield

guitar
b.1951

" data-original-title="" title="">John Scofield and bass guitarist

Tal Wilkenfeld

bass
b.1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Tal Wilkenfeld (best known for her work with

Jeff Beck

guitar
1944 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Jeff Beck) joined them to form a jazz-funk supergroup. Goldings has played with Scofield off since the early 90s, and they have a great rapport. The group laid down deep grooves and had ample opportunity to stretch out playing original material. They were received enthusiastically by a large crowd.

I had high expectations for

Joshua Redman

saxophone
b.1969

" data-original-title="" title="">Joshua Redman's MoodSwing Reunion performance, and they were emphatically met. The group features pianist

Brad Mehldau

piano
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Brad Mehldau, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer

Brian Blade

drums
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Brian Blade. They first performed together for Redman's critically acclaimed MoodSwing album and played their second-ever gig at the 1994 Newport Jazz Festival. The musicians were all young, up-and-coming talent. Fast forward nearly 30 years, and these musicians have become leading figures in jazz. Jazz is often considered a deeply intellectual form of music, primarily appreciated by fellow musicians or jazz connoisseurs. Redman's goal was to produce accessible music without compromise. This was clearly articulated in his liner notes to the first album. Great jazz, like all great music, attains its value not through intellectual complexity but through emotional expressivity. And later, "Jazz is about feeling, communication, honesty, and soul." This goal was fully realized in the excellent compositions on both of their studio albums, MoodSwing and Gone Again, and in live performance at Newport delivered by some of the best musicians on the planet. The musicians and the music have evolved over 30 years, but the musicians share a common language, vision, and aesthetic. In a word, magnificent!

I first saw

Samara Joy

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Samara Joy in the summer of 2022 at a small Brooklyn club, Bar Bayeux, in front of about ten people for the second set. In the subsequent year, Joy won a Grammy and garnered numerous awards and accolades. She filled the Quad Stage tent at Newport to capacity, with an additional ten rows of eager spectators straining to hear and catch a glimpse of her performance. Joy wowed the large crowd with her extraordinary voice and unique renditions of classics such as "Stardust" . In an in-pictures feature at AAJ, Samara Joy at the Newport Jazz Festival 2023, my colleague, Stephanie Bernaba, stated it perfectly "Joy exudes the presence of an old soul, coupled with a voice that draws in jazz newcomers while simultaneously stirring the souls of those who grew up on standards." She was accompanied by an excellent band, including a most impressive young pianist,

Luther Allison

piano
b.1939

" data-original-title="" title="">Luther Allison.

At age 83, Herbie Hancock is one of the elder statesmen of jazz. He has had an extraordinary and highly varied 60-year career marked by an insane number of accolades and awards. Yet Hancock remains at the top of his game, one of the most captivating performers in the world of jazz, and continues to draw a younger audience with his enduring popularity. He first performed at Newport in 1965 with the

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis Quintet. Longtime bandmates guitarist

Lionel Loueke

guitar
b.1973

" data-original-title="" title="">Lionel Loueke and bass guitarist

James Genus

bass
b.1966

" data-original-title="" title="">James Genus accompanied Hancock. They were joined by a young and most impressive drummer,

Jaylen Petinaud

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Jaylen Petinaud.

Trumpeter

Terence Blanchard

trumpet
b.1962

" data-original-title="" title="">Terence Blanchard is one of the most distinguished and busiest musicians in jazz, with his band the E-Collective, his work on movie soundtracks, and more recently, the composer of an opera, Fire Shut Up in My Bones. He has toured with Hancock over the past 15 or so years when his schedule permits. Blanchard brings a completely distinct and transformative sonic dimension to the band. Loueke can also coax these otherworldly sounds from his guitar to great effect. The Quintet played a moving tribute to Wayne Shorter by reinventing his iconic Footprints with a Blanchard arrangement. The set ended with extended versions of two Headhunters' classics, "Actual Proof" and "Chameleon." Hancock pulled out all the stops, first singing into the vocoder, which electronically transforms his voice, and then playing the keytar, which is always a crowd favorite. Herbie was absolutely elated, and the experience electrified the audience.

This is my third and final report from Newport, which brings closure to my journey. I wanted to pay homage to the artists not included in the writeups. These include the very expressive

Durand Jones & The Indications

" data-original-title="" title="">Durand Jones & The Indications, who weaves together old and new school soul, the funk-jazz trio Soulive, who performed a fiercely rocking set on Friday, and two masterful bass guitarists,

Derrick Hodge

bass
b.1979

" data-original-title="" title="">Derrick Hodge and

Marcus Miller

bass
b.1959

" data-original-title="" title="">Marcus Miller who showcased remarkable virtuosity while leading stellar group performances.

Orrin Evans

piano
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Orrin Evans led a formidable band that featured trumpeter

Ingrid Jensen

trumpet
b.1966

" data-original-title="" title="">Ingrid Jensen and tenor saxophonist

Gary Thomas

saxophone
b.1961

" data-original-title="" title="">Gary Thomas. I thoroughly enjoyed catching at least a glimpse of

Louis Cato

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Louis Cato,

Adi Oasis

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Adi Oasis,

Pedrito Martinez

percussion

" data-original-title="" title="">Pedrito Martinez, and the Soul Rebels. Attending the Newport Jazz Festival was a profound musical journey and a treasured accomplishment, marking off a significant event from my bucket list. View Slideshow

Lionel Loueke with Herbie Hancock at The Newport Jazz...

Joshua Redman with MoodSwing Reunion at the Newport Jazz...

Terrence Blanchard with Herbie Hancock at The Newport Jazz...

Samara Joy with MoodSwing Reunion at the Newport Jazz...

Joshua Redman and Christian McBride with MoodSwing Reunion...

Billy Drummond with Charles McPherson at The Newport Jazz...

Herbie Hancock at The Newport Jazz Festival 2023

Marcus Miller at The Newport Jazz Festival 2023

Charles McPherson at The Newport Jazz Festival 2023

Joshua Redman and Christian McBride with MoodSwing Reunion...

Diana Krall at The Newport Jazz Festival 2023

Herbie Hancock at The Newport Jazz Festival 2023

Brian Blade at The Newport Jazz Festival 2023

James Genus with Herbie Hancock at The Newport Jazz...

Terrell Stafford with Charles McPherson at The Newport Jazz...

Tal Wilkenfeld at The Newport Jazz Festival 2023

Anthony Wilson with Diana Krall at The Newport Jazz...

Samara Joy and Luther Allison at The Newport Jazz Festival...

Luther Allison with Samara Joy at The Newport Jazz Festival...

Tal Wilkenfeld With Scary Goldings At The Newport Jazz...

Bill Charlap at The Newport Jazz Festival 2023

Anthony Wilson with Diana Krall at The Newport Jazz...

Lionel Loueke, Herbie Hancock, Jaylen Petinaud And James...

Paul Robertson with the Soul Rebels at The Newport Jazz...

Kenny Washington with the Bill Charlap Trio at The Newport...

Jhair Sala with Pedrito Martinez at The Newport Jazz...

John Scofield With Scary Goldings At The Newport Jazz...

Diana Krall at The Newport Jazz Festival 2023

Terrence Blanchard with Herbie Hancock at The Newport Jazz...

Brad Mehldau with Joshua Redman MoodSwing Reunion at The...

Brad Mehldau, Joshua Redman, Christian McBride and Brian...

Joshua Redman with MoodSwing Reunion at The Newport Jazz...

Bill Charlap at The Newport Jazz Festival 2023

Russell Gunn with Marcus Miller at The Newport Jazz...

with Samara Joy at The Newport Jazz Festival 2023

Larry Goldings With Scary Goldings At The Newport Jazz...

The Newport Jazz Festival 2023

Christian Mcbride With Joshua Redman MoodSwing Reunion At...

Ryan Lerman with Scary Goldings at The Newport Jazz...

Marcus Miller At The Newport Jazz Festival 2023

Adi Oasis at The Newport Jazz Festival 2023

Samara Joy at the Newport Jazz Festival 2023

Brad Mehldau with Joshua Redman MoodSwing Reunion at the...

with Samara Joy at the Newport Jazz Festival 2023

Brian Blade with Joshua Redman MoodSwing Reunion at the...

Samara Joy at the Newport Jazz Festival 2023

Peter Washington with the Bill Charlap Trio at the Newport...

Herbie Hancock at the Newport Jazz Festival 2023

Manual Perkins Jr. with the Soul Rebels at the Newport Jazz...

Marcus Miller at the Newport Jazz Festival 2023

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