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Newport Jazz Festival 2014, Day 2

By Timothy J. O'Keefe
August 8, 2014
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Newport Jazz Festival
Fort Adams State Park
Newport, RI
Saturday, August 2, 2014

From the first crushing strike against the drums,

Brian Blade

drums
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Brian Blade's heavy hand and swirling rolls captivated the audience attending a rainy installment of the Newport Jazz Festival. Blade led his Fellowship Band through "Stoner Hill," a dour, gray opener that mirrored the ambiance at one of the soggiest days the outdoor festival is likely to have ever experienced. While the wet weather initially seemed to have spirits down, the raucous applause at the end of the piece left no doubt that the crowd's enthusiasm for the music was alive and well.

"Landmarks" began as a trio format, where Blade used brushes and a lighter touch. It wasn't long, however, before one of the nastiest wrists in jazz returned with its pop and boom, kicking up the tempo and infusing swing.

An army of umbrellas stood should-to-shoulder along the perimeter of the seating area. The pitter-patter of rain on umbrellas formed a rhythmic pattern in the wide open spaces of the moving and expressive "Ark-L9-Tex." To the audience's amusement, Blade closed on "Let The Light Shine Again."

The sun did shine briefly, for little more than an hour. Throughout most of the day, crowds huddled together, desperately seeking shelter from the pelting rain. They tried just about every means: raincoats, ponchos, tarps, and makeshift garbage bags were all spotted on the sprawling grounds surrounding the main stage. There were even a few folks who appeared to have abandoned all hope of remaining dry, and simply walked through the muck barefoot.

The glossy, water-like sounds of

Warren Wolf

vibraphone
b.1979

" data-original-title="" title="">Warren Wolf's vibraphone sparkled on "Armageddon," as the San Francisco Jazz Collective took the stage. The band stormed on an upbeat tempo, led by a jerking bass line. Trumpet and tenor sax played the melody in unison, when Miguel Zenon advanced for the first solo. Working for several bars, he included a flurry of notes that sparked riffs from the other horn players. Zenon twisted and corked his body as he worked his way through the solo. Moving toward the instrument's upper end, he teed up a long, high, piercing note that yielded to Wolf's vibraphone solo. As Wolf finished, the band resumed the main melody, rephrasing it to varying rhythmic timings, slower, and slower, ending on a note that brought the audience alive.

"Playing with the San Francisco Jazz Collective is a lot fun because I think the Collective is made up of some of the best names in jazz," Warren Wolf said. "Typically, each year the Collective selects one artist, and each member chooses one of that artist's compositions and arranges it. We're allowed to do whatever we want —to take it as far out as we want —so this has been really great."

The set continued with the slower paced "Frosted Evils,"

Kevin Eubanks

guitar
b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Kevin Eubanks' "More Than Meets the Ear," and a stirring rendition of Horace Silver's "Songs For My Father."

"Playing at Newport's 60th anniversary is a special experience," Wolf said. "The only thing I could have asked for was better weather," he added with a laugh. "It still looks like a great audience from what I can see," he noted with a nod toward the crowd.

In October, the Jazz Collective will work on the music of

Joe Henderson

saxophone
1937 - 2001

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Henderson. Wolf will hit the road with the Collective, and then in December, he performs with bassist Christian McBride at the Village Vanguard.

Pianist

Aaron Goldberg

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Aaron Goldberg walked a lyrical line at the beginning of

Kurt Rosenwinkel

guitar
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Kurt Rosenwinkel's "Our Secret World." Luminous notes churned from Rosenwinkel's guitar; a sprinkling of electronic effects caused swells of tones to wobble and spray.

"Kurt is a musician I was aware of since I first started playing jazz back when I was in high school," Goldberg said. "I think that since the early '90s I was sort of aware of him."

"I always recognized Kurt as a unique and interesting voice," Goldberg continued. "I think the first time I heard him was when he was with Gary Burton. I've long admired Kurt and when I first started to play with him, he knew of me mostly because I played with

Joshua Redman

saxophone
b.1969

" data-original-title="" title="">Joshua Redman."

"When he asked me to join the band, I felt it was a challenge and a real honor. His music requires a great deal of flexibility to handle appropriately."

"Brooklyn Sometimes," the second piece from the performance, allotted Goldberg time to stretch out on the ivories.

"It always moves me to play that tune," Goldberg said. "I remember looking out at the wet crowd and thinking 'I have a great job!'" he recalled with a laugh.

"Jazz is beautiful in that our audience is not the biggest, but it's a very, very passionate audience and that audience is not going to let the elements get in the way."

Goldberg, who grew up in the Boston area, has attended the Newport Jazz Festival numerous times. "I remember my ultimate rainy Newport experience," Goldberg affirmed, "complete with thunder and lightning!" Continuing, he explained: "There was a

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis tribute that I really wanted to see.

Herbie Hancock

piano
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Herbie Hancock was there, and during all this rain with the thunder and lighting, Herbie's sheet music blew right off the stage, and he just kept on playing! It seemed like there were only a few hundred people left at the end, and when it was over, we applauded and cheered as loud as we could."

"I was definitely a passionate jazz fan when I was young, and I still consider myself a passionate jazz fan now," he reflected.

"The fact that Newport is 60 years old and that

George Wein

piano
1925 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">George Wein is still running it is a testament to the man," Goldberg said. "The vision he had, and the ability to execute it, were amazing. I mean, we all have good ideas, but very few of us have the ability to execute on them the way he has."

The set also consisted of "A Shifting Design," which provided drummer Kendrick Scott some moments to shine (despite all the rain), the mellow "Heavenly Bodies," and "Zhivago."

"I think "Heavenly Bodies" is the one that really moved the crowd," Goldberg said.

Noting that the weather was less than ideal, he elaborated: "You can always count on Kurt to power through any set of circumstances and bring the music to a climactic situation that takes the people on a journey. It's a matter of immersion in the moment. This [performance] is a case where it wasn't a perfect situation, but [Kurt] rose to the occasion, just like I think he always does."

Another performer who rose to the occasion may well have been

Wynton Marsalis

trumpet
b.1961

" data-original-title="" title="">Wynton Marsalis, who performed with the 14-piece Lincoln Center Orchestra. Drawing upon melodic themes from jazz, the charts were rearranged for the orchestra. These orchestral interpretations, interspersed with solos from the jazz idiom, created music that was modern in nature, yet still retained elements of classic Orleans.

The audience danced to an adaptation of

Horace Silver

piano
1928 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Horace Silver's "Cape Verdean Blues," which was followed by

Count Basie

piano
1904 - 1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Count Basie's "I left My Baby."

Bassist

Carlos Henriquez

bass
b.1979

" data-original-title="" title="">Carlos Henriquez's arrangement of "Take Five" began with punchy sounds as a wall of horns floated through a reinterpretation of the melody made famous on

Paul Desmond

saxophone, alto
1924 - 1977

" data-original-title="" title="">Paul Desmond's alto saxophone. Notes blended, melted, and swayed, on a piece that saw Elliot Mason's tarnished trombone cry out with soulful emotion.

"The first jazz musician I ever listened to was

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane," Marsalis explained to the audience. Subsequently, he performed "Resolution" the second movement in the Coltrane's masterful work "A Love Supreme." The set concluded on

Duke Ellington

piano
1899 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Duke Ellington's noted "Black, Brown & Beige: Movement III, Symphonette."

The 60th anniversary of the Newport Jazz Festival presented by Natixis Global Asset Management is sure to be an anniversary that is long remembered. Dick Hyman, Howard Alden, and Jay Leonhart provided a classy trio performance. During

Robert Glasper

piano
b.1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Robert Glasper's electronic induced set and Gregory Porter's danceable grooves, the festival's shade tent became a haven for those looking to escape the liquid sunshine.

Dave Holland

bass
b.1946

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Holland's Prism kicked off an eclectic set, while those who were bold enough to stick around could hear the Newport Now 60 Band, or party with

Trombone Shorty

trombone
b.1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Trombone Shorty. Sure, there was a constant, nagging rain that provided ugly accompaniments on multiple sets. But, there were also numerous times that the tired looks on the faces of more than 6,000 patrons quickly turned to smiles and cheers. Let there be no doubt: the 60th anniversary of the Newport Jazz Festival was about the enduring spirit of the music and the perseverance of its impassioned audience.

Photo Credit: Richard Conde

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