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Newport Jazz Festival 55: A Weekend to Savor

By Ken Franckling
August 17, 2009
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I've never hugged so many musicians in my life. They've made this the most beautiful weekend in my life.
—George Wein

George Wein's CareFusion Jazz Festival 55
Newport, Rhode Island
August 7-9, 2009
In this 40th anniversary summer of Woodstock, the musical love-in took place in Newport, not upstate New York.

And it wasn't a matter of nostalgia. It was all about the Phoenix-like return of the jazz festival after a winter of uncertainty. Once something goes away—or is threatened with going away—you find out how much it is appreciated.

George Wein

That was the case this past weekend for

George Wein

piano
1925 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">George Wein. Many will recall that the company that bought his Festival Productions Inc. operation 2 1/2 years ago and ran it into the ground financially under the aegis of Festival Network LLC, yet retained naming rights to the Newport Jazz Festival and the companion Newport Folk Festival.

Wein came out of semi-retirement to ensure his 55-year Newport legacy survives. He had help from longtime staff, an army of fellow musicians, some of whom have worked for him and/or with him for five decades or more, and a new sponsor, the San Diego-based health-care products and services company CareFusion. "The warmth I've received this weekend is unbelievable," Wein said. "I've never hugged so many musicians in my life. They've made this the most beautiful weekend in my life."

Musically, there was something for everyone at George Wein's CareFusion Jazz Festival 55 on a weekend with an announced total attendance of 12,800, the largest crowds—6,000 showing up on August 8, a postcard-perfect Saturday. (Not as many as were present for the 50th anniversary of the start of the Newport Folk Festival the prior week, when Saturday attendance alone topped 9,000, but a good turnout given the health of the economy and the many choices for today's music consumer.)

There was hard bop, mainstream jazz, Latin, avant-garde, rock-influenced jazz from younger groups like

The Bad Plus

band / ensemble / orchestra
b.2000

" data-original-title="" title="">The Bad Plus, and bands that transcended stylistic boxes.

Steven Bernstein

trumpet
b.1961

" data-original-title="" title="">Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra updated the feel of the old

Jimmie Lunceford

composer / conductor
1902 - 1947

" data-original-title="" title="">Jimmie Lunceford band at times. The avant-garde was represented well by the boiling intensity of the Chicago-based

Vandermark 5

" data-original-title="" title="">Vandermark 5, as well as By Any Means(alto saxophonist Charles Gayle, bassist William Parker, and drummer Muhammad Ali subbing for brother Rashied Ali, whom we just lost). Rapper-actor Mos Def was Saturday's headliner with his Watermelon Syndicate. The set may have felt inappropriate to some, yet the band's musical underpinnings were strong and creative, particularly on his update of John Colrane's "A Love Supreme."

Marsalis Music owned the intimate Waterside Stage on Saturday, presenting pianist

Joey Calderazzo

piano
b.1965

" data-original-title="" title="">Joey Calderazzo with the jazz combo from North Carolina Central University (where he teaches),

Claudia Acuna

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Claudia Acuna, the

Branford Marsalis

saxophone
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">Branford Marsalis, Joey Calderazzo duo, the North Carolina Central Big Band, and the

Miguel Zenon

saxophone, alto
b.1976

" data-original-title="" title="">Miguel Zenon quartet. And Marsalis sat in with virtually all of his labelmates—and the two student bands, which turned more than a few heads.

As Newport attendees soon learn, you have to pick your spots as a listener—given the musical swirl of three stages.

Highlights included:

Wein sitting in on the finale, "All of Me," with the Anat Cohen-Howard Alden quartet, which opened the music Friday night at historic Newport Casino, the very first home of the Newport Jazz Festival back in 1954.

Bassist-singer

Esperanza Spalding

bass
b.1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Esperanza Spalding (pictured right), who had made a confident move from a small stage last year to her own Saturday set on the main stage, and a return on Sunday as an integral member of

Joe Lovano

drums
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Lovano's quintet UsFive.

Singer Acuna's breezy bilingual set on the Waterside Stage. Even if you don't know the words when she sings in her native Spanish, the Chilean beauty's way with a song touches you with her heart-felt emotion.

Joshua Redman

saxophone
b.1969

" data-original-title="" title="">Joshua Redman's Double Trio energized the main stage at mid-afternoon Saturday with the presence of two bassists

Omer Avital

bass, acoustic

" data-original-title="" title="">Omer Avital and

Matt Penman

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Matt Penman and two drummers (

Brian Blade

drums
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Brian Blade and Gregory Hutchinson, adding to the textural possibilities as they played in varied combinations that are propelling Redman's new concepts.

Brian Blade and his Fellowship Band were back for the second straight year, lifting the stage off its moorings musically on Sunday. So did

James Carter

multi-instrumentalist
b.1969

" data-original-title="" title="">James Carter's organ trio a few hours later—and

Hiromi

piano
b.1979

" data-original-title="" title="">Hiromi's trio, SonicBloom, had much the same impact a day earlier as she opened with an inside-turns-outside version of "Softly As In a Morning Sunrise" and closed with an arrangement of Ellington-Tizol's "Caravan" that started with bombast and melodic hints before resolving to its old self.

Lovano sitting in with pianist

Michel Camilo

piano
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Michel Camilo's trio Sunday on a rousing reconstruction of Gillespie's "A Night in Tunisia." An hour earlier, Lovano's UsFive opened the main stage with a rousing, adventurous set that signaled it was not to be a lazy afternoon by any means.

Michel Camilo and Joe Lovano

Wein joining bassist

Christian McBride

bass
b.1972

" data-original-title="" title="">Christian McBride for a live taping of his forthcoming satellite radio show "Conversations with Christian." For an hour, they talked about the music, the atmosphere for jazz in the 1950s and now—and they played as a smiling, mutual-admiration duo.

Dave Brubeck

piano
1920 - 2012

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Brubeck, who has now played Newport more than 30 times, joined

Tony Bennett

vocals
1926 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Tony Bennett on Harold Arlen's "That Old Black Magic" after his own classic set. Bennett ended the weekend with a poignant, masterful set - and had to be aware of the appropriateness of one of his final tunes, "How Do You Keep The Music Playing?"

In Newport's case, you celebrate George Wein's resolve against great odds. And if you're a musician, you join the line to support him. Example:

Cedar Walton

piano
1934 - 2013

" data-original-title="" title="">Cedar Walton's quintet, featuring

Curtis Fuller

trombone
1934 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Curtis Fuller and

Lew Tabackin

saxophone, tenor
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Lew Tabackin, opened the main stage late Saturday morning—after playing in New York the previous night and having to do so again that night. Even Rhode Island's governor, Don Carcieri, showed up as the last notes faded on Sunday to thank Wein for putting Rhode Island "on the map."

The atmosphere was a bit different on Friday night, when Cohen and Alden were a hit with hard-core jazz fans.

Chaka Khan was the opening night headliner, subbing for

Etta James

vocals
1938 - 2012

" data-original-title="" title="">Etta James, who cancelled last month due to illness. While the available subs may have been limited given short notice, it did not prove a wise choice. Ticket buyers who hadn't heard about the James cancellation showed up annoyed, Khan fans who were expecting to hear a reprise of her R&B hits were disappointed not to get any. Jazz fans hoping for a set of well-done jazz standards streamed out by the hundreds at mid-set. She and the

George Duke

piano
1946 - 2013

" data-original-title="" title="">George Duke trio never sounded in sync, other than an interesting version of the old standard "The End of a Love Affair." Otherwise it was a puzzle—with screeching often substituting for scatting.

Photo Credit

Ken Franckling

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