Newport Jazz Festival 2022 in 3 acts
This year’s Newport Jazz Festival was one to remember. Now in its 68th year (the 41st year at Fort Adams State Park), the three day festival (held July 29 – 31, 2022) had something for everyone. Jazz artists old and new, Newport Jazz Festival veterans and first-time performers, graced the Festival’s three stages and put on memorable performances that saw many people scrambling from one stage to the next so as not to miss a drop of the weekend’s offerings. But, one thing was missing from the weekend’s festivities and that was the presence of the Festival’s founder and regular attendee Mr. George Wein who passed away in September 2021 at the age of 95. This is the first year that Newport was held without him.
Though Wein was not present in person, his impact was felt throughout the weekend. Aside from the memorial created in between the Fort and the Harbor stages, Wein’s commitment to showcasing the best and the brightest artists was something the current artistic director (bassist Christian McBride) left intact. Here’s just a little taste of this past weekend’s offerings.
Day 1, Act 1: Love
Day 1 of the Newport Jazz Festival was all about love. Love of art and creativity. Love of spiritual connectedness. Love of jazz music. Romantic love. Pick any form of love that you can imagine and there is a good chance that it was either witnessed or experienced that day.
When Norah Jones performs, it’s as if her song lyrics float from her mouth and fill the space they occupy with warm feelings and cherished memories. Her songs make people smile and bring about feelings of happiness and joy to all those fortunate enough to hear. Such was the case when Jones closed out Day 1 on the Fort stage. Following McBride’s dynamic introduction of the singer, Jones emerged from backstage to raucous applause wearing a simple tie-dyed dress, denim jacket, and ankle cowboy boots (possibly a nod to her group Puss n Boots). Joined onstage by celebrated drummer Brian Blade, guitarist Dan Iead, and bassist Chris Morrisey, Jones’s set offered a nice cool down after an exciting day of music. She opened with “Just a Little Bit,” a song from her 2019 recording Begin Again. While photographers clamored below her for the perfect shot, people in the crowd moved a little closer to one another almost as though it would help them hear her better. The energy near the stage seemed fairly electric as Jones performed more music from her twenty-plus years long career. Her music is so full of love that the setting sun took its time the minute “Sunrise” made its way from her mouth all the way to God’s ears. Sounds cliché, right? If only you’d seen the sun.
Husband and wife duo Marcus and Jean Baylor of The Baylor Project demonstrated intentional and spiritual love. Their multi-award winning collaboration (featured on the Harbor stage) offered a glimpse into what it looks like when life partners and friends are as rooted in their shared gift of music as they are in the source of their gift. They performed jazz and gospel with equal aplomb and they did it all with gratitude and smiles. And let’s not gloss over the undeniable talent that is Jean Baylor. She is one of the best singers with one of the best voices on the scene today. Her clarity and tone; her phrasing and timing; the sweetness of her soprano; her approach to lyrics and the way she emotes are all that of a top-tier talent. The Baylor Project is fortunate to have her. It was clear by the reaction she received during their performance that the crowd agreed.
Day 2, Act 2: Acknowledgement
Day 2 was all about acknowledgement: acknowledgement of the past and the impact that past has on the present; acknowledgement of the need to represent women musicians and diversity; and acknowledgement of the progression of jazz and the new artists who create it.
The evolution of bassist Esperanza Spalding has been one of the greatest gifts to jazz music during the new millennium. From Berklee College of Music standout student-turned-faculty in 2004/2005 to surprise-Grammy-award-winning Best New Artist in 2011 to the rock-tinged Emily in 2016 to the radiant life force that she is today, she’s always authentically herself no matter the time or era. When McBride emerged onstage to introduce Spalding, there was something that immediately stuck out. There was nothing unusual or spectacular about the stage beyond the typical bass, piano, and drums grouping, but there was a medium-sized trunk with a Gallien-Kruger bass amp perched atop that caught this writer/photographer’s eye. 1619. That’s all that was stenciled across the front of the trunk. 1619 is the year that slavery began in America. 1619 is also a project that sparked a debate about critical race theory and American history curricula. It could also be a random number that has absolutely nothing to do with recognizing the start of slavery or debates about race in America, but follow-me here. In that moment Vi Wilson, Carline Ray, Lucille Dixon, and other female musicians who came before her were on that stage. Once Spalding herself took the stage, she poured through her discography punctuating most of the work with the theatrics, delicate vocals, and virtuoso bass-playing that have come to be synonymous with her work. Shabaka Hutchings, who performed a powerful set of his own on Friday, joined Spalding onstage for a few songs.
Other memorable performances include pianist Sullivan Fortner who acknowledged the contributions of the first African American to play the Grand Ole Opry in his composition “DeFord’s Blues;” the spirit of Ella Fitzgerald shouted hallelujah when 22-year-old singer Samara Joy performed immediately following Fortner on the Harbor Stage; and the crowd acknowledged the artistry of Cecile McLorin Salvant as she performed songs that elicited laughter, applause, and deep satisfaction sometimes all at the same time. It was a good day.
Day 3, Act 3: Celebration
Some of George Wein’s favorite musicians and Newport Festival regulars performed a touching tribute to Mr. Wein to close out the weekend. Trumpeters Randy Brecker and Jon Faddis were joined on stage by McBride and Jay Leonhart on bass, Anat Cohen on clarinet, Lew Tabackin on sax, Christian Sands and Hiromi on piano, Lewis Nash on drums, with surprise guest performances from Cecile McLorin Salvant on vocals, and Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews on vocals, trumpet and trombone. Before the guest performers joined the core group, Brecker, Faddis, Tabackin, Cohen, McBride, and Nash traded solos and watched each other in amazement while the crowd cheered loudly and held “Thank You, George” signs for all to see. Faddis performed a touching version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” that was so moving and beautiful that it stopped some in their tracks. Hiromi gave a high energy and complex solo performance before McLorin Salvant came onstage to perform the 1920s classic made popular by singers including Betty Carter, Natalie Cole, and June Allyson “Thou Swell.” Once McBride introduced Trombone Shorty, the energy seemed to shift and the celebration began. Performing soulful versions of “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” and “St. James Infirmary,” Trombone Shorty seemed to remind the crowd that celebrating George Wein was to be a joyous occasion. Before long people were smiling and dancing along. It was an emotional end in honor of the man who was the reason we all gathered together in support of jazz music during these still uncertain times.
Before the tribute to George Wein, artists including the visually intriguing bassist MonoNeon, international superstar Angelique Kidjo, iconic bassist and living legend Ron Carter, award winning pianist Jason Moran and his trio group the Bandwagon, hip-hop trio Digable Planets, pianist Vijay Iyer and his trio, and British saxophonist Nubya Garcia all gave memorable performances. Though some of the sets were plagued by technical difficulties and significant delays, the audience was poised to follow McBride’s call to “act like you want it” from start to finish.
The Newport Jazz Festival returns next year August 4-6, 2023.
