The 2023 Newport Jazz Festival ushers in a new day
A few days ago, this writer saw the trailer for a movie on Netflix titled “Jesus Revolution.” The movie, set in the 1960s or 1970s, tells the true story of a strait-laced, conservative preacher who welcomes a couple of youth preachers (one of them looking remarkably like the stock image most Christians have of Jesus) and a group of hippies into his church. The pastor’s regular members are initially resistant to his inclusion of the new congregants, but his burgeoning relationship with the youth coupled with his desire to do what he feels is right—even though he’s not sure about how what’s right will be received—leads him to extend the welcome at the expense of the possible demise of his own church. What results over time is all the congregants learning a radically different way of relating to one another which in turn radicalizes the church. This trailer aptly summarizes the 69th annual Newport Jazz Festival which took place this past weekend (August 4-6, 2023) at Fort Adams State Park in the heart of the Ocean State.
Though the Newport Jazz Festival includes musicians outside of the “mainstream” jazz platform every year, this year’s lineup was by far the most diverse. New Orleans’ own Queen of Bounce, Big Freedia, twerked the Quad Stage attendees into a frenzy; multi-hyphenate Anderson .Paak played a vinyl set under the pseudonym DJ Pee Wee while a standing room only audience at the Quad Stage attempted a Soul Train line and danced out into the lawn (shout-out to the young man in the wheelchair for dancing like no one was watching); vocalist Adi Oasis brought a touch of neo soul and funk to the Fort Stage; keyboard and drum duo Domi and Beck and bassist Thundercat led two separate yet equally virtuosic performances on the Quad and Fort Stages respectively that left many dazzled, stunned, confused, and excited seemingly all at once. Some in attendance during the referenced performances questioned whether the artists were a fit for the Newport stages while others welcomed it all with wide-eyed glee and shoulder shrugs as they danced around the Fort.
Whether they were a fit or not is almost beside the point. What’s important is that these artists were included in the first place and, now that they were, is there any space for the Festival to go back to how things used to be? Has Newport moved on from that in favor of embracing what is?
The Festival wasn’t just about what or who fit. Performers who best embody the technique, improvisational prowess, and discipline needed to have sustained longevity in the world of jazz were also featured in the Festival lineup. Performers including NEA Jazz Masters Branford Marsalis (with bassist William Ledbetter, drummer Justin Faulkner, and pianist Joey Calderazzo) and Dave Holland (with saxophonist Jaleel Shaw, drummer Nasheet Waits, and pianist Kris Davis) gave stellar performances; Redman, Mehldau, McBride, and Blade reunited to perform music from their celebrated album titled MoodSwing; the Bill Charlap trio, the Charles Lloyd New Quartet, the Charles McPherson Quintet, and 2023 Best New Artist Grammy Award Winner Samara Joy gave masterclasses in blending timeless classics with thoughtful and well-executed modern compositions; and Jon Batiste stirred the crowd at the Fort Stage by simply being Jon Batiste—he’s an amazing performer. And then there’s Herbie Hancock.
As the crowd waited for Hancock to take the stage, young people (likely in their teens or early twenties) stood at the front of the barricade and loudly hummed old Headhunters tunes to the delight of some of the elders within earshot. As the elders began engaging the young people about the music, one young man said, “that’s what we’re all here for.” Just then, the Festival’s Artistic Director, bassist Christian McBride appeared to announce the Festival’s closing act while the crowd seemed to cheer louder with each word McBride spoke. As Hancock and his bandmates appeared on stage (the band included trumpeter Terence Blanchard, guitarist Lionel Loueke, bassist James Genus, and a young drummer whose name is unknown, but whose playing defied his youth), the young people in front started chanting Hancock’s name. By the time he’d taken his seat at the piano, much of the rest of the crowd joined in prompting Hancock to return to the front of the stage in what was a touching show of respect and admiration between the audience and the artist. It wasn’t long before Hancock returned to his seat and launched into some of his classic hits, giving the audience what they came for.
And what exactly did they come for? They came for it. That feeling, that experience, that love, that only flows through the fresh ocean air at Fort Adams State Park during the Newport Jazz Festival. “Act like you want it.” McBride, the multi-award-winning Artistic Director, uttered those words all weekend long as he shuttled between stages introducing one act after another. What McBride didn’t know was that when young people and elders stand shoulder to shoulder and hum the same songs, chant the same name, move chairs so they can dance to the same tunes, jump on stage and twerk together, rap along and celebrate Satchmo together, “it” didn’t stand a chance. “We want it; we want it; we want it!”
See you next year, Newport!
