The 2023 Newport Jazz Festival was held in Fort Adams State Park in Newport, RI, from August 4-6, the same site that hosted Newport Folk Festival a week prior. The Newport Jazz Festival is the “Grandaddy of all festivals,” acknowledged as the first major festival when it began in 1954, and is renowned for jump-starting the careers of Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and many more. This year’s fest was the first time it sold out for all three days in decades as the lineup seemed to strike a magical balance of vocalists, funk/jam bands, first-time performers, and living legends.
This was the fourth Newport Jazz Festival for this team who first attended in 2019 and the audience has decidedly grown quite younger, though remaining just as respectful and enthusiastic in that time span. It is impossible to cover three major stages with 17 acts per day each, 51 for the three days with severe and simultaneous overlaps. And, although ending last year’s review with “hassle-free,” that is not a term we could ascribe to this year’s festival. It was crowded as we’d never seen it – likely equivalent to the Folk experience. As per usual though, some memorable performances came from artists/bands that few would have predicted. Based on various feedback, we missed sets that others absolutely loved which is not at all surprising as every act witnessed was worthy, unlike prior years when it was easy to pass on some acts after a couple of tunes. If there was an overriding theme, call it a “dance party.”
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Friday
Top Five (not ranked)
Endea Owens & The Cookout – With a set that combined jazz, soul, and gospel bassist and bandleader Endea Owens had the Quad Stage crowd singing along to “The Creator Has a Master Plan” and later ignited the first dance party before noon no less.
Branford Marsalis/Joe Russo’s Almost Dead w/ Branford Marsalis – We’ve linked the two together as Branford was outstanding both with his longstanding quartet, and especially pianist Joey Calderazzo (with William Ledbetter on bass and Justin Faulkner on drums) in a set that spanned originals, Keith Jarrett, Ornette Coleman, and 1930’s blues. His knowledge of the Grateful Dead’s repertoire shown through brightly in his sterling accompaniment in Russo’s set which had a devoted fanbase dancing and swinging to a set that included “King Solomon’s Marbles,” “Row Jimmy,” “Let It Grow,” “Estimated Prophet,” “Terrapin Station,” and “Brokedown Palace” as the group improvised as only they can.
Lakecia Benjamin – Clearly the day’s most energetic artist, making her Newport debut, she rapped, sang, and reached to the heavens with her tribute to The Coltranes on her alto saxophone – bending, kneeling, and throwing her body into contorted positions. Her renditions from her album Phoenix were equally captivating. She was wild and connected well with a primed audience as she opened the Fort Stage for the day. (Pianist Zaccai Curtis, drummer E.J. Strickland, and bassist Ivan Taylor)
Derrick Hodge – The bassist played from his Blue Note album The Color of Noize with a quartet adept at building crescendos, group interplay, and an astute sense of dynamics. Drummer Maison Guidry thrilled us with his monstrous drumming.
Durand Jones – On both vocals and saxophone, Jones delighted the audience with some of the most soulful singing heard during the entire festival. Both Jones and Hodge played Harbor, the smallest and arguably the most “jazz-specific” stage of the three – you’ll note that every stage featured highlights each day.
The Contenders
Julius Rodriguez – The multi-instrumentalist just has abundant talent whether playing keyboards or drums. More importantly, he has a feel for the “groove,” showing up on Saturday on piano and keys in Kurt Elling’s SuperBlue ensemble.
Lauren Sevian – Swinging set from the baritone saxophonist, assisted ably by Miki Yakanama on piano and the ever-reliable Johnathan Blake on drums.
Butcher Brown – The jazz funk fusion unit led by trumpeter/saxophonist Marcus Tenny had the Quad audience rocking and swaying to their grooves in their crisp, earthy set.
Alfa Mist – The genre-bending UK band moved the Fort Stage audience with a healthy mix of electronics from the leader coupled with some straight-ahead jazz courtesy of trumpeter Johnny Woodham in tribute to Freddie Hubbard among other selections. Bassist/vocalist Kaya Thomas-Dyke charmed as well.
Dave Holland New Quartet – The legendary bassist always brings an elite ensemble to Newport, and this was the first time this unit had played the continuous composition “A New Day” in the U.S. Holland plays a custom ¾ sized bass that emits a full, robust sound buoyed by the avant pianist Kris Davis, emotive altoist Jaleel Shaw, and drummer Nasheet Waits in a set filled with superb solos from each.
Saturday
Top Five (not ranked)
James Brandon Lewis – The spiritual, hard-edged, aggressive and creative force that is “JBL” did not disappoint with his electric trio playing tunes from Eye of the I, but he connected most strongly with his deep gospel closer, “Sparrow” from his upcoming Lily Quintet release, For Mahalia, With Love. His transportive power held us spellbound.
Charles Lloyd – As hard-edged as Lewis is, Lloyd is equally soft-edged and even more spiritual. The living legend spread deep emotional tones with his New Quartet, pianist Jason Moran, bassist Reuben Rogers, and drummer Eric Harland in a sublime set attended by many “jam band” types who suppressed their wild sides in favor of tremendous respect instead. Lloyd played tenor, alto flute and his wooden tarogato, mastering all three as expected.
Louis Armstrong Now – A clear highlight performed on Armstrong’s 102nd birthday by a commissioned group of trumpeters – Giveton Gelin, Bruce Harris, and Marcus Hill with pianist Mathis Picard, bassist Russell Hall, and legendary New Orleans drummer Herlin Riley, a group that had only performed this program once before this one. Audio clips of Armstrong himself were interspersed with Armstrong covers and originals composed by each of the trumpeters, who needless to say dazzled in both ensemble playing and solos. This was one of those Newport specials that unfortunately was a one-off.
Christian McBride Jam Jawn – With a smile visible from 100 yards away, McBride is a master of putting disparate musicians together who seemingly don’t seem to fit and make it sound like they’ve been playing together regularly as a group. Pianist Bob James, drummer Nate Smith, guitarist Eric Krasno, saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, and percussionist Negah Santos, later joined by Celisse were marvelous through Joe Henderson, “Afro Blue” with Ravi on sopranino saxophone and Santos with a rousing percussion solo, and peaked on James’ “Westchester Lady,” as good a jam as you’ll ever hear. Celisse brought the soul, starting with “Hound Dog,” eventually leading to McBride’s favorite, James Brown. On “Sex Machine,” he invited a volunteer to play bass (“if you mess up the bass line, it’s a $50 fine”) while he emulated the master’s dance moves. Wow! … a set that began with Joe Henderson ends as a funky dance party.
Jon Batiste – Speaking of dance parties, how about one for 10,000? Resplendent in a bright red suit, the consummate entertainer
Batiste led an amazing big band, singing traditional tunes, hits from We Are such as the title track, “I Need You,” and ‘Freedom,” exhorting the audience on the latter – “Where I come from, they move their bodies ten times faster. I need to see you get free! Get to your inner child. Your Freedom! Your Jazz! Your move that looks ugly but you don’t even care about it… No preamble, right now” (repetitively) to the infectious sounds of his brassy band. Batiste picked up on the joyous vibe, saying “I love this moment. I’m so grateful that we’re in this moment together. It’s an incredible, communal love vibration that I feel. I just wanted to acknowledge that.” During his set he engaged in thrilling duets a la Ray Charles (“The Night Time Is the Right Time”) with vocalist Desi, took us through a brief history of New Orleans piano in a trio setting and then began to build the NOLA vibe with his big band, eventually leaving the stage to march through the audience forming a second line. This was a memorable set for the ages and the best close to set this writer has ever witnessed (and this writer is an old dude, to boot). Those who saw Batiste at Folk gave this one the decided edge as well.
The Contenders
Camille Thurman – Christian McBride introduced her as saying, “There isn’t much she can’t do” and Thurman lived up to that billing by playing a swinging tenor saxophone, singing with finesse, power, and range whether through lyrics or scatting, backed by her drummer husband’s Darrell Green Quartet, featuring the emerging trumpeter Wallace Roney Jr.
SuperBlue: Kurt Elling, Charlie Hunter, and Nate Smith w/The Huntertone Horns – This was another of the dynamic, danceable Fort Stage performances and had this writer been able to see more of it, it would likely be in the previous section. Elling, fully drenched in sweat by the end of the set scatted marvelously while sharing the moments with his stellar band comprised of a three-piece horn section, Charlie Hunter on bass/guitar, Julius Rodriguez on piano and keys, and the inexhaustible Nate Smith on drums. Catch them when they come your way!
Orrin Evans Quintet – Fresh off his excellent release, The Red Door, the colorful, enigmatic Evans with his funky, bluesy, unpredictable style led an excellent group of crowd-pleasing Artemis trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, saxophonist/flutist Gary Thomas, bassist Luques Curtis, and drummer Mark Whitfield Jr. mostly through selections from the album with the bluesy “Big Small” as a clear highlight in an overall excellent set.
Vijay Iyer/Arooj Aftab/Shahzad Ismaily – A courageous set from the pianist, vocalist and bassist given the raucous shows that preceded them. Theirs was an ethereal trip to some heavenly galaxy as the sounds meshed together is what Iyer calls “live composing.” It depends on the deep concentration between the three players. For the listener, it is equally challenging but ultimately rewarding.
Sunday
Top Five (not ranked)
Charles McPherson – The 84-year-old legend last played the festival with Charles Mingus, so he was warmly welcomed before launching a highly organized set of lively bebop and hard bop, climaxing with “Cherokee,” where the still fleet fingered McPherson delivered his best in a series of exciting solos, matched by trumpeter Terell Stafford and assisted by the talented pianist Jeb Patton, bassist David Wong, and drummer Billy Drummond.
Cimafunk/Peditro Martinez – We’re combining these two separate sets as each band cross sat in with the other for a tune. The nine-piece Afro-Cuban Cimafunk created a veritable dance party for the ages in the Quad, where every person was standing to the point where the band invited audience members to dance on stage with them. The action was nonstop, prompting Keyon Harrold to jump on stage to take a solo. Pedrito Martinez took his turn earlier in the set before it got so incredibly wild, musicians taking turns at the mic, and switching instruments while keeping an unrelenting groove. The vibe spilled over to the usually staid Harbor Stage for Martinez’s own set with his vibrant sextet. Together the two sets brought some of the most engaging energy witnessed. Yes, the dancing was unbridled once again!
Joshua Redman/Brad Mehldau/Christian McBride/Brian Blade – It was as if these four exceptional musicians – saxophonist Redman, pianist Mehldau, bassist McBride, and drummer Blade were here to remind us that at its core, this was still a jazz festival, as they commemorated their first performance together as a quartet thirty years prior. Every solo was superb, and the interplay was even better as Redman led the band through selections from their Grammy-winning A Mood Swing Reunion, Round Again, and Long Gone
Matthew Whitaker – The pianist and his quartet moved directly from soundcheck to performance, leading emcee McBride to comment, “I see y’all got the party started already” as Whitaker alternated between piano and organ, sustaining rhythmic clapping from the 11 am Harbor audience throughout his joyous set.
Herbie Hancock – To the audience chants of “Herbie, Herbie” the 83-year-old maestro looked and sounded as fit as ever, leading his band that included the brilliant trumpeter Terence Blanchard, guitarist Lionel Lueke, bassist James Genus, and young drummer Jaylen Petinaud. Wasting little time, the band meshed electronics with searing solos from Blanchard on “Rockit” with a snippet of “Chameleon.” Hancock then paid tribute to his best friend the late Wayne Shorter with “Footprints” in an arrangement from Blanchard. The leader improvised with a bit of humor on the vocoder before showcasing his band members on an extended “Actual Proof” before strapping on his keytar for the jazz-funk classic “Chameleon” as the audience went once again into shake-your-booty mode.
The Contenders
Claudia Acuna – The clear-toned, emotive Chilean vocalist kicked off a day studded with premier female jazz vocalists, delivering a stirring set that included selections from her two most recent efforts, 2018’s Latin Grammy-nominated Turning Pages and 2019’s DUO.
Bill Charlap Trio – Pianist Charlap’s trio with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington has been together for over 25 years, a rarity in jazz. Their collective experience was on display as they delivered a masterclass in group interplay through a set dominated by Duke Ellington compositions as well as other recognizable standards.
Samara Joy – The popular vocalist was in top form as she took the Quad Stage to legions of adoring fans. This writer wasn’t able to see much of her set as Diana Krall overlapped on the Fort Stage, but Joy’s dulcet tones and superb vocal range reverberated through the interior of the Fort delighting the thousands who had gathered to hear the two-time Grammy winner.
Cautious Clay – The multi-talented singer and multi-instrumentalist makes his Blue Note debut this month with Karpeh from which he played a few selections, highlighted by “The Tide is My Witness” where he unleashed an aggressive tenor solo. Clay adeptly mixed his soothing R&B vocals while playing flute, soprano, tenor, and guitar at various points in his set, backed by drums, guitar, and electric bass. Although moving away from his pop persona somewhat, the entertainment quotient remains high and his touring behind this new album shows much promise.
Diana Krall – As mentioned, being somewhat time challenged between Joy and Clay who overlapped Krall’s set, wasn’t able to catch much of it but was impressed with the patience and stone silence of an immense crowd who had gathered in front of the Fort Stage to hear Krall’s delicate approach to standards. It was a display of respect rarely seen, to have thousands so quiet as Krall gave them the kind of repertoire they expected.
Though most of us are still trying to digest all that we were able to take in, it makes one wish for a restart to catch the acts that we missed. Nonetheless, we’ll need time to process what went down at this festival, overall, the best of the four we have attended. The joy and immense uplift we felt during these three days is a sentiment surely shared by the attendees at large.
Photos by Mary Hynes
