In stark contrast to the previous day, it was a bright, cloudless sunny day—the perfect day for a festival. The venue for this event, Fort Adams State Park, was divided into three separate stages; the main JVC Stage with the old walls of the fortress behind it, the large Pavilion Stage, and the Waterside Stage along the water. All three stages run simultaneously, so it is best to carefully check the program schedule in advance so you won’t miss the shows that you came to see. As soon as the gate opened at 10 am, a crowd of eager fans came flooding in, transforming the area into a sea of parasols by the time the concert began.
Article, Photos by Takehiko Tokiwa
Joshua Redman (ts, ss)
The program at the JVC Jazz Stage kicked off with a trio led by Joshua Redman (ts, ss), who has had a very good response to his new album “Back East.” Though on album, he chooses different members for each track, for his tour he handpicked Christian McBride, one of the best session bassists on the scene, and Eric Hartland (ds), who has proven his remarkable talent playing with many prominent artists. Just like the album, the trio began with “The Surrey With The Fringe On Top”, paying respect to the album “Way Out West”, recorded by the saxophone-led trio of Sonny Rollins during their West Coast tour in 1957. “It’s the first time that we’ve been blessed with a such sunny day in Newport,” said Redman, a regular JVC Jazz festival performer, responding to the cheering audience. It appeared as though the trio, lacking harmonic backing instruments such as piano or guitar, gave him the chance to move through his improvisations with more abandon, playing freely and with much more power and energy than his usual self.
Joshua Redman (ts, ss), Christian McBride (b), Eric Hartland (ds)
Bruce Hornsby (p)
Next on stage was the Bruce Hornsby (p) Trio. This was a special project for pianist, singer, and songwriter Bruce Hornsby, who took the opportunity to challenge himself head-on with the jazz form. He was joined by Christian McBride from the previous performance and Jack DeJohnette (ds), who is considered the best drummer of the modern generation. There was, however, an unconvincing moment of experimentation when, although graced with this powerful rhythm section, a rhythm machine was incorporated into the music. Despite these moments, the audience welcomed Bruce Hornsby warmly when he changed gears to perform in his original style, accompanying himself on piano.
Anat Cohen (ts), Omer Avital (b)
A variety of ethnic food stalls were set up alongside the spaces between each of the three stages, catching everyone’s eye and drawing them in. While getting my fill at the stalls, I came upon some straight-ahead jazz playing on the Pavilion Stage. The show was a brilliant performance by the Monk Legacy Septet, led by Ben Riley (ds), a former drummer for the late Thelonious Sphere Monk, and Kiyoshi Kitagawa, perhaps the busiest bassist of the New York Jazz scene. At the same time, Chico Hamilton, known for his ambitious playing in the film “Jazz on a Summer's Day,” had a spirited showing, putting his entire 50-year-plus music career into his performance. In the meantime, the Waterside Stage was showcasing some powerful playing by female saxophone player Anat Cohen, who was performing alongside two young promising artists, Jason Lindner (p) and Omer Avital (b).
Marie Daulne (vo)
Back at the main venue, there was some exciting stage action going on, with Marie Daulne (vo) of Zap Mama doing a series of back flips in her white-frilled outfit. The band, led by West-African Daulne and consisting of members from all over Europe, turned the mid-summer seaside stage into a ‘70s disco with their seamless funk-meets-world music. I find that it is really this unpredictable quality that adds the thrill to the JVC Jazz Festival Newport. When the bustle of the stage changeover finally cleared, genius jazz pianist Dave Brubeck appeared in fine form. He is one of the regular artists who has been helping shape the JVC Jazz Festival Newport ever since the 1950s. As he performed standards and his signature songs with a light, refined touch, the audience gradually recovered their composure from the previous act. Saved for last was the iconic song “Take Five.” At the wing of the stage was George Wein, a long-time producer of the JVC Jazz Festival Newport, waiting to give his old friend his warm blessing.
Zap Mama
George Wein, Dave Brubeck (p)
Gregoire Maret (harmonica), Marcus Miller (el-b)
With just two more bands to go before calling it a day, the event continued to be host to many of the great names in jazz. First on stage came Marcus Miller (el-b), who was back after a stellar performance in July at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam. Joined by his regular members, he laid down a range of styles from Miles Davis’ mainstays to the Beatles’ “Come Together," pulling the audience in with his own take on jazz, with “funky” as the key word. The crisp harmonica playing by Gregoire Maret added yet another layer of artistry to his band’s performance.
Branford Marsalis (ts)
Finally, the headliner Branford Marsalis (ts) came on stage, obviously enjoying a fierce head-to-head battle with Jeff "Tain" Watts (ds), the longest serving member of his quartet since its debut. The competitive playing was itself reminiscent of the once-in-a-lifetime performance between John Coltrane (ts, ss) and Roy Haynes (ds), who came in as a substitute for Elvin Jones at the festival in 1963. As the evening sun began setting on the horizon across the shore, everybody in the audience was painted with sky's glowing amber. A summer day was drawing to a close, and the first day of the festival began to wrap up while the voices of contented fans could still be heard.
(August 11, 2007 at Fort Adams State Park, Newport RI)
Related Links
Joshua Redman http://www.joshuaredman.com/
Marcus Miller http://www.marcusmiller.com/
Branford Marsalis http://www.branfordmarsalis.com/
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