Newport Jazz – Top Five Friday Acts
Ken Abrams, GoLocalProv Music Critic
Newport Jazz – Top Five Friday Acts
Check out his review and photos in the slides below.
Newport Jazz – Top Five Friday Acts
Newport Jazz Festival
America’s original popular music festival, the Newport Jazz Festival, added a third day of music for the first time in its 60 years. Friday at the Fort featured a number of bands that push the limits of the genre, as well as more traditional jazz artists. The “young lions” of jazz dominated, many of who were playing Newport for the first time. GoLocal Music Critic Ken Abrams was there and snapped a few photos of the happenings.
Mostly Other People Do The Killing
The award for best band name at the Festival goes to Mostly Other People Do the Killing. Indeed, the band played a killer set of classic jazz mainly from the 1920s and 1930s. The New York City quartet, led by bassist Moppa
Elliott, was augmented by Banjo player Brandon Seabrook. But this wasn’t just any banjo, think Hendrix on banjo complete with high volume feedback and more distortion than you'd ever expect to hear at a jazz festival.
Cecile McLorin Salvant
Cecile McLorin Salvant wooed the crowd Friday afternoon from the Fort Stage. The Grammy nominee performs little known and scarcely recorded jazz and blues compositions. She's only 24 and is one of the most admired jazz vocalists on the scene today. The Newport crowd was treated to rare songs from Bessie Smith, Fatts Waller and Bert Williams.
John Zorn Masada Marathon
John Zorn’s Masada Marathon owned the Quad Stage for almost three hours. Moving several different artist on and off stage, the ensemble shared a wide range of jazz stylings. Zorn, who was inducted into the Long Island Hall of Fame in 2010 (yes, there is such a thing) by Lou Reed, is a tireless composer, artist, and community leader. The Masada Electric Band were speed demons and the post-bop vibe would have surely pleased Coltrane.
Jon Batiste and Stay Human
Perhaps the biggest name on Friday was the talented Jon Batiste. With movie star looks, and fashion sense beyond reproach, the multi-instrumentalist and bandleader raised the energy level ten-fold in the Fort. The Louisiana native led his band through an energized set of music, incorporating funk, blues, and hip-hop rhythms. He featured his colorful melodica on the opening number, “My Favorite Things,” bringing an updated edge to the Rogers and Hammerstein classic.
Miguel Zenon and The Identities Big Band
Miguel Zenon led his Identities Big Band through a monster set of Latin influenced classic jazz. The Puerto Rican native showed why he is considered to be one of the best saxophone players in the world today. He's just released a critically acclaimed new album, “Oye, Live from Puerto Rico.” His band was equally impressive, pounding out numerous crowd pleasing solos during the set.
