Newport Jazz Festival returns for another standout year

Saturday offered something for everyone

All photos courtesy of the Newport Jazz Festival

Newport Life spent last Saturday, Aug. 2 at the Newport Jazz Festival, enjoying a lineup of musicians that ranged from more traditional jazz artists to contemporary provocateurs.  

The sun was high and strong and the vibes at Fort Adams were relaxed, with crowds at a minimum until the early afternoon.  

Kokoroko, a fan favorite among festivalgoers, took to the Quad Stage early in the day. The British-based group formed in 2014, when two members, Sheila Maurice-Grey (trumpet/flugelhorn/vocals) and Onome Edgeworth (percussion) met on an arts trip to Kenya, where they bonded over their shared tastes in music. As the group’s bio explains, “A desire to connect young people in the African diaspora with genres like Afrobeat and Highlife would also fuel the band’s genesis.” Before long, they were part of the London jazz scene.  

And judging by the enthusiastic crowd Saturday, their sounds have made it across the pond, inspiring a new age of jazz enthusiasts.  

“This is such a legendary festival to be playing at – we’re so grateful to be here,” the group told the audience before playing their favorite song from their latest record, “Never Lost,” the first track on “Tuff Times Never Last.” The reaction from the crowd? Big cheers.  

More traditional jazz tunes could be heard from the stages graced by Terence Blanchard and Diane Reeves, who commanded the main stage like any legend.  

Nubya Garcia played the main stage in the early afternoon, where her final song had elements of spoken word, with her intoning: “Your journey is yours… our differences can be our collective power… your difference is your power… no one’s journey is the same… release expectations from other people… and maybe we can just allow ourselves to be…”  

At the end of her set, Garcia told all those gathered before her: “It’s an honor, honor, honor to be a part of this legendary festival – thank you for being here and a part of what makes it beautiful.”  

A highlight of the day was the MOTI Re-Entry Dreamband, who played on the Foundation Stage, and which featured a variety of musicians, some of them formerly incarcerated. It drew a large crowd, which stayed gathered round until the end of the set. MOTI, also known as “Music on the Inside,” is a program that “connects youth and adults impacted by incarceration with professional musicians as teachers and mentors.” For more information and to support their cause, visit www.musicontheinside.org.  

The last song MOTI played was written by a member about a year ago, and some of the lyrics went: “Water for my journey, water for my soul… We all need strength to rise above the misery and strife… Oh I’ll bring you water for your journey and strength for your soul.” 

Another highlight was the Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda, and Antonio Sanchez trio, which featured Fleck on banjo, Castañeda on harp, and Sanchez on drums. As one person murmured in the crowd: “That’s dope – a banjo and a harp!”  

A third highlight was when Flying Lotus aka Steve Ellison took to the main stage – from an elevated DJ box, featuring a screen with a projection of psychedelic images. “There’s so much to say and not enough time,” Ellison told the crowd, mostly younger, which had filled the quad and danced for most of the hour. “I don’t know if you can tell yet, but I’m trying to get ya’ll to dance! Let’s go try a little harder to make you moooove.”  

The younger Gen-Z vibes continued with the appearance of Willow, aka Willow Smith, daughter of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, who drew a large crowd around the Quad Stage just before 6 p.m. Backed by an all-female band, the mood was edgier and definitely louder than most other sets of the day.  

“Newpoooooorrrtttt! So happy to be here. This is an iconic and legendary festival. Are you guys ready to get pretty crazy?” Willow said from the stage to enthusiastic cheers.  

But because this is Newport, one could travel from Willow’s set in the Quad through the tunnel to the Harbor Stage, where the Pérez Patitucci Calvaire Trio was playing more traditional tunes a la smoother afternoon jazz for those seeking something softer.  

The final act of the day was Janelle Monáe, popstar, musician, actor, provocateur, who brought star power to the main stage just as golden hour emanated across the harbor.  

Before Monáe took to the stage, Christian McBride, the festival’s artistic director, offered the closing crowd of roughly 10,000 a few words: “Ya’ll not ready! Ya’ll not ready, ya’ll not ready, ya’ll not ready!” he said. “Has the second day of the Newport Jazz Festival been a stone cold gas yet or what?” He paused as the crowd cheered. “Well you ain’t seen nothin’ yet… There’s genius and there’s power and then there’s genius power – that’s what you’re about to get right here!”  

“Janelle Monáe! Janelle Monáe, Janelle Monáe, Janelle Monáe,” he said. Soon after, a horn section played a suspenseful intro for nearly two minutes until the woman of the hour appeared – in the first of several outfits.  

At one point, dancers poured Monáe champagne into a flute, which she raised, saying to the crowd: “Repeat after me: For the lives we lead, for the dreams we chase, for the moments we gonna make, and for the f**ked up shit we can’t erase. Cheers!”  

The remainder of her set was equally high energy.  

“Thank you so much guys. Wow, I wish you could see how beautiful you look,” Monáe said at one point. “I wrote this [next] song for all the weirdos like myself… I love us, I love you – we see life differently and that’s okay.” What followed was her song, “I like that.”  

“Love you all so much – thank you all for supporting,” she said near the end of her set, which seemed to sum up the day, and which earned a rousing round of horn blasts from the boats on the harbor.