Newport Jazz Festival - A New Season Begins in February 2013

Newport Jazz Festival: The Bad Plus With Bill Frisell Live

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:00:00 +0000

Airs Tuesday, June 18 at 9 p.m. Here's a pairing that raises the question: "Why hasn't this happened before?" The Bad Plus have been a revisionist cover band and today mostly make original piano trio music. Bill Frisell is the quintessential jazz collaborator. The guitarist, making the second of three appearances at this year's Newport Jazz Festival, is down for anything involving good musicians, and can be counted on to execute it well. Together, they paid tribute to one of their mutual heroes, the late drummer Paul Motian, in a set comprised mostly of his haunting compositions. The band features Ethan Iverson on piano, Reid Anderson on bass, Dave King on drums and Bill Frisell on guitar.

Newport Jazz Festival: Lewis Nash Quintet Live

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Airs Tuesday, June 11 at 9 p.m. Drummer Lewis Nash is certainly no stranger to prestigious festival stages; he's served in bands led by Betty Carter, Branford Marsalis and Tommy Flanagan, and that was relatively early in his career. So it's a great move to give the supporting cast member, who truly innovates within jazz traditions, a share of the spotlight. One of the bands he leads features the front line of Jeremy Pelt on trumpet and Jimmy Greene on tenor sax, with Donald Vega on piano and Peter Washington on bass.

Newport Jazz Festival: Miguel Zenón's Rayuela Quartet Live

Wed, 29 May 2013 02:00:00 +0000

Airs Tuesday, May 28 at 9 p.m. It may be billed as a gig for the alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón, who is making his third Newport appearance in four years, but he would refuse complete credit. He teamed up with the French pianist Laurent Coq to co-write an album's worth of music inspired on the high-modernist Julio Cortázar novel Hopscotch — Rayuela, in the original Spanish. It calls for a cello and a trombone — Dana Leong plays both — and a drummer who can play tablas, so an obvious choice was Dan Weiss.

Newport Jazz Festival: Kurt Elling Live

Wed, 22 May 2013 02:00:00 +0000

Airs Tuesday, May 21 at 9 p.m. A classic male singer, Kurt Elling has an old-school vibe to everything from his mannered stage banter to his declamatory, full-chested delivery. But he isn't afraid to write brainy, twisty lyrics over an obscure jazz number, or take a pop song back to the drawing board. He can do a lot with his voice, you see, and the band featuring long-time collaborator Laurence Hobgood, a pianist, helps to set the stage. Also joining him on stage are guitarist John McLean, bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Kendrick Scott.
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Newport Jazz Festival: Jenny Scheinman And Bill Frisell

Wed, 15 May 2013 02:00:00 +0000

Airs Tuesday, May 14 at 9 p.m. The violinist Jenny Scheinman and guitarist Bill Frisell have both developed reputations for flexibility — for being able to collaborate with any musicians from country rockers to straight-ahead swing barons. Appropriately, they've been working together in bands for quite a long time now, including in Frisell's John Lennon tribute earlier in the festival. This duo performance features the two alone together, working out stripped-down versions of Scheinman's fiddle tunes.