George Wein’s piano playing was a little raggedy at the beginning of his set Sunday afternoon at the Newport Jazz Festival. But who was going to tell him?

Wein, the man who pretty much invented the concept of the outdoor music festival at Newport in 1954, occupies a curious, not to say precarious, role in the current festival universe. As a recent article in the New York Times explained (or tried to explain; I found the piece poorly written and at times annoyingly unclear), he is no longer the man in charge of the Newport Jazz Festival, or for that matter any of the other events that used to be part of his company, Festival Productions, which he sold last year to a new company, Festival Network. But he still has a role, vague as it may be, and — at least according to the Times — he booked this year’s festival in conjunction with Jason Olaine of Festival Networks.  Read more »

The forecast for Newport on Sunday, August 10, was not altogether promising: scattered thunderstorms, starting in mid-afternoon and continuing into the evening. But the forecast was wrong. The weather was beautiful all day, sunny but not too hot, and not a drop of rain fell until late at night.

It would be foolish to look for any deeper meaning here. But if you want to believe that God is a jazz fan, and that He wanted to make sure this year’s Newport Jazz Festival finished on a positive note, be my guest.

The beauty of the day was not lost on the festival’s headliner, Sonny Rollins, making his first Newport appearance in nobody could remember exactly how many years. Looking out from the Fort Adams State Park stage at the bright sunshine, the puffy clouds, the boats in the harbor and the ecstatic crowd, Sonny announced at one point: “It’s so beautiful out here, ladies and gentlemen, that I don’t know what to do with myself.”

I knew just how he felt.  Read more »