Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock and Chris Botti are set to headline a weekend of music at the 2008 JVC Jazz Festival Newport in Newport, RI on August 8-10. Produced by The Festival Network, the event will reside in its traditional waterside location at Fort Adams State Park with a Friday evening festival opening performance at The International Tennis Hall of Fame at The Newport Casino.
This year’s all-star lineup builds upon JVC Jazz Festival Newport’s storied past, infusing some of the biggest names in jazz with relative newcomers, while incorporating some of music’s most respected artists from a variety of musical genres.
“There are some acts that are favorites from the festival’s past, but then half the fun of Newport Jazz has always been the discovery of the next generation of musicians through stand alone shows and great collaborations,” Tom Shepard, CEO of The Festival Network, said in a statement. “We respect the traditions of Newport, and feel a responsibility toward the festival’s fans, artists and host community to create an event worthy of its deep history.”
The 2008 JVC Jazz Festival Newport continues a legacy begun in 1954 when George Wein launched the modern music festival era with the first Newport Jazz Festival. Over the decades, the event has become an integral thread in the fabric of jazz music, the name itself synonymous with some of the greatest performers in the genre’s long history, including Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Ornette Coleman.
The 2008 JVC Jazz Festival Newport:
Friday, August 8 (8:00pm)
International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino
Chris Botti
Ledisi
Saturday, August 9 (11:30am – 7:00pm)
Fort Adams State Park
JVC Jazz Stage
Chris Botti
Wayne Shorter Quartet
Dave Holland-Gonzalo Rubalcaba-Chris Potter-Eric Harland
Ledisi
Pavilion Stage
Holland-Rubalcaba-Potter-Harland
Haden – Iverson – Motian
Warren Vache Quintet
Brian Blade Fellowship
Waterside Stage
Lettuce with special guest Fred Wesley
Aaron Goldberg Trio
Christian Scott
Sunday, August 10 (11:30am – 7:00pm)
Fort Adams State Park
JVC Jazz Stage
Sonny Rollins
Herbie Hancock
Anthony Hamilton Blues Project
George Wein & The Newport All-Stars with Anat Cohen, Howard Alden, Esperanza Spalding, Jeff Ballard
Pavilion Stage
Marco Benevento Trio with special guest Chris Potter
Guillermo Klein y Los Gauchos
Christ Potter’s Underground
Mark Rapp Band
Waterside Stage
Soulive with special guest Fred Wesley
Lionel Loueke Trio
Experanza Spalding
Empirical (UK)
OurStage.com winner
