For the second year in a row, Emmy Award winning comedian, television and film actor Chevy Chase will host the 2008 JVC Jazz Festival Newport’s JVC Stage on August 9-10, in Newport, RI. Chase, a long-time jazz fan and pianist, will introduce each artist playing the festival’s main stage, which will include Aretha Franklin, Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock and Chris Botti, among many others.
“I look forward to hosting and once again taking in the generous stipend of $16.95 they have offered this year,” remarked Chase in a statement.
Chase, who first became famous as an original cast members of “Saturday Night Live” with his trademark awkward falls and opening spiel that ushered in the show’s opening: “Live from New York, It’s Saturday Night!” is best known for film roles in such classics as Caddyshack and National Lampoon’s European Vacation.
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. From 2007 Grammy Award Album of the Year winner Hancock to Anthony Hamilton Blues Project to Lettuce, the festival aims to reach broad new audiences while staying true to its roots. That strikes a balance between tradition and exploring new, jazz-influenced directions.
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 performances in the genre’s long history. From Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie to Miles Davis and Ornette Coleman, each year promises a chance to witness history on the stage.
