Newport 2025 - So Embarrasing

[mjazzg]

28 minutes ago, Niko said:

See, and I find myself wondering wtf Terence Blanchard and Kenny Garrett are so much higher on the list than Tyshawn Sorry and Darius Jones... And then I remember that getting hung up on the ordering of bands on a poster means you're either very young or getting very old ... 

I did the same...😃

[T.D.]

Thanks for posting the Montréal info. Plenty there I'd want to see. Lots of performers, so should be something for almost everyone, though of course the biggest draws are not "Jazz".

Funny that the majority of acts that interest me fall into the third (small print) typographical tier. 🤣 Dunno if that says more about me or the festival.

Edited April 16 by T.D.

[kh1958]

The order of billing in a festival poster is, I believe, based on the size of the fees paid to and relative negotiating power of the artists, not an evaluation of artistic merit.

[sgcim]

Why even bother calling either of them  jazz festivals anymore? I wouldn't even bother posting in this thread if I hadn't just come from a rock website I frequent where they were all excited about the Newport 'Jazz' festival. If that's the audience they're going for, they should have Jimmy Fallon be the festivals host, and have "Hey hey hey hey" be the theme song, or better yet "YMCA"

[T.D.]

Maybe "jazz festival" is more upscale marketing than "rock festival"? The latter carries some baggage. 🤪

[Guy Berger]

On 4/16/2025 at 6:52 AM, Rabshakeh said:

Are you serious?! I clicked on this thinking it would be so much worse. There's tones of stuff on here that is unquestionably jazz. A mix of older statesmen/women, younger musicians and some more adventurous stuff. It seems unobjectionable.

Same here

Edited April 19 by Guy Berger

[JSngry]

Where's Maynard?

[Ken Dryden]

On 4/16/2025 at 3:59 PM, Niko said:

See, and I find myself wondering wtf Terence Blanchard and Kenny Garrett are so much higher on the list than Tyshawn Sorry and Darius Jones... And then I remember that getting hung up on the ordering of bands on a poster means you're either very young or getting very old ... 

I am sure that few artists worry about their billing at any festival if the money's good.

But there's that story about how Mel Torme was given top billing over Duke Ellington in an extended booking at a club, even though it was in Torme's contract. Duke's band played without him until the singer caved and asked that the billing be changed.