Newport Jazz Festival® Announces Fourth Wave of Artists

Top left - Branford Marsalis Quartet; Bottom left - Jimmy Greene; Right - Bokanté f. Michael League & Malika Tirolien

Presenting a healthy dose of straight-ahead jazz, world music, turntable magic and visit from Broadway, Producer/Founder George Wein and Artistic Director Christian McBride announce the fourth wave of artists for the 2017 Newport Jazz Festival® presented by Natixis Global Asset Management, which takes place at Fort Adams State Park and the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino August 4 - 6.  Tickets are available at www.newportjazz.org

The fourth wave of artists includes:

Friday, August 4

-       Leslie Odom, Jr.

-       Amir ElSaffar's Rivers of Sound Orchestra

-       Jimmy Greene Quartet w. Kevin Hays, Ben Williams & Otis Brown III

-      George Burton Quintet w. Tim Warfield, Jason Palmer, Pablo Menares & Wayne Smith Jr.

Saturday, August 5

-       Branford Marsalis Quartet

-   Jazz 100: The Music of Dizzy, Mongo & Monk f. Danilo Perez, Chris Potter, Avishai Cohen, Josh Roseman, Roman Diaz, Ben Street & Adam Cruz

-       DJ Logic's Project Logic

-       Benny Golson Quartet w. Mike LeDonne, Buster Williams & Carl Allen

-       Gilad Hekselman, solo guitar

-       JoAnne Brackeen, solo piano

-       Peter Evans, solo trumpet

Sunday, August 6

-       Tim Berne's Snakeoil

-       Bokanté f. Michael League & Malika Tirolien

-       Theo Croker

-       Cyrus Chestnut Trio

-       Marilyn Crispell, solo piano

-       Orrin Evans, solo piano

Highlighting some of the 2017 artists, George Wein said, "The veterans of the fifties are fast disappearing. Benny Golson is still with us. I have a fond memory of Benny giving me a personal, handwritten transcription of his song 'Whisper Not,' which he says was written while playing Storyville back in that first decade of the latter half of the 20th century."

Christian McBride, added, "I am humbled to have had the opportunity to work with the legendary Benny Golson when I was teenager. He used me in his band when I first moved to New York and he took me to Europe in the Fall of 1990. There's a lot going on at Newport, but I urge everyone to save some time to hear this living jazz titan."

The members of the Marsalis family have often found a spot on the Newport stages, and this year's roster features the oldest of pianist Ellis Marsalis' sons, Branford. "Branford Marsalis is one of my favorite people," said Wein, "In addition to the quality of his music, he brings a joy and spirit to the festival that reaches everyone with whom he comes in contact."

McBride agrees, "Branford is like a big brother to me. He has always been one of my favorite musicians, and I think of him as family. I've known him since I was teenager, and I've learned a lot from him. He is well-schooled and is one of the most informed, most intelligent musicians I know."

The festival welcomes saxophonist Jimmy Greene in his Newport debut as a leader. Wein says, "Jimmy Greene, who has lived with a tragedy that few of us can imagine, is known for his hardcore saxophone sound, which I'm looking forward to hearing. In Newport, he will share music from his two albums that honor the life of his daughter, who was one of the youth killed in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. The fact that he continues to play and pay homage to her life is a tribute to the strength of the music that is in his soul."

Also making his Newport debut as a leader is trumpeter Theo Croker. "It'll be nice to see Theo, whose grandfather, Doc Cheatham, was a close personal friend with whom I had the pleasure of playing many times."

Amir ElSaffar returns to Newport, this time with his Rivers of Sound Orchestra. "Don't miss this one if you want to have an experience that will enhance your musical enjoyment," urged Wein.

Just crossing the bridge onto Aquidneck Island is a great reason for a celebration, but 2017 pays tribute to the 100th birthdays of four giants who shared plenty of music and memories at the Newport Jazz Festival. Jazz 100: The Music of Dizzy, Mongo & Monk featuring Danilo Perez, Chris Potter, Avishai Cohen, Josh Roseman, Roman Diaz, Ben Street & Adam Cruz will be one of the world's biggest and baddest birthday parties ever.

Christian said, "When you think of all of the jazz greats who would be celebrating their 100th birthday this year, you can't help but get into party mode. This is a fantastic group. Whatever they do will be creatively stimulating and totally interesting."

One of Broadway's brightest stars will showcase his jazz chops at this year's festival. "Hamilton is the Broadway show of the century," said Wein, "and we're looking forward to the Newport debut of Leslie Odom, Jr."

McBride chimed in, "It's sort of funny to think that so many people on this year's jazz festival have Philadelphia connections, and Leslie is another one. He went to the same high school as Joey DeFrancesco, Questlove and I, although he was there a decade after us. I worked with Leslie about six months ago and I was overjoyed to see how incredibly talented he is. To see his versatility on stage in Hamilton and then experience him as a really good jazz singer is unbelievable. He could be in the mold of a Sammy Davis, Jr., an artist who could do it all.  I can't wait to see Leslie's star rise even higher than it has been over the last couple of years."

The partial Newport Jazz Festival lineup, including all four waves, features:

Friday, August 4

-       Béla Fleck & The Flecktones

-       Maceo Parker

-       Cécile McLorin Salvant

-       Naturally 7

-       Leslie Odom, Jr.                                                    

-       Joey DeFrancesco + The People

-       Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith

-       Amir ElSaffar's Rivers of Sound Orchestra

-   Christian Sands Quartet w. Gilad Hekselman, Yasushi Nakamura & Jerome Jennings

-    One for All: Jim Rotondi, Steve Davis, Eric Alexander, David Hazeltine, John Webber & Joe Farnsworth

-       Evan Christopher Clarinet Road & New Orleans Brass

-       Rodriguez Brothers

-       Jimmy Greene Quartet w. Kevin Hays, Ben Williams & Otis Brown III

-      George Burton Quintet w. Tim Warfield, Jason Palmer, Pablo Menares & Wayne Smith Jr.

Saturday, August 5

-       Snarky Puppy

-       Branford Marsalis Quartet

-       Rhiannon Giddens

-       Christian McBride Big Band w. Special Guests

-       Geri Allen, Terri Lyne Carrington, Esperanza Spalding

-       Jazz 100: The Music of Dizzy, Mongo & Monk f. Danilo Perez, Chris Potter,

Avishai Cohen, Josh Roseman, Roman Diaz, Ben Street & Adam Cruz

-       Henry Threadgill Zooid

-       Vijay Iyer Sextet

-       Antonio Sanchez & Migration

-       DJ Logic's Project Logic

-       Benny Golson Quartet w. Mike LeDonne, Buster Williams & Carl Allen

-       Uri Caine Trio w. Mark Helias & Clarence Penn

-       Dominick Farinacci

-       Gilad Hekselman, solo guitar

-       JoAnne Brackeen, solo piano

-       David Torkanowksy, solo piano

-       Peter Evans, solo trumpet

Sunday, August 6

-       The Roots

-       Andra Day

-       Maria Schneider Orchestra

-       Hudson: Jack DeJohnette, John Scofield, John Medeski & Larry Grenadier

-       Philadelphia Experiment: Questlove, Christian McBride, Uri Caine

-       Jason Moran: Fats Waller Dance Party

-       Tim Berne's Snakeoil

-       Bokanté f. Michael League & Malika Tirolien

-       Theo Croker

-       Cyrus Chestnut Trio

-     Sean Jones Quintet w. Brian Hogans, Orrin Evans, Luques Curtis & Obed Calvaire

-       Cyrille Aimée

-       John Medeski, solo piano

-       Marilyn Crispell, solo piano

-       Orrin Evans, solo piano

Newport Jazz Festival's official travel partner, WBGO Jazz 88.3FM is offering Day Trips and an exclusive Weekend Package for festival fans. For more information, sign up for WBGO's Newport List at http://eepurl.com/cxssCj.