2012 Newport Jazz Fest

On saturday night, after a full day of jazz, we all sat down to dinner. After seeing a variety of performances, Venice begged the question, "what exactly defines Jazz?" I think because of the diversity of sound we heard between groups, she was a bit perturbed about what qualified something as jazz. At first, I gave a somewhat textbook answer, saying that like any other genre of music it was defined by the instruments, scales/notes, and rhythms used, and of course in this case, the improvisation. I also thought it pertinent to say that like blues, it grew out of the American South, but drew its influences from African and European traditions. But like any other genre, it was open to a broad spectrum of styles and influences and manifestations. I think genres should never be taken seriously, they're merely a broad way to guide your taste, especially this day in age where fusions and combinations of genre's are constantly being created, explored, and thus, named. 

The Newport Jazz Festival, in my opinion, if for lovers of the jazz craft. It's nothing like Jazzfest down in New Orleans, where we saw the likes of Paul Simon, The Allman Brothers, and even My Morning Jacket. That was a music festival, with many different kinds of musical styles. Newport Jazz Fest was for Jazz aficionados, looking for the real deal with very little room for interpretation of the word. Acts like Pat Metheny, Jack DeJohnette, The Bad Plus, The James Carter Organ Trio, Dianne Reeves, and Bill Frisell all played on the day we attended, as well as a good deal others. 

The first thing you noticed upon entry, was the people. This was not like other music festivals I've been to, full of raucous groups of young'ins and ambling masses of drunkards in the sun. This crowd was older, fatter, weirder, and exponentially more docile. Some of them looked like the lemonade in their hand, might in fact be their last. But from what I could tell, the majority of them came for the music, and only the music. They weren't there for "the scene," or the drugs, or the social nature of it. And some of these people were absolutely able to comprehend all the music being played for them. They were true fans (and in some cases, students) of the genre.

I am not as knowledgeable of Jazz I probably should be. I'd like to think I know enough to hold my own in a relaxed conversation, but upon overhearing some of the discussion going on around me, I knew I was a true amateur in this setting. Even of the groups I knew and wanted to see, I held little understanding comparative to the masses. I had wanted to see The Bad Plus for quite some time, as they are a groundbreaking group who's eclectic sound has caused a physical reaction in me at times. Its hard to sit still to songs like the epically evil "Dirty Blonde" and their twisted version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit." The trio has certainly had an impact on me to say the least, and opened my eyes to certain sounds and chords that I had not been previously "comfortable" with. But their set on Saturday, was completely indigestible to me. 

The Bad Plus are big fans of Paul Motian. For those of you who don't know him, he is an American Jazz drummer who just died last year at age 80, after being featured on six new recordings. One of those was Live at Birdland with a favorite pianist of mine, Brad Mehlau (as well as Charlie Haden and Lee Konitz). To say this guy has been an innovator in the field for quite some time, is an understatement. He was still doing it until the day he died. But Paul Motian made his name in the late 1950's in the piano trio of Bill Evans, and went on to become an advocate of the movment to relieve drummers from their strict time-keeping duties (i.e. Live in Germany, 1972). This is where the issues began for me.  

You see, the Bad Plus decided to use their limited time to cover a couple of his songs, and essentially based their set around it. Bill Frissel, another idol of theirs, played guitar with them, but it didn't help. It only contributed to the madness. I never had a grip on any of the music they played, and it was all well over my head. But at the end of each song, they received a standing ovation worthy of a Springsteen show. People were going nuts for them! At one point, I thought the women next to me was suffering from spastic twitches, but it turned out she was just going along with the beat-less music. Matty classified the music in a way that made a lot of sense to me. He said it was "soulless". I think that sounds harsher than its intend to be, but that is how I felt about it. There was nothing for me to create emotion or feeling from. Im sure the other 500+ people in the tent and surrounding area would disagree, and that's their prerogative. But I personally did not have any taste for it.

Pat Metheny closed the day on the main stage, and he was definitely the artist I was most looking forward to seeing. Bundell (aka Mom) is probably his biggest fan, unbeknownst to him of course. The first thing she said to me was, "Do you see! He's wearing a striped shirt again!" She was of course pointing to the fact that Metheny has a penchant for striped shirts, and come to think of it I've never seen him play without one. His set was good, and he was very judicious about passing solo time around to the band, especially saxophone virtuoso, Chris Potter. Antonio Sanchez was playing drums with him, as is often the case these days, and he is a phenomenal drummer, so on point. You have to hear him play live to get it, but otherwise, you'll just have to trust me. The group was rounded out by bassist Ben Williams. But I dare say, it was a little lackluster for Metheny? Maybe I'm just spoiled, having seen him a dozen times now, but he didn't seem as intense or energized as I'm used to. He also didn't afford himself the time to build those story-like solo's he crafts, since the set was significantly shorter than a normal show, and he was sharing solo time quite generously. But to put it into perspective, this guy is the best Jazz Guitarist on the scene in my opinion, and any opportunity to see him is an opportunity worth taking. 

Dianne Reeves did a set on the mainstage as well, but her time overlapped with The Bad Plus, and I rode it out with the trio. I did catch her last two songs, and her booming voice was a nice break from all the instrumental chatter. The band behind her definitely made the performance, as they kept things "big" and upbeat. But it was a lesser known group that I had never heard of that was the most enjoyable for me. "The James Carter Organ Trio" was a lively group, with a great sound. James Carter is a reed instrumentalist, and his chops on the saxophone were immense. He had all the right pieces put together around him to create a well defined and dynamic sound. It wasn't just a spotlight on James Carter, and the background filling in the spaces, there was a nice give and take, with a playful back and forth between instruments. Gerard Gibbs was on Organ, Leonard Clyde King Jr. on drums, and they had special guest Rodney Jones on guitar. The four of them drifted into some bluesier tunes as well, especially when they brought up vocalist Miche Braden. This was music I could understand and feel, and it was a nice accoutrement to the rest of the day. 

I'll close by saying Newport Jazzfest is tasteful affair. There is no alcohol outside of two designated areas for it, and even there it's only beer and wine. It's a smaller event, never overcrowded or stuffy, never any lines. It also happens to be set amongst the beautiful scenery of Fort Adams (built in 1799), looking out on the water. There were yachts and sailboats in the harbor, and the whole coastal scene felt very "New England" in general. It was a nice departure from the large scale music festivals I am used to visiting, and a much better environment to attend with your family. I know I sound like some half-rate travel site now, but I thought it was worth the mention.