Jovan StosicThe Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hired George Wein to organize the first festival and bring jazz to Rhode Island.[1][2]
| Newport Jazz Festival | |
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McCoy Tyner and Ravi Coltrane perform at the Newport Jazz Festival on August 13, 2005. |
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| Genre | Jazz, rock, pop |
| Dates | August |
| Location(s) | Newport, Rhode Island |
| Years active | 1954–present |
| Founded by | George Wein, Elaine Lorillard |
| Website | newportjazzfest |
Most of the early festivals were broadcast on Voice of America radio, and many performances were recorded and released as albums. In 1972, the Newport Jazz Festival was moved to New York City. In 1981, it became a two-site festival when it was returned to Newport while continuing in New York. From 1984 to 2008, the festival was known as the JVC Jazz Festival; however, during the economic downturn of 2009, JVC ceased its support of the festival and was replaced by CareFusion.[3] As of 2012, the festival is sponsored by Natixis Global Asset Management .[4]
The festival is hosted in Newport at Fort Adams State Park. It is often held in the same month as the Newport Folk Festival.