Newport Jazz Festival Returns to Fort Adams This Summer With One of Its Most Ambitious Lineups Yet

Photo from Newport Jazz official media account

The Newport Jazz Festival doesn't need much of an introduction. Seventy-two years into its run, the festival remains one of the most storied music events in America, and this summer's edition looks like one of its strongest in recent memory.

The 72nd Newport Jazz Festival returns to Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island from July 31st through August 2nd, and the lineup announced this spring covers an extraordinary amount of ground for a single weekend.

The headliners alone make a strong case for the trip down to southern RI. Herbie Hancock anchors the bill alongside a special anniversary performance celebrating 100 years of Miles Davis and John Coltrane, featuring Kamasi Washington and Chief Adjuah. It’s a pairing that should be required viewing for anyone who cares about where jazz has been and where it's going. Jon Batiste performs in trio format, Thundercat brings his unique brand of bass wizardry, and Robert Glasper is showing up with collaborators Bilal and Ari Lennox in tow. Gary Clark Jr., whose blues guitar work hits different live than on a record, is an act you just need to see in person.

The festival has always been as much about discovery as it is about marquee names, and this year's undercard delivers on that tradition. Leon Thomas, one of the more exciting voices to emerge in recent years, makes his Newport debut alongside Sienna Spiro and Mei Semones. Little Simz and Arlo Parks bring a contemporary British perspective that reflects how broadly the festival has been casting its net. Angine de Poitrine makes their US debut on the Newport stage, a notable get for a festival that has long prided itself on introducing American audiences to international voices.

For fans of the festival's more groove-forward acts, Vulfpeck, Lake Street Dive, Snarky Puppy, and Cory Wong performing alongside Joshua Redman represent a formidable concentration of musicianship and crowd energy in a single weekend. Flea's Honora Band also appears, alongside Atomic Habitz featuring Marcus King and Chris Dave & MonoNeon.

Fort Adams State Park remains one of the great concert settings in the country, and the festival's combination of multiple stages, harbor views, and an atmosphere that draws both dedicated jazz fans and curious newcomers is difficult to replicate anywhere else. Three-day passes are available now, with single day tickets also on sale. Full information and ticketing at newportjazz.org.

The Newport Jazz Festival is the kind of event that reminds you why live music exists in the first place. This summer's lineup gives you a lot of reasons to make the drive.