Now, if you haven’t seen any of our coverage for Newport Folk Festival, or have never heard of the happenings going on in Rhode Island, we are here to fill you in. Newport Jazz Festival has been around since 1954 and has been the hub of everything cool. Artists from all around the world (and festival goers too) have been attending to take part in the historic fest and it shows just by how everything ran so smoothly and took on challenges with weather and last minute changes. Day one consisted of Braxton Cook, Bernard Purdie, Angine de Poitrine, all the way to Little Sims.
Backstory Time!
We have been consuming jazz music unknowingly our entire lives. From the simple runs your favorite pop artist sings to the production behind the records, the same jazz music exists in every realm. It is because of genres like jazz that we have artists today like Laufey, The Weeknd, Adele, Billie Eilish, and Michael Jackson (yes we know we lost him a while back but he still is popular today). To be able to attend a jazz festival was huge for us since we know just how deep the roots go. As writers and reviewers (and photographers), our paths have crossed many times with jazz so we have to give credit where credit it due.
With Newport Jazz festivals, it’s a different story entirely. This festivals uplifts the unknowns and turns it around to represent something even cooler than we could ever imagine. This year was the first year Nate Smith was creative director for the 72nd jazz festival. He brought acts that sounded different and doing their own things which was cool to see and there was not a dull moment each day. Now, like Nate Smith says, “we will let the music do the talk”
Braxton Cook
Now this was such a smooth and beautiful transition to the weekend. Starting off day one, Braxton Cook brought out his band and jammed out on stage. From his effervescent skills and talent singing, Braxton is a vibe that was unexpected but we loved all the more. We are into jazz and jazz music, so this was right up our alley (and soon to be yours too)!
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BRAXTON COOK:
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Gena
This iconic duo had taken harbor stage and brought us some soulful jams. Gena is a newer project from drummer Karriem Riggins and singer Liv.e. Feeling the groove from these two were just what we needed to get started on the day. Standing for “God Energy, Naturally Amazing”, this project was funky, upbeat, and pure r&b mixed into a single frame.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GENA:
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Bernard Purdie and Friends
If you ever heard ‘Sunny’ by Bobby Hebb and music by Aretha Franklin, Miles Davis, Steely Dan, and more, then you would’ve heard about Bernard. Bringing the vibes to the quad stage, these friends have a legendary list of moments and songs up their sleeves. One of the best things about going to a jazz fest is that you never know who has made history over and over again just by the looks of it. This is the absolute best case in scenario and we loved every moment.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BERNARD PURDIE:
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Angine De Poitrine
With this performance being their first U.S. set, it was so intriguing to watch Angine de Poitrine interact and communicate. This band is known for being masked performers with little to no singing involved. From their polka dot outfits to their killer skills, this group was a once in a lifetime jam sesh to witness. It’s a funky sound but once you’re there in person and really feeling, Angine de Poitrine felt so in the moment.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ANGINE DE POITRINE:
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Mohini Dey
Originally preforming with Willow last year, Mohini Dey has circled back around to play her very own set. This mix of passion and pure love for jazz music really set us up for the second half of the day. We were cheering her on from the start as she was so confident and energetic with her band that it made the set feel light. Also shoutout to band—they really knew how to get the crowd’s attention while delivering each song.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MOHINI DEY:
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YEBBA
Yebba was a highlight for us for sure. Yebba has singlehandedly held up pop collabs for the past decade and you wouldn’t know. From her collabs with Drake, Tyler the Creator, Ed Sheeran, Mark Ronson, Sam Smith, and more, she always held vocals and harmonies to a T. Her intimate set was a last minute switch on the schedule and Yebba brought her team of back up singers, drummer, and guitarist alongside her laptop. We were excited to sing along with her about the rain as it sprinkled rain with a clear sky.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT YEBBA:
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Chief Adjuah
The king of making his own instruments is back at it again. He carried his set in a way that felt familiar yet brought something new to table. He had swapped his set time earlier in the day since another’s set was later then expected, you couldn’t tell any hiccups or problems were occurring as Chief was so effervescently talented. We’re still on his instruments like how cool did those look?!
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CHIEF ADJUAH:
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Leon Thomas
Leooonnnn! Now, growing up as late 90s and early 2000’s kids, Victorious was our jam. He was our Andre then and now he’s our Leon Thomas. From the moment Leon and his band stepped out on stage, you could tell just how interactive this set was going to be. He happily told us that his birthday was that day and that made it even better to watch him doing what he loves on a day that means so much. We were so glad to watch his set and so excited to see where life will take to him next. And happy 33rd birthday Leon!
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LEON THOMAS:
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Robert Glasper
If you don’t know Robert Glasper then you’re probably not connecting the dots (and that’s okay that’s why we are here)! Robert has worked with everyone from YEBBA to Lupe Fiasco to Erykah Badu to Brandy to Kendrick Lamar. Outside his musical workings, he also has his own music collection and it’s legendary. Him and Nate Jones had a moment of banter before playing. This set during the fest was such a great one to see!
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ROBERT GLASPER:
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Little Simz
Closing out our day two was Little Simz. We’ve been listening to her music for a moment now and it gets better and better every time we see her name get the recognition she deserves. Her stage presence was something that was the best energy while she frequently interacted with the crowd. From her lyricism to her musicality, Little Simz sold it. We survived the heat but this made it 100% more worth it.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LITTLE SIMZ:
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This was our first year to Newport Jazz Festival and it was so serene. Did you enjoy day one coverage? Were you there? We would love to know and interact with you!
Let us know by commenting down below or by tweeting us @TheHoneyPOP! We are also on Facebook, Instagram, and Discord. We would love to hear from you!
