The Newport Turns 60 Tour culminated this summer with the 60th anniversary of the legendary Newport Jazz Festival. EJA’s Hank Siegelson shares his experiences from the festival.
‘We Morning Zealot Dogs’ gather early for the Newport Jazz Festival / Video
By Hank Siegelson
Published: July 31 2014, The Providence Journal, Providence, Rhode Island
NEWPORT, R.I. — Seagulls provide the soundtrack and fresh coffee mixed with the musty aroma of the ocean provides the scent as we stand, sit, talk, and wait for Fort Adams’ gates to open for the first day of the Newport Jazz Festival.
We Morning Zealot Dogs, 30 or so of us, from all over the United States, have been in line since 8:15 a.m., a few as early as 8, to get into the festival. It’s our annual ritual, and we know each other from years of similar preparation.
Now, it is 9:59 a.m. Vivid light floods Narragansett Bay with a crisp blue color and warmth not apparent hours earlier. The thermos is empty and the chairs are back in their sack. The gear we wore earlier to protect us from the early morning mist is no longer needed.
In a few seconds, we will dash, not run, to claim our spots: the best seats at the festival.
A Ritual Rooted in Music
There seems to be a common theme among our group. We were raised on jazz.
Most of us gained an appreciation while listening to music in our parents’ home. My father started a radio station at his college in 1950 and played Count Basie and Benny Goodman in the house constantly. I had a jazz radio program while at medical school, and my son leads a similar program for his college radio station in Memphis.
For those who arrive early for the festival, the music gives great pleasure and is a tie that binds.
We want to hear new music, or familiar tunes with a new twist, or be completely surprised by the instrumentation or the arrangements. We want to experience the on-stage communications that can only be shared and absorbed through a live performance.
Newport represents the elite in jazz nationally and internationally. The musicians do not disappoint.
For many of us, greeting old friends whom we can only see at the Newport Jazz Festival brings us back year after year.
Ernie Rickets from Stamford, Conn., wearing his black Jamaica baseball cap and colorful dashiki shirt, can’t wait to see his friend Ben Hill from Philadelphia at the festival. They met at Newport years ago and have formed a friendship, together with their wives, that extends beyond the festival.
“We have almost formed an association or culture of coming to the festival,” says Ben, a big guy, sporting a vintage Newport Jazz T-shirt.
Ernie notes that he has much in common with those who stand in line: “Get here early and renew friendships. Catch up on old friends: deaths, transitions, marriages, new children.”
John Short, a tall, fit Newport resident and former Navy physicist who has rarely missed a festival since the 1970s, “was stationed in Australia for three years and came back for the festival for two of those years.”
Perfection Requires Planning
Months ago, there was ice on the roads and snow in the trees when I began to receive frequent emails from George Wein and the Newport Jazz Festival and Foundation. Teasers noting marquee performers and the dates for the festival promised warmer days and the smell of the ocean.
Wein suggested that if I acted quickly, I could purchase tickets at a discount: a no-brainer.
The list of performers is daunting. John Zorn! Rudresh! Dave Holland! Anat Cohen! How can I see them all?
There are also all-star billings from Newport and SFJazz. I consulted the Internet to check out new releases and reviews from their most recent performances.
My Zealot friends are hard core: jotting notes about the lineup, making game plans. Who is playing in the band with Miguel Zenon or Kurt Rosenwinkel? How many Grammy nominations has Karrin Allyson recieved (4)? How many Grammys did Randy Brecker win (5)? On how many albums has Billy Hart played (182)? How many with Miles Davis (3)? With Stan Getz (10)?
Let’s find some new music from Vijay Iyer and Ron Carter. Are the veterans doing anything new? If I plan well, I can see more than one band in an hour.
With two covered stages and one large open stage, the choices are myriad and sometimes frustrating. All of the music is excellent, so I will ultimately miss something really great. Luckily, some of the bands will play more than once.
John Short commented, “Every year you discover new artists that you did not know before: new experiences, new people. The way you stay young is to learn something new every day.”
Rich Russell, in a straw fedora with a wide brim accented with a salt-stained black band and a neatly trimmed silver bristle mustache, lives in Newport. He discovers new musicians at the festival, he says, and actually studies them from year to year to be prepared.
Housing, Seating, Fine Food
Those of us from out of town arrange housing as soon as possible. In the past, I have stayed with my family in condos and at a bed-and-breakfast. Some of us camp and others stay in hotels.
The lucky ones live in the Newport area. This year some might even stay on the jazz cruise ship or take the WBGO bus from New York City, Brooklyn or Boston.
Housing is important because we want to get to the festival early enough to join the other Zealots in the front of the line. That requires planning and persistence, and sometimes, creativity.
My family prefers to sleep in and eat a decent breakfast. Not a problem; they will meet me later. For me, sleep is not as essential as joining the opening-gate frenzy and securing a great seat at the large stage.
Rhode Island has fabulous weather in the summer compared to Atlanta. Leaving 95 degrees for 80 degrees in August with a breeze off the Bay is a deal-maker. The sun, however, is just as bright.
Sure, it can rain, and it has in the past at the festival. So, I come prepared: rain gear, sun hat, sun screen, soccer chair, water, my best camera, and a fully charged cell phone. (A festivarian tip: I actually prefer a type of fishing hat with a protective drape that not only offers sun protection but also improves the audio fidelity, particularly at the big open stage.)
Some may choose to bring snacks, but the food at the festival is so good that we look forward to eating there every year. I usually start with iced coffee and move quickly to the grilled lobster rolls and fresh oysters from the award-winning Matunuck Oyster Bar.
We Are the Zealot Dogs
Many of our friends, and particularly our families, think that we are a little nuts by going to so much trouble just to be first in line: thus, the “Zealot Dogs.”
We awake early, eat, pack our gear and meet at the park. I have ridden a bike on occasion, but usually my wife wakes early to drop me by the festival.
Others claim prime parking spots. It is quiet: much different than later in the day. Young sailors prep small sailboats for a kids’ regatta, and joggers lope by.
The venue is a spit of land protruding into the harbor with a stone fort built in 1799: boats, the harbor, and the city on the right, the fort to the left, and the Bay and the Claiborne Pell Bridge in front. The air is fresh, salty, with an edge of sea life.
Security and festival personnel are pleased and a little surprised to see us arrive so early. I join the crowd as we march on the boardwalk next to the water to a point protected by iron gates.
Karly, a lovely lady from Rehoboth, Mass., with dangling tropical fish earrings and lime green sunglasses that push back her wavy dark hair, and her husband in a light seersucker shirt and an old-fashioned full mustache “come early to get good seats so we can relax the rest of the day. Nothing is more important than good seats.”
Ernie Rickets “started out sitting very close. Now we’re back as far as we can get so that we can be comfortable and see everything. We have blankets and chairs and the cool breeze.”
Why get here early, then? “Because even THOSE are premium seats.”
John Short says there is a “social aspect to coming early. You see these people year after year and listen to stories. It is a great whole-day experience: and, you get a great seat.”
We share food, family updates and tall tales. The gates will open at 10 a.m., and security is preparing to open the first gate. We quickly hoist our gear and jostle forward to enter the grassy area.
The Gates Are Open
Once the metal gates open, we calmly move to the security zone. There are several rows of entry.
Under the tents, we have our tickets electronically authenticated and our bags searched. There is a certain tension as we realize that it is almost time to find that perfect spot, our musical home base for the day.
I note the positions of the rest of Zealot Dogs. I check my gear one more time to make certain everything is secure. We get ready for the sprint.
At exactly 10, security personnel give the go-ahead and the lines move forward. Calmly, but with purpose, those in front walk as quickly as reasonably possible to the large field facing the Bay.
John Short has very long legs, and he generally leads the pack. Security along the route controls the excitement of the crowd. “Walk, don’t run!” they admonish in a firm but friendly manner.
We pass the jazz-magazine tents, the colorful hand-made garments, the food, the NPR/WBGO tent, and then: THE FIELD.
The stage is on the left abutting the fort and the Bay to the right. In between, the sound booth, the VIP chairs, and our destination: the open grassy area available to those who get there early.
I quickly scout my spot and lay out an 8-by-10-foot blanket, using chairs and backpacks to keep the wind from blowing everything away. I look around and see our morning friends settling into their chosen places.
Then, we relax. High fives, a quick view of the stage, and it’s off to get more coffee and a few treats.
The NPR/WBGO booth is humming with activity, preparing to record and stream video and audio to the rest of the world. Is it too early for the first lobster roll? Buy shirts and hats now or wait till later? Check out the merchandise tents?
The Why of It All
Now, more than ever, music is available in the car, on our phones, and on our computers and flat screen TV’s. Why come to a festival to hear it?
Nothing can replace the ambiance, the immediacy and the excitement of a live performance. And, particularly for a festival with a history and international importance such as Newport, everyone values the special relationship between the performers and this well-informed, appreciative audience.
My family has arrived. The crowd is in place. The Morning Zealot Dogs can now settle in, review the schedule and prepare for the first tunes.