Newport Jazz Festival

The 2008 JVC Jazz Festival Newport gets started this Friday, August 8th, and lasts through the 10th. I imagine it will be quite amazing for those who are able to hear Sonny Rollins, Aretha Franklin, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter all in the same weekend. Due to another engagement, I can't make it, so for those of you who go, please let me know how it is.

Other festival highlights will be the Brian Blade and the Fellowship, the Charlie Haden-Ethan Iverson-Bill Frisell trio, Guillermo Klein Y Los Gauchos, and Esperanza Spalding. George Wein, the 82-year-old festival founder and leader of the Newport All-stars will perform on Sunday evening. Singer Melody Gardot and the dapper gentlemen who form Empirical will represent the young crowd, and the festival will enjoy a hearty dollop of soul thanks of course to Aretha, as well as Anthony Hamilton, Ledisi, and Fred Wesley.

The weekend may as well be dubbed "Chris Potter and Friends," because this year the tenor celebrity will spend hours on stage with his Underground, as well as in Marco Benevento's trio, Herbie Hancock's group, and a quartet with Dave Holland, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and Eric Harland.

Wayne Shorter photo courtesy of Getty Images