Christian McBride Maintains Curatorial Balance at Newport

By Ashley Kahn I Aug. 20, 2024

“You gotta go out on a limb and book people who you know people *need* to see, *need* to experience,” says Christian McBride of curating the Newport Jazz Festival.
(Photo: Mark Sheldon)

Newport Jazz Festival 2024 carried much promise, and it delivered: a diverse and very strong lineup – each act an exemplar of some stylistic corner — with the right amount of musical interconnectivity to give it a charge and to sell out all three days before the gates even opened. By that measure alone, the festival’s continuing vigor and relevancy proved itself, and even the weather helped out, with rain staying away almost all of the long weekend.

There were additional reasons to celebrate: Newport marked its 70th anniversary while maintaining its leadership role among the family of festivals, three years since the passing of its founder, George Wein (two ideas that were noted in the signage but kept rather low-key, save for an all-star group “Newport Jazz at 70” led by saxophonist Nicole Glover).

Perhaps the best way of weighing in on this year’s edition is to simply consider it on its own terms, today, free of its own weighty history. Of the music on the festival’s three-and-a-half stages (including the tent in which a few master classes and discussions took place), no act coasted or fell flat. No matter one’s taste, it was clear that, from the veterans to the newest of the newcomers, they all brought A-game performances. There were moments that were challenging: André 3000’s meditative flute-focused set is arguably best presented in a closed, indoor environment, while the sell-out crowds made it difficult to enjoy — and impossible to see — a number of performances on the Harbor Stage. Yet the music still sounded good there, and everywhere in fact: Compliments to the festival’s production team.

That Newport Jazz continues to benefit from a curatorial balance was one of a few topics discussed with the festival’s artistic director, Christian McBride, who generously fit this conversation into his Sunday morning just before the music started on the festival’s last day.

Ashley Kahn: Thanks for taking a moment to talk, Christian. What’s different this year and has your role changed much since you took over?

Christian McBride: Well, the most obvious thing is that this is Newport’s first full, three-day sellout — selling out all tickets in advance — since 1969. And I think there are a couple of reasons for that. First, Newport Jazz Festival at this point is such a historic thing and people just want to come. And I think that over the last eight years since I started, there’s been a lot of curiosity: What’s the new team going to do? Are they going to carry on George’s vision, or is it going to be Christian’s vision, or some sort of collective vision? This year I believe we finally have a feel of what’s going to happen. It’s a combination of all of those things. I don’t know if there’s a particular science to it but in terms of how my profile fits in the middle of all of this, I don’t know, I’ve actually never consciously thought about it. I’m just trying to make sure everybody gets booked.

Kahn: I have noticed both diversity and balance in the booking, stylistically, and also by generation and gender. Yesterday, Saturday, the schedule had maybe 40 or 50 percent female headliners. Was that a conscious decision?

McBride: I think that in 2024 it’s hard not to do that, when some of the greatest musicians on the scene today are women. That’s going to have to be your choice if you want a good festival in this day and age. The Newport at 70 all-star band I curated today, Nicole Glover is the musical director, Savannah Harris is playing drums, Aneesa Strings on bass, Elena Pinderhughes on flute. So four out of seven people in this band are women, not because they’re women or that it’s cool or unusual. Not anymore. Ain’t a lot of drummers out there swinging like Savannah. That was an easy call.

Kahn: Compared to other jazz festival audiences that have a monochromatic aspect to them, say, like New Orleans, Newport has maintained a mixed audience — age-wise, and ethnically.

McBride: Yes. I think that’s a result of the current-day booking. I also feel like Newport has always been somewhat of a New York-centric crowd — they tend to come from either New York City or Boston. And I think in recent years putting groups like The Roots, and other more modern-day, hip-hop and R&B artists, we get more diversity. In the future I would like to bring more Latin groups and more world music groups up here. Last year we had Angélique Kidjo play and she did an awesome job with her Peter Gabriel project. There’s a big world out there, so we want to get as many artists and new audience members as possible.

Kahn: You yourself don’t play that much at Newport. This year you did last night’s dinner, which was a private event, and today you’re closing out the Quad Stage with your Jam Jawn with Dianne Reeves, Fred Wesley, Steve Jordan…

McBride: Right. I’m always nervous about inserting my own groups here. George used to say you got to always put at least one of your bands in — the guys in your groups are musicians that people need to be familiar with. But I am aware of what people think the deal could possibly be: “Christian’s got complete autonomy. He’s booking all the bands and putting all his own bands in there.” So I’m always very conscious to not have too much of a presence here.

Next year, however, I think it would be right that I bring my big band to play because we’re going to have a new album, which opens the opportunity to combine all my favorite styles and it’s going to be a vocal album: 13 songs, 13 singers. All 13 won’t be here next year, but I would like to do something around that.

Kahn: Is there a name for that project?

McBride: Not yet.

Kahn: Another thing I’ve noticed is how you seem to be doing more introductions, and not in a too serious way, meaning you don’t hide your passion.

McBride: You know, I have show business experience from working in R&B, and if there’s one thing that’s driven me crazy all of these years it’s that sort of monotone announcing at a lot of jazz performances: “Good afternoon, welcome to such and such jazz festival. Jazz is an art form…” And then they go into the speech. “We have to make sure we preserve jazz. Jazz is America’s greatest art form.” They’re preparing you for a one-hour class, not a concert, right? So I feel if you can bring some Frankie Crocker and some Georgie Woods into the equation and get the people going, you get the blood flowing. I like to bring that to the party. You know who did a really wonderful job yesterday was Johnathan Blake with his quintet Pentad. First of all, what a band, man. I loved everything that they played. They did some modern things and then they were swinging, and went all kinds of different places. And I liked the way Johnathan talked to the crowd. But I don’t emcee every set. I just make a couple of checkmarks for the sets with people who I’d like to introduce, especially if I have a personal relationship with them.

As if on cue, our chat is interrupted with McBride being reminded he’s scheduled to bring Buster Williams onstage. “You wanna go with me?” he asks. A quick ride in his golf cart — “McBride’s Ride” reads the sign on it — and we are on the side of the Harbor Stage, where handshakes and hugs are exchanged with various musicians and staff members.

McBride steps up to the microphone, welcomes the crowd to the final day of the 70th edition of the festival and, smiling, says a few words about the role of bass and drums: “I’m not trying to take away anything from the singers, or the trumpet players, or the saxophone players, or guitar players or piano players. We need you too. But if you’re not there, we’ll be fine.” He acknowledges the general laughter, and invites Stanley Clarke to join him. “The legend who’s going to open the festival today has been of my great mentors, my great inspirations.”

Buster Williams steps up and, leading a stellar quartet with Steve Wilson, George Colligan and Lenny White, kicks off a set of post-bop music. We listen for a few minutes then quickly return to the golf cart as McBride has a video interview scheduled with Jay Sweet, producer of both Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals. He turns and says, “That’s the worst thing about running a festival — I barely hear enough music to know how everyone’s doing.”

After the interview with Sweet, recorded for the festival’s archives, we conclude our discussion in McBride’s trailer behind the Fort Stage.

Kahn: Can you tell us about the financial health of the festival since that’s part of its future, too? Do you participate on that level?

McBride: I can’t give you a real inside scoop on the actual percentages of revenue sources, but I will say that one thing that Jay and I agreed upon was that — even though George put us in position to not have to worry about that for a number of years.

Kahn: George left a war chest behind if you need it.

McBride: If we need it, that’s right. But Jay and I decided that we don’t want to dip into that pot just on general principle. Let’s try to sell enough tickets so we can use the money to pay for the festival and for something in the larger scope, supporting activities that the Foundation does, creating new educational programs and outreach, giving away music instruments to children in the Rhode Island area.

Kahn: So, the box office covers the costs of the festival?

McBride: It surely did this year! It’s gotten better each year. Up until last year the jazz festival broke even, which is a success in our business. We went into the black for the first time last year, and of course this year is the first time we’ve had an advance, three-day sellout from what I’ve heard in 55 years.

Kahn: 1969 was the year Led Zeppelin and Jeff Beck played Newport Jazz, along with Miles and Sun Ra.

McBride: Yeah, and Sly Stone, Frank Zappa, James Brown, Jethro Tull, Edgar Winter. But he also had Blakey, Dave Brubeck, Freddie Hubbard, Herbie’s new sextet. George never gave up on the swinging. I think George Benson’s group played that year, too.

Kahn: George would be happy with the way things are going.

McBride: I think so. I really believe he would be happy. I wasn’t used to it in the beginning. George would tell me, “Hey, make sure you guys don’t forget the jazz!” And then he would recommend someone who wasn’t a jazz artist. I’d say, “George, didn’t you just say you want more jazz?” “Well, we gotta sell tickets, too.” I was like, “OK, well, what about The Roots?” “Sure, but don’t forget the jazz.” [laughs] OK, he’s messing with us, I think. But I couldn’t tell!

It’s a challenge on many levels to balance art and commerce, and that is always going to be fraught with tension, but I think we’ve managed to do a good job. The tension is in not simply booking stuff that I would like to see, and what people want to see — I think I know what most jazz fans would like, at least those that come to Newport. They want to hear all straightahead. I get that, I totally get it. But you gotta go out on a limb and book people who you know people need to see, need to experience.

Kahn: Legends for the future.

McBride: Legends for the future, that’s right. Look at somebody like Samara Joy or Julius Rodriguez. It’s a little early but I think it would be a safe bet that they’re going to be in this for the long game.

I’ll go out and walk through the crowd and people will recognize me and stop me. I did that yesterday and I’ve found, year by year, people will lock in a couple of things that they want to say to you. I would say the vast majority of people who have stopped me have positive things to say. But one person, I’m guessing he was in his 60s, he stopped yesterday and said, “Christian, please don’t forget to book more of our living legends.” I said, “Absolutely. Is there someone you have in mind that we haven’t booked?” “What about Charles McPherson?” He was here last year. “What about Charles Lloyd?” Him, too. I said, “I think what you just said without saying it is that we don’t have a lot of those living legends left.” He agreed.

Look, we will always have the primary directive of booking these living legends, but I think the focus is also to build legends for now and in the future.

Kahn: That protectionist kind of instinct has always been in this music.

McBride: It’s always there and I understand it and I love it. That’s why Buster Williams is here. That’s why I can never get enough Kenny Barron.

Kahn: Being a musician who’s actively on the scene as you are, and having this gig at Newport, must be like walking around with a target on your back.

McBride: Oh, man. I was actually going to buy one — not the store Target, but they actually have T-shirts with a target image on the back of the shirt. Here’s a story: When George first named me artistic director in 2017, almost immediately there came a flood of: “Hey, man, you gonna hook me up? Hook me up!” But one person was more persistent than the rest. He kept calling and I said, “Listen, you gotta give me some room, man.” He hounded me for a good two years.

So I gave him a gig for 2018, had it all locked up and then several weeks go by, and out of the blue another musician calls me, and says, “Hey, I just wanted to get some details on the Newport gig for my band.” I’m listening to the voicemail going, “What?” It’s strange, but this is a musician I didn’t know that well, I definitely respected him but I never booked him. I called him back and he said, “Well, ‘Musician A’ said that he no longer can make Newport, so he gave the gig to me.” Again, “What?!” That’s not the way it works. So I called “Musician A” back and I was like, “Bro, what are you doing?” “Well, something came up and I can’t do the gig now.”

Kahn: Sounds like a “lose my number” conversation.

McBride: Yes, it was. But I try not to worry about those things. You know that great story about Joe Henderson playing on Roy Hargrove’s record? When he got his check, Joe said, “This is not what I agreed to.” They said, “We talked three months ago and that’s what we agreed upon.” He said, “Let’s not dwell in the past.” DB