Newport Jazz Fest 2025 - Christian McBride in Conversation with Ayana Contreras
Set along the mouth of Newport Harbor in Rhode Island, surrounded by shimmering, deep teal water, this year’s Newport Jazz Festival celebrated the wide spectrum of jazz today. From straight-ahead to experimental sounds, and from traditional jazz to jazz adjacent projects, no swinging stone was left unturned.
For instance, on one end of the spectrum, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band honored New Orleans’ contribution to the heritage of jazz; while on the other, producer, DJ (and Jazz Odyssey staple artist) Flying Lotus got the mainstage crowd bumping with a mix that leaned heavily on old-school funk and his own electronic leaning productions. The nephew of Alice Coltrane, Flying Lotus reflected a theme of intergenerational appeal among many of the artists.
I was there and on Saturday afternoon I had the opportunity to sit down with the Newport Jazz’s artistic director, the indomitable Christian McBride, about the curatorial leanings of one of the nation’s longest standing jazz festivals.
Ayana Contreras: We're here at Newport [Jazz Festival]. Probably the first time KUVO has been out here, definitely, on a professional level in quite some time. We're all such big fans of you, Christian McBride. You've been artistic director of this festival for a long time. What has that experience meant to you... because it's such a historic festival?
Christian McBride: It's meant the world to me, particularly since George Wein himself gave me the gig in 2015, which has already been 10 years which is pretty shocking. He said, "Hey man, I'm 89 years old and I think it's about time we come up with a successor plan." He said, "After further deliberation with my board we think you're the right guy." That's the ultimate honor for the man who basically created the template for the Jazz Festival, or for the live music festival period.
Ayana Contreras: Right. Newport goes all the way back to 1954.
Christian McBride: Fifty-Four, that's right.
Ayana Contreras: It's fabulous. The other thing that I love about your curatorial style is it's so much about maintaining that heritage, that legacy... but also pushing it forward and creating things that multi-generations can really connect with.
Christian McBride: It's a welcome challenge because you have to have balance. You want to always keep a foot in the past while looking toward the future, that's Sankofa. There's so much good stuff out there right now, you want to be able to present all of it. But you pick the best that you believe in for that particular year. Whoever doesn't make the roster doesn't mean we don't like them. I think we've done a good job at being able to present a vast variety of sounds, and styles, and eras.
Ayana Contreras: Right. When you've played Newport in the jazz world, you are somebody.
Christian McBride: Correct. This is one of the festivals where if you're simply on it people will say, "Okay, they can play."
Ayana Contreras: I know artists like Makaya [McCraven], his life was different after he played. And he played all the festivals. After he played Newport for the first time, It was different.
Christian McBride: Yes, yes. I'm so happy to be sort of in the driver's seat for that legacy, from an artistic standpoint, and I wear it with pride.
Ayana Contreras: So you talked a little bit about past, and present, and future... Sankofa. This performance, you actually did a little past and present of your own thing. You've got the big band, but then you also did the Philadelphia Experiment. And I told you, I got turned onto you through that Ropeadope album, The Philadelphia Experiment [2001], way back when.
I've never seen it live before. So what was it like getting the old team back together for Newport?
Christian McBride: It was wonderful playing with those guys again. You probably heard me mention that the last time we played together was here in 2017, that was my first year as artistic director. And so after eight years it was great to just jump right back in and make it happen again.
Ayana Contreras: So who else are you jazzed to see? No pun intended.
Christian McBride: The group that's on right now that are killing it, the New Jazz Underground, they're over on the Harbor Stage. Maimouna Youssef who is on right now, also known as Mumu Fresh, she is killing it. Our old friends Dianne Reeves is going to come and do her thing. Terence Blanchard is going to do his thing. We have a wonderful centennial celebration to Roy Haynes that's going on today. Flying Lotus is going to be here. The incredible Miss Janelle Monáe is going to close out the festivities today.
Ayana Contreras: Absolutely. Pushing the music forward in so many ways.
Christian McBride: Oh, and brother Tyshawn Sorey is also going to be playing. We got a little bit of everything.
Ayana Contreras: A little bit of everything indeed, absolutely. No. It's always so amazing to see you, and to see what you have done to move the thing forward but with love and care for the heritage of the music which is such what it's all about.
Christian McBride: Well, thank you very much. And you know how much I appreciate you and everything that KUVO does. I just love you guys.
Ayana Contreras: Love right back! All right.
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