In addition to Franklin's performance, Melody Gardot, a newly signed Verve artist, has been added to the Saturday line-up. Though the individual performances make this year's event one of the most highly anticipated jazz festivals in years, it's the incredible on-stage collaborations that will make it truly memorable. Some planned collaborations include three jazz greats � Charlie Haden, Bill Frisell and Ethan Iverson � who are joining forces for the first time on Saturday, August 9. Also on Saturday, there will be a special encore of the all-star quartet Dave Holland, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Chris Potter and Eric Harland, who made their legendary debut last year at the Monterey Jazz Festival.
"We are very excited to have a musical legend like Aretha Franklin headlining the [Newport Jazz Festival], one of our most important events," said Tom Shepard, CEO of Festival Network. "Her poise and passionately powerful voice exemplifies the level of quality we strive to achieve at all of our festivals."
The 2008 [Newport Jazz Festival] continues a legacy begun in 1954, when George Wein launched the modern music festival era with the first Newport Jazz Festival. Over the decades the event has become an integral thread in the fabric of jazz music, the name itself synonymous
with some of the greatest performances in the genre's long history. With memories of past festival performances by the likes of Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Ornette Coleman, each year promises a chance to witness history on the stage.
We Posted the titled of the festival as [Newport Jazz Festival] because they have lamely renamed it with a corporate name and we continue our tradition of resisting such marketing stupidity that devalues these events.
Preview and Purchase Aretha Franklin CDs
Aretha Franklin MP3 Downloads
.
On the Blue: New Horizons Cruise Day 1: Marbin Gets the Fun Started
Hot In The City: Prog Band Tu-Ner Coming to Phoenix
Sites and Sounds: Daytona Beach Ready to Rumble with Welcome to Rockville
Watch The Beach Boys Official Documentary Trailer
Ringo & His All Starr Band Announce Fall Tour
The Night Flight Orchestra Inks Deal With Napalm Records
Little Feat 'Can't Be Satisfied' With New Video
The Melvins Stream 'The Making of Tarantula Heart' Mini-Documentary
Watch Babylon A.D.'s 'Wrecking Machine' Video
The Exies Reveal Never Before Seen Footage With 'For What It's Worth' Video
The Allman Brothers Band Legend Dickey Betts Dead At 80