The who’s who of superstar jazz talent will once again converge in Newport, RI, this summer for the annual Newport Jazz Festival. Always a destination resort town at the southern tip of Rhode Island and just an hour away from Providence, the Jazz Festival has been a mainstay on the music calendar since 1954. The dates for the 2011 edition are August 5-7.

Vintage vocal stylist Michael Feinstein and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis will both open the weekend with a gala performance at Newport Casino’s International Tennis Hall of Fame on August 5. Feinstein will continue explore the American Songbook with guitarist Joe Negri in a program entitled “Come Fly With Me”, while Marsalis will bring his quintet from Jazz at Lincoln Center.

For the main festival grounds at Fort Adams State Park during two full-day lineups, New Artist Grammy winner Esperanza Spalding will join with other jazz greats: Angelique Kidjo, Hiromi, Eddie Palmieri, Regina Carter, Grace Kelly and Joshua Redman. The full schedule can be seen below.

General ticket sales begin Friday, March 25 at 10am and complete festival info can be found at www.newportjazzfest.net.

Categories: MusicTags: Esperanza Spalding, Michael Feinstein, music, Newport Jazz Festival, Wynton Marsalis