Notable Performances and Recordings
Two of the most famous performances in the festival's history are Miles Davis's 1955 solo on "'Round Midnight" and the Duke Ellington Orchestra's lengthy 1956 performance of "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue", featuring a 27-chorus saxophone solo by Paul Gonsalves. Miles & Monk at Newport documented respective 1958 and 1963 appearances at the festival. Noteworthy soloists aside from the bandleaders were John Coltrane and Pee Wee Russell. Eventually, Columbia Records released an album displaying more of the Miles Davis Sextet's 1958 set on an album called Miles & Coltrane.
A reconstructed Ellington at Newport from his 1956 performance was re-issued in 1999. Aside from the actual festival performance of "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue", including the distant-sounding Gonsalves solo, the original album used re-creations, note for note, of some of the set's highlights, which were secretly re-recorded in the studio in spite of Ellington's objection. The new set restored the original festival performance after a recording from the Voice of America (which broadcast the performance) was discovered and, among other things, the odd timbre of the Gonsalves performance. Gonsalves, it turned out, stepped up to the wrong microphone to play his legendary solo: he stepped up to the VOA microphone and not the band's. Gonsalves' performance originally caused a near riot in the festival crowd.
The 1957 performances of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Carmen McRae were released in 1958 on the album Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday at Newport. Those by the Gigi Gryce-Donald Byrd Jazz Laboratory and the Cecil Taylor Quartet featuring Steve Lacy were released on At Newport the same year.
The acclaimed film Jazz on a Summer's Day documented the 1958 festival. Sets by Dave Brubeck, Ray Charles, and Miles Davis at that year's festival appeared respectively on the albums Newport 1958, Ray Charles at Newport, and At Newport 1958. In due course, further albums from the 1958 performances were issued for Count Basie and Horace Silver.
Performances at the 1960 festival by Muddy Waters and Nina Simone were released as the albums At Newport 1960 and Nina Simone at Newport.
Performances at the 1961 festival included Judy Garland, coming off the success of her two concerts at Carnegie Hall, the opening night of which was documented on the Grammy winning album Judy at Carnegie Hall. Garland was on tour to promote the album, mostly to sold out audiences. Sadly, no audio seems to survive of her performance at Newport.
The 1962 Festival is documented in a film released by Storyville. Among the performers are Lambert, Hendricks & Bavan, the Oscar Peterson Trio, Roland Kirk, Duke Ellington, and the closing with the Count Basie Orchestra featuring Jimmy Rushing.
Part of the appearances by John Coltrane and Archie Shepp from the 1965 Festival appeared on the album New Thing at Newport. A set by Herbie Mann featuring Chick Corea of that same year's festival was released on the album Standing Ovation at Newport. Mann released a 1967 album, mostly recorded there, New Mann at Newport.
The performance by Albert Ayler at the 1967 festival was released as part of the Holy Ghost box set in 2004. An Ella Fitzgerald performance from Carnegie Hall in July 1973 was documented on the album Newport Jazz Festival: Live at Carnegie Hall.
In an episode of the "Super Chicken" segment of George of the Jungle, reference is made to a symbolic "Blowing the First Note" ceremony as is supposed to open the Festival; however, it is unknown if such a ritual exists.
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