WHUS at Newport: Foreword

Does one attend "Newport" or, rather, the idea of Newport?

It's hard to know, sometimes; it's that big. Like comparing Oak Creek Canyon with the Grand Canyon.

Our stated intention was to cover the avant-gardeness of it all and we succeeded in this (evidence forthcoming), but one thing we learned (and we learned alot!) was that, at the center... the heart of it all, there are these people. The artists and organizers (doing yeoman's work) and the crowd; those who came to hear and feel Charles Gayle or The Bad Plus. And those who are simply there for the grandiosity; the spectacle.

We spoke with: Vijay Iyer, Ken

Vandermark, George Wein, Rudresh Mahanthappa; Ethan Iverson; and "By Any Means" (William Parker, Charles Gayle, and Muhammed Ali (Rashied was unable to make it).

Truth be told, we spoke with a great many people; Rick Massimo of the Providence Journal; Dave Barrett of CBS Radio; Alan Stone of NPR; Arnold Jay Smith of jazz.com.

The infrastructural atmosphere was collegial.

The cultural atmosphere was festive and engaged.

The atmospheric atmosphere was the least rainy of the summer, so far.

It's easy to strike a pose and hate on the big festival but just this once admit it; it was fun and inspiring.