The birthplace of jazz met the birthplace of the jazz festival on Friday, August 3 when the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Dr. John’s Lower 911 Band performed at the Newport Jazz Festival’s opening night concert at Newport Casino, home of George Wein’s first festival back in 1954. More than 3,000 turned out for the event. Special guests included Catherine Russell (who sang with both bands), Tao Rodriguez-Seeger (folksinger Pete Seeger’s grandson) and Jonathan Batiste, who performed a three-song solo interlude between the two bands. Wein opened the evening with “Basin Street Blues,” joined by Preservation Hall clarinetist Charlie Gabriel.
[flickr-gallery mode=”photoset” photoset=”72157631055851540″]
All photos courtesy of Ken Franckling.
