Highlights from the 2025 Newport Jazz Festival
In its over 70 years running, the Newport Jazz Festival has upheld its commitment to showcase the most forward-thinking musicians of the artform. The line-up for the 2025 Newport Jazz Festival, taking place August 1-3, represents a cross-section of some of the biggest names in jazz. It showcases several experienced players like Sir Ron Carter, Dianne Reeves, Kenny Garrett, and Terence Blanchard alongside rising talent like Lakecia Benjamin, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Emmet Cohen, and Yussef Dayes. It also highlights many of the jazz adjacent tributaries of Black American music with the afro-beat stylings of Kokoroko, Brazilian Funk legends Cymande, the retro-soul vibes Thee Sacred Souls, and more.
9x GRAMMY Award winning bassist and composer Christian McBride, has been serving as the Artistic Director of the Newport Jazz Festival since 2016. In this role, he guides the festival's creative direction by curating a diverse line up of high-quality musicianship. Christian McBride's sound spans and synthesizes straight-ahead, experimental, free-leaning jazz, funk, soul, Latin, hip hop and rhythm and blues.
At a recent stop to KUVO, he shared how his beginnings set the stage for his expansive style, "Growing up in a city like Philadelphia where you could find the best of everything, you just grew up playing everything as a hired professional musician, you never had time to think about genre. You're hired to play a gig, you play what the gig calls for it. So in doing that, you learn more about that particular genre and you carry it with you." McBride's commitment to the furtherment of jazz has led him to be multi-dimensional, donning several hats like bandleader and educator for the next generation of jazz. Here in CO, he leads the highly-acclaimed JAS Academy Big Band Sessions as the JAS Academy Artistic Director presented by the JAS Aspen Snowmass. The Christian McBride Big Band is slated to take the stage at Newport Jazz on Sunday, August 3.
The Yussef Dayes Experience, led by the ingenious English jazz drummer, producer and composer himself, are slated to perform at this year’s Newport on Friday, August 1. Dayes is celebrated for his expressive and detailed drumming, blending spiritual jazz funk, soul, and global influences. Born & raised out of London, his musical journey began quite early. When Yussef stopped by KUVO to chat with us about his acclaimed album Black Classical Music, he details, “I can’t remember not playing a drum, so it’s always been a part of my life and I think having a musical family just allowed what I was doing to blossom.” Also hailing from across the pond this year includes Jorja Smith and Jacob Collier, both frontliners of the contemporary UK jazz scene in their own right. We’ll be eagerly waiting to see which sounds of jazz & R&B these artists bring on Sunday, August 3.
The Moses Yoofee Trio, led by pianist and composer Moses Yoofee Vester, who brought together members Roman Klobe-Baranga (Bass) and Noah Fürbringer (Drums). At just 24 years old, Yoofee was already well known within Europe’s evolving electro nu-jazz scene as an arranger, producer, and collaborator. After forming in 2020 and gaining traction with their debut EP “Ocean” in 2023, the trio has pushed their vision into the next phase with their latest full-length album “MYT” released in February 2025. The group hails from Berlin, Germany and uniquely blends genres from R&B, Hip-Hop, and Soul into more traditional Jazz styles to create the essence of their sound, self-described as “emotions, moments, and bangers”. The group’s youthful energy and forward thinking compositions have cemented their place among the new wave of jazz musicians taking the world by storm. Catch Moses Yoofee Trio performing on Friday, August 1 at the 2025 Newport Jazz Festival.
Ben Carr, better known as CARRTOONS, is a versatile multi-instrumentalist and producer blending the rich textures of classic jazz, soul, and hip-hop into fresh, contemporary grooves. A graduate of the Jazz Performance program at SUNY Purchase Conservatory, he’s collaborated with heavyweights like Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin, George Clinton, and Roy Ayers. During his last visit to town, he played a show at Cervantes Masterpiece alongside drummer Nate Smith and pianist Kiefer—who’s also set to perform Sunday at the Newport Jazz Festival. He also stopped by KUVO studios to share some of his favorite tracks and discuss his albums Saturday Night and Saturday Morning. You can catch CARRTOONS live on Saturday, August 2 at the 2025 Newport Jazz Festival.
These artists and many more will take the stage at the 2025 Newport Jazz festival. Check in with KUVO for updates on Newport Jazz as they roll out.
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