Newport Jazz Festival Newport Jazz Festival The Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hired George Wein to organize the first festival and bring jazz to Rhode Island. Most of the early festivals were broadcast on Voice of America radio, and many performances were recorded and released as albums. In 1972, the Newport Jazz Festival was moved to New York City. In 1981, it became a two-site festival when it was returned to Newport while continuing in
Telluride Jazz Festival on-site camping, outdoor recreation, jazz art walk, historical walking tours, and much more will round out the weekend celebration. The historical mining town of Telluride sits nestled in a scenic box canyon at 8,750 feet, surrounded by 13,000 foot peaks, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. Over the course of more than 30 years, notable performers have included Muddy Waters, Dizzy Gillespie, Glenn Miller Orchestra, Chick Corea, Etta James, Herbie Hancock, Spyro Gyra, John Scofield, John Medeski, Ozomatli, Karl Denson, Jimmy Herring, Bill Frisell Trio, The Greyboy Allstars, Charlie Hunter, Doug Lawrence (jazz) and many more. Telluride Jazz Festival