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
Jazz on the Square other Latin jazz traditions are performed, demonstrated, and discussed. To support the Woodstock Jazz Festival and its educational programming, the organization holds a fundraiser each June at Stage Left Cafe. JOTS also hosts an annual holiday show each December; past performances have included the Typhanie Monique Quartet and the Glazz Ensemble. The 2008 Festival took place August 22–24, 2008. Musicians performed on the Woodstock City Square during the day and in restaurant and club venues around the Square in the evening. The purpose of the festival was to promote appreciation and understanding of live performances of jazz music and to