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
Cheltenham Jazz Festival Peyroux, Robert Mitchell, Alex Wilson, Pat Martino, Dave Douglas, Don Byron, John Surman, Nikki Yeoh, BBC Concert Orchestra, Dave Liebman, Imelda May, Lea Delaria, and the Scratch Perverts. After being previous partners with the Festival (as the 'official drink' in 2007, hosting the popular 'Budvar Jazz Marquee' and hosting the competition 'Budvar Brewed Jazz' in 2008), the year 2009 saw the Czech beer company Budvar successfully become the title sponsors of Cheltenham's Jazz Festival, making the full name "Budvar Cheltenham Jazz Festival". Eartha Kitt (in her last-ever UK performance), Cleo Laine, Maceo Parker, Carol Brewster, Dennis Rollins, John Dankworth, Ruby