NEWPORT, R.I. – As one of many events for Newport’s BridgeFest, a week of local music and related activities bridging Newport’s jazz and folk festivals, Salve Regina University’s McKillop Library will host “Reminiscing in Tempo: Reflections on the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals” with founder and producer George Wein and Newport Daily News reporter Jim Gillis at 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 5.
The BridgeFest discussion is free and open to the public. McKillop Library is located on Ochre Point Avenue on the Salve Regina campus.
Wein and Gillis will discuss the impact these two festivals have had on jazz and folk music and Newport’s musical heritage specifically.
BridgeFest was created by the Arts & Cultural Alliance of Newport County to bridge the week between the Newport folk and jazz festivals. By making Newport County an eclectic musical haven for the week, BridgeFest gives music enthusiasts a reason to stay and locals a reason to celebrate.
Wein is renowned for his work in organizing and booking music festivals, and in particular for creating the Newport Jazz Festival in 1954. He subsequently played an important role in establishing numerous other festivals, including the Newport Folk Festival, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the Grande Parade du Jazz in Nice, France.
Wein remains an active producer at age 82. He serves on the executive board of Jazz at Lincoln Center, and is an honorary trustee on the board at Carnegie Hall. His autobiography “Myself Among Others” was recognized by the Jazz Journalists Association as 2004’s best book about jazz, and he continues to perform as a pianist, touring the United States, Europe and Japan with his group, the Newport All-Stars.