Renowned festival brings jazz to UCLA

Being kings and queens of jazz is not the only thing Billie
Holiday, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone
and Ella Fitzgerald have in common.

These famous musicians have all performed at the Newport Jazz
Festival, and it’s no coincidence.

The Newport Jazz Festival, coming to UCLA on Saturday, March 13
to celebrate its 50th anniversary, has earned its
prestigious name not only by hosting famous performers, but
also by bringing lesser-known ones into the limelight. 

“Once you play one of the big festivals like the Newport
Jazz Festival, it gives you a new lease on life, because so many
people get a chance to hear you and build up your name in
jazz,” said jazz legend and UCLA ethnomusicology Professor
Gerald Wilson.

Saturday’s lineup mixes younger jazz visionaries such as
Jeremy Pelt, Karriem Riggins and Lea DeLaria with some of
jazz’s more established legends, including Ken Peplowski,
Cedar Walton, Lew Tabackin, Howard Alden and Peter Washington.

When originally scheduled trumpeter Terrence Blanchard withdrew
for health reasons, band members unanimously voted 27-year-old Pelt
in.

“(Jeremy’s) a wonderful player, and he’s doing
exactly the right thing. He writes, composes, and is one of the
fine players of today,” Wilson said.

Though Pelt is the youngest musician in the lineup, he is
already hailed by many critics as the next Wynton Marsalis. Pelt
has already played with countless jazz greats including Cassandra
Wilson and Roy Hargrove.

Being younger and less experienced does not make Pelt feel
uncomfortable or less qualified. Instead, the artist views the
festival as an opportunity to advance his career. Though he is
known in the jazz world, he has yet to become a legend.

“When you look at Miles Davis, he kind of redefined
himself and reignited his career just off of appearing at the
Newport Jazz Festival,” Pelt said. “It’s a
stepping point and a very great privilege to be part of.”

The fact that the Newport Jazz Festival has broken so many
legends into the jazz scene has made it a continuing prestigious
tradition.

“The Newport Jazz Festival means tradition,” said
Pelt. “It brings forth the legacy (of jazz),” said
Pelt.

Fifty years ago, wealthy East Coast jazz patrons and a diverse
group of jazz musicians congregated at the Newport Tennis Casino to
celebrate the genre, creating the first Newport Jazz Festival. It
has since become a forum for jazz musicians to create, honor and
inspire.

Younger artists like Pelt are what keeps the tradition going,
paying tribute to old legacies while creating new ones.

As for having UCLA as a venue, Pelt finds the opportunity to
connect young people with jazz refreshing, as he views the younger
generation as being “not very jazz heavy.”

“It’s good to see a lot of universities having this
type of musical act,” said Pelt.

Though the college generation may not be littered with jazz
fans, the festival is highly anticipated on campus as well as
around Los Angeles.

“I’ve heard the lineup, and know this year is going
to be amazing,” said Danielle Aladjadjian, a second-year
ethnomusicology student. “I have heard so many amazing things
about this festival. I’m so excited to finally be going this
year.”