Newport’s iconic folk and jazz festivals are returning to Fort Adams State Park this summer, after being canceled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This time around, Newport Folk will be split into two three-day events. Tickets go on sale Tuesday morning.
Reporter Antonia Ayres-Brown spoke with Jay Sweet, the executive producer of Newport Folk and Newport Jazz, to discuss what fans can expect this summer.
Transcript:
Ayres-Brown: How are the events going to look different this year compared to past festivals?
Sweet: Well I think it’s going to look different. Any reduced or modified capacity is going to give something a different feel. And with that in mind, we wanted to continue to provide that intimacy that even at full capacity, Newport has when compared to other, you know, festivals of its size. And we also thought that it’s really not going to be a festival if we can’t be at full capacity and with our entire community.
So we’ve decided to call the folk events ‘Folk On’ as a kind of stepping stone back to some semblance of normalcy when it comes to our festival family. So yeah, it’s going to have a look and feel of being intimate and unique experiences, and more of a laid-back vibe.
Ayres-Brown: I know you’re still working out some COVID safety protocols, but could you tell us a little more about that behind the scenes? Are you considering precautions like requiring negative COVID tests or proof of vaccination?
Sweet: When it comes to, you know, the various protocols, we are really working hand in hand with the local and state government in Rhode Island. Because, you know, obviously our first concern is safety.
There’ll be some advantages to being vaccinated. That is one thing I can say for some certainty — about what you will and will not be able to do if you’re vaccinated versus not vaccinated.
Ayres-Brown: I know until a few months ago, it was unclear in Rhode Island and across the country whether large gatherings would even be possible this summer. That must have made planning and your timeline pretty difficult this year.
Sweet: Yeah, I didn’t want to laugh when you were asking your question but that’s a complete understatement as far as saying it’s a challenge. We were planning without knowing, in hopes. But when you kind of take something that you usually for the last decades over decades take 18 months to prepare for, and that you’re using a playbook that you’ve used for six decades — to basically throw out that playbook and create a new playbook to roll out within a three-and-a-half-month period of time is nothing short of, in my mind, kind of heroic.
And it really does go to everybody stepping up. Both the fans in their patience, and the artists in their willingness to kind of use this — America’s very first musical event of its kind — to be the first one back. The first major one back. And of course, the support of local and state officials.
Ayres-Brown: Yeah, I can only imagine. And both the Newport Folk and Newport Jazz festivals are really iconic events in the music world. I’m wondering, what did this last year and the hiatus you had to take teach you about what they mean to people, and what it means to both audiences and artists for live music to be returning this summer?
Sweet: That’s a great question. You know, I tend to get really emotional about the support that came out of the woodwork for these iconic events. I mean, they are America’s first big music events of its kind — you know, 10 and 15 years older than Woodstock. And continuous.
And they’re part of the fabric and the DNA of the music business, and you know many people have said, “If we’re going to protect one thing, let’s protect Newport.” Because it’s the seed.
And if there’s going to be one event that can help us get back on our feet and try to move forward and see what the new world order will be like for music events, it was going to happen at Newport. And I think there’s a great, you know, poetic synergy with that.
And it also made me realize quickly that maybe it was time for a respite, in a weird way. Because after the 2019 events — which were our best, in my mind, some of our best that have ever happened. We just didn’t know what was going to — where do you go from when you’ve kind of reached the top of the mountain?
And so this was a big wake-up call to not take anything for granted when it comes to being able to commune with one another with music as the focus.
Ayres-Brown: And looking to this summer, I know most of the lineup is still under wraps. But some artists have already shared that they’re excited to be performing in Newport this summer. Can you tell us anything about how the lineup is shaping up and who fans can look forward to?
Sweet: Yeah, as is our want, especially on the Newport Folk side, we leave it to the artists to determine when they want to announce. It’s kind of a tradition that’s gone back a little bit over a decade when I got involved. It took a lot of the pressure off of a lot of things and allowed people to kind of come under the safety of not having to do everything they’re expected of doing — because if you buy a ticket not knowing the lineup, then you’re just going to be pleasantly surprised usually. And that trust is something we don’t take for granted.
It’s amazing to have some of our, you know, some of our family — Devon Gilfillian, for example, who has played the festival before. He announced he’s coming back to do a cover of Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’ on its anniversary. It gets me excited that Allison Russell — who is part of Our Native Daughters, which happened in 2019 — her announcing that she’s coming back. And Joy Oladokun, who’s an amazing artist out of Nashville, who we wanted to have in 2020 before the big pause button was hit.
And so just those three alone are just three artists that, you know, like I said, having some returning family members of the Folk family and, of course, you know some newcomers — is what it’s all about in Newport.
And as for jazz, I am very fortunate to say that in the coming weeks, we’re just going to drop an incredible lineup all at once, and let people ‘ooh’ and ‘ah’ over it.
So it’s going to be an exciting summer. Again, having America’s kind of original music events be the first kind of back, is something that I think — like I said, I think there’s something symbolic to it.
Ayres-Brown: Jay Sweet, executive producer of the Newport Folk and Newport Jazz festivals, which are happening this summer at Fort Adams State Park. Jay, thanks so much for joining me.
Sweet: Thank you.
This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.
Antonia Ayres-Brown is the Newport Reporter for The Public’s Radio. She can be reached at antonia@thepublicsradio.org
