Newport Jazz Festival gets new leader, $10M promise

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Jazz impresario George Wein took another step to secure the future of his 62-year-old Newport Jazz Festival on Thursday, as the nonprofit foundation that runs it named Grammy-winning bassist Christian McBride as artistic director.

Wein, who is 90, also told The Associated Press that he planned to donate the bulk of his estate, around $10 million, to the foundation upon his death so that the jazz festival and its sister Newport Folk Festival can continue for years to come. Wein produced this year’s festival completely, but recognizes he’s old and his hearing and health have started to diminish even as he remains mentally sharp.

“Not many people can engineer their own demise,” Wein said. “I’ve been working on this a few months with Christian. Nobody knew about it. I wanted to make sure Christian was the right person.”

Source: Bismarck Tribune