Christian McBride Steps Down as Artistic Director of the Newport Jazz Festival After 9 Years
Christian McBride is a man of many hats: bassist, composer, producer, and arranger, to name a few. For the past nine years, he has served as the artistic director for the Newport Jazz Festival, but now he has announced that he has resigned from the position. McBride was appointed to the role by festival founder George Wein in 2015.
“It has been a tremendous honor to serve as Artistic Director of the Newport Jazz Festival,” said McBride. “When George invited me to take the baton, I did so with deep pride and a sense of duty to continue the extraordinary legacy he built—celebrating jazz’s past, present, and future.”
McBride’s spirit represents the best of the jazz community. He used his tenure at Newport to spotlight up-and-coming innovators as well as celebrate the decorated masters of the genre. The festival achieved consecutive sellouts during his leadership.
“The Newport Festivals Foundation and our Newport Jazz Festival have been fortunate to be blessed with Christian McBride’s unmatched virtuosity, creative curiosity, and magnanimity as both a person and an artist,” said the organization. “His deep respect in the jazz community created immeasurable goodwill for our festival and nonprofit mission. Christian has helped foster a community filled with engagement, collaboration, and joy. He is leaving us changed for the better, and we will do our best to carry on his indelible legacy.”
“As with any long-standing institution, artistic perspectives evolve over time,” McBride continued. “As the festival continues to grow and shift, I’ve come to recognize that my vision is best pursued in other ways. I step away with deep gratitude for the experience and pride in what we’ve built together. Every festival season has been a joy, and I’ll always cherish the moments we created together at Fort Adams. Newport will always be a part of me.”
The bassist will wrap up his role as artistic director with one final event, serving as the host and musical director for George Wein’s Centennial Celebration at City Winery in New York City on October 7th, 2025.
McBride, of course, has plenty to keep him busy. He’s just released a big band album, and he has a slew of tour dates heading into 2026, including a jazz cruise called McBride’s World At Sea.
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
