Obituary, George Wein (1925-2021)

Photo credit: Frans Schellekens

George Wein, the pianist, record producer and music promoter known for founding the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals, as well as the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, has died aged 95. A pianist from a young age, after returning home from serving in World War II, Wein founded his own label and jazz club - both called Storyville, not to be confused with the Danish record label of the same name - in his hometown of Boston. Wein was hired as the promoter for the first Newport Jazz Festival in 1954, and after a few years it had already grown in popularity to feature artists like Louis Armstrong and Thelonious Monk on its roster. In many ways, the Newport Jazz Festival set the precedent for all modern music festivals, as well as opening up jazz music to a wider audience that either wouldn’t visit a jazz club, or couldn’t get in in the first place. The most recent iteration of the festival - held this year after being postponed from 2020 - similarly features contemporary jazz greats like Robert Glasper and Christian McBride; Wein had attended every single iteration of the Newport Jazz Festival until this year. Wein passed away in his home in Manhattan on Monday 13th September.