Thousands brave the heat for 70th anniversary of Newport Jazz Festival

NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — A capacity crowd of about 10,000 people braved heat and humidity to witness the 70th anniversary of the Newport Jazz Festival, one of the largest music festivals in New England.

The festival, which ends Sunday, is also one of the biggest multi-day jazz festivals in the world. It has brought legions of people to the coastal Rhode Island community over the decades. Held at Fort Adams State Park, festivalgoers benefited from a cool ocean breeze, a sprinkling of rain and misting fans.

Performers at this year’s festival included Elvis Costello, Meshell Ndegeocello, Dinner Party and Samara Joy. Over the years, the festival has welcomed Muddy Waters, Tito Puente, Isaac Hayes, Dizzy Gillespie and dozens of others. Gillespie recorded a 1957 live album at the festival.

The festival sold out all three days this year.