Wednesday, July 11, 2012

NPR Music to broadcast Wilco, Blitzen Trapper, Meganfaun and more

For five decades, music fans have gathered in Newport, R.I., over consecutive weekends to celebrate two storied genres. NPR Music, together with partner radio stations, honors this tradition by continuing to mark a new one – bringing George Wein’s Newport Folk Festival and Newport Jazz Festival to the world for the fifth straight year. The weekends of July 27-29 and August 4-5 audiences can enjoy exclusive digital and on-air broadcasts of dozens of concerts, beginning Friday, July 27 with the trifecta of Wilco, Blitzen Trapper and Megafaun.



At the Folk Festival on July 27, 28 and 29, NPR Music teams with WFUV New York; FolkAlley.com (WKSU) Kent, Ohio; and mvyradio in Martha’s Vineyard and Newport to bring audiences an array of shows. The following weekend on August 4 and 5, NPR Music joins WBGO Jazz 88.3FM Newark and 89.7 WGBH Boston Public Radio to present performances from the Jazz Festival.



Concerts from the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals will be accessible through free, live broadcasts on stations and at NPR Music. Coverage will be available to audiences everywhere at npr.org/newportfolk and npr.org/newportjazz, and through the NPR Music mobile apps. More on-the-scene updates will be available by following @nprmusic on Twitter, and at the NPR Music Tumblr. NPR Music will also archive all broadcasts and provide podcasts of many performances following the festivals.



NPR Music’s Folk Festival 2012 broadcasts will begin Friday evening, July 27, with a kick-off concert featuring headliners Wilco, along with Blitzen Trapper and Megafaun. More sets during the weekend include My Morning Jacket, Deer Tick, Iron & Wine, The Head and the Heart, Sara Watkins and Gary Clark Jr. Bob Boilen, host and creator of NPR Music’s All Songs Considered, and WFUV host and music director Rita Houston will host and offer insight, thoughts and commentary.



During the Jazz Festival, the bill from NPR Music may include performances from Pat Metheny, Jack DeJohnette, Dianne Reeves, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Maria Schneider, Kurt Elling. Detailed broadcast schedules will be announced closer to Festival dates. Josh Jackson, WBGO special projects producer and host of The Checkout and creator of the series The Checkout: Live at 92Y Tribeca, will anchor all Jazz Festival coverage.



NPR Music celebrates great music in every genre and is an industry leader in music discovery. The Emmy Award-winning free, multimedia website at http://www.npr.org/music offers new features daily and an extensive archive, in collaboration with NPR's newsmagazines, public radio Member stations and the passionate NPR community. The NPR Music iPad App joins the ever-expanding suite of NPR Mobile, allowing anyone with a mobile device to enjoy NPR News, NPR Music and Member station content for free.

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