NEWPORT, R.I. - For the first time since he founded the Newport Jazz Festival, George Wein didn't have to sign any checks or worry about how the fickle weather might affect the bottom line.
Instead, his biggest concern at the recent festival was whether he could keep up on piano with his Newport All-Stars band during their set on the main stage that preceded performances by Herbie Hancock and Sonny Rollins.
But though the 82-year-old Mr. Wein sold his festival production company last year, he is still a force in producing jazz events, not only working to preserve the Newport festival's legacy but even starting a new concert series at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall in memory of Joyce Wein, his wife and business partner for nearly half a century.
“I have no problem working. ... As long as I can breathe, I will be involved with Newport because that to me is the holy grail of jazz festivals," said Mr. Wein, interviewed behind the main stage at Fort Adams State Park during last month's festival. “The image of Newport relates so strongly to what I've created all these years that I will never let that go.
“There's one burden that I have been eased with greatly. ... I don't pick up the losses, I don't worry about profits. So I enjoy the festival for what it is," said Mr. Wein, sporting a madras patchwork cap and speaking with a distinctive Boston accent.
Instead, his biggest concern at the recent festival was whether he could keep up on piano with his Newport All-Stars band during their set on the main stage that preceded performances by Herbie Hancock and Sonny Rollins.
But though the 82-year-old Mr. Wein sold his festival production company last year, he is still a force in producing jazz events, not only working to preserve the Newport festival's legacy but even starting a new concert series at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall in memory of Joyce Wein, his wife and business partner for nearly half a century.
“I have no problem working. ... As long as I can breathe, I will be involved with Newport because that to me is the holy grail of jazz festivals," said Mr. Wein, interviewed behind the main stage at Fort Adams State Park during last month's festival. “The image of Newport relates so strongly to what I've created all these years that I will never let that go.
“There's one burden that I have been eased with greatly. ... I don't pick up the losses, I don't worry about profits. So I enjoy the festival for what it is," said Mr. Wein, sporting a madras patchwork cap and speaking with a distinctive Boston accent.
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