George Wein

George Wein was born in Boston, Mass., in 1925. In 1946 he played with Max Kaminsky, in 1947 with Edmond Hall and in 1949 with Wild Bill Davison.

In the 50s he mostly perfomed in his own clubs with musicians such as Bobby Hackett, Jo Jones, Pee Wee Russel, Vic Dickenson and Jimmy McPartland. In 1954 he created the Newport Jazz Festival, today's JVC Jazz Festival. Today he is not only the producer of this world famous festival, but also organizes the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Fair, the Boston Globe Jazz Festival and others.

In 1982 the jazz magazine Down Beat honored George Wein for his unprecedented contribution to jazz. George Wein is, not surprisingly, at his most relaxed and musically creative when on the road with the Newport All-Stars.