Newport Jazz artist relishes return to stage
Brian McKnight is among the big names, with CeeLo Green, Marcus Miller and more
R&B singer-songwriter Brian McKnight's return to the annual Newport Beach Jazz Festival at the Hyatt Regency in Newport Beach on June 5 will be an extra special occasion.
Not only is he excited to hit the stage and perform new music from his latest album, “Exodus,” as well as hits like “Back at One” and “Anytime,” but the show also happens to fall on his 53rd birthday.
“It's always great to perform at that venue down there,” McKnight said during a recent phone interview. “But it's actually my birthday that day. So it's interesting because for most of my career, I rarely have a show on my birthday, so it's an extra added treat.”
The Newport Beach Jazz Festival postponed its 25th anniversary staging in 2020 due to the pandemic and instead celebrated that milestone in October. Eight months later, the festival is back on track and taking place June 3-5.
“The event has always been in June,” festival promoter and Omega Events President Rich Sherman said during a separate interview. “It was really important for us to come back to that time frame, but we did have tremendous success last October and we feel very fortunate that we were able to pivot to that.”
The 26th installment, sponsored by Subaru, kicks off with a sold-out VIP performance by Marion Meadows and Alex Bugnon on June 3 in the Hyatt's 1,000seat Back Bay Amphitheatre. The event then migrates down to the sprawling, grassy grounds of the Back Bay Golf Course on June 4-5.
The June 4 performances include CeeLo Green, who will honor the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, with his Soul Brotha #100 tribute show, as well as Eric Benét, Peter White, Vincent Ingala, Morgan James, Kim Scott and Four80East. Brian Culbertson leads the June 5 lineup, which includes McKnight, Marcus Miller, DW3, Lindsey Webster, Adam Hawley, Phil Denny and Derek Bordeaux.
Early in his career, McKnight said, he remembered hearing about the Newport Beach Jazz Festival as other artists described it as having a good vibe and a unique location with ocean views. He's performed at the festival several times but hasn't been back since 2014, when he played alongside R&B superstar Chaka Khan and jazz saxophonist Dave Koz.
“I'd heard about it and I always wanted to play there,” he recalled. “So now, having played there, it's really kinda cool and nostalgic. It's an event that's been going on for such a long time and it's a staple in that part of the country that people really do look forward to every year.”
McKnight said he's actually looking forward to catching up with the other artists — specifically Green, Benét and Miller — whom he's been friends with for years. Because of the pandemic, he said, they haven't had in-person interactions, so he'll be sure to take the opportunity to put in some facetime.
Brian McKnight
CeeLo Green
Brian Culbertson
When:
Where:
6 p.m. June 3, 10:30 a.m. June 4-5
Hyatt Regency Newport Beach, 1107 Jamboree Road, Newport Beach
$125 single-day Saturday or Sunday general admission pass; $200 twoday general admission pass; $225single-day Saturday or Sunday VIP passes. Friday's VIP concert is sold out; all other passes are available at festivals.hyattconcerts. com.
Tickets:
“I think, artistwise and fanwise, maybe we took it a little bit for granted before because we never thought it could be taken away,” he said of having to take nearly two years off due to the spread of COVID-19. “Now that we're back on the stages with the live audiences, I think we're going to appreciate it more than we probably ever have.”
During the early part of the lockdowns in 2020, McKnight released his 16th studio album, “Exodus,” which he said would be his last full album of all-original material. But that doesn't mean he's done making music, he clarified, as he did release a new single, “Faithfully,” in October.
“Because of the way things are with streaming, it lends itself to putting out the best song you have right now and because a song can do what it does, it doesn't necessarily have to be attached to an album,” he explained. “When I say I won't release an entire album of new material, that doesn't mean I won't release any music. It just means you're probably not gonna get another album, but there will be more music, for sure.”
When he wasn't working on music or hanging out with his family during the pandemic, McKnight was sharpening his dance moves. He joined the cast of “The Masked Singer” spinoff “The Masked Dancer” and wore a cricket costume as he performed. He made it to the fourth episode in the competition.
“I'm not sure if there was anything I could have done to do better on that show except for maybe be younger, which I can't do,” he said with a laugh.