Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis is set to kick off the 2011 Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island.
The festival gets under way Friday evening with performances from Marsalis and pianist and singer Michael Feinstein at the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Dozens more performances from jazz artists are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at Fort Adams State Park. Other top names playing the festival this year include Dave Brubeck and Grammy-winning bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding, and jazz great Dave Brubeck.
The jazz event, first held in 1954, has showcased a who's who of jazz stars. It went nonprofit this year, along with its sister event — the Newport Folk Festival. In addition, the jazz festival has attracted a new corporate backer: investment firm Natixis Global Asset Management.