Newport Jazz Festival 2013

The highlight of this year's Newport Jazz Festival for me was seeing the charismatic bandleader and piano virtuoso Jon Batiste perform with his band Stay Human. The Juilliard graduates are based in New York City, but their music and performance style is all New Orleans. Batiste, who comes from a long line of Louisiana musicians, has the spirit of The Crescent City in his soul. His band's mission is to bring the joy of live music to the masses, to lift people up by engaging with them during performances. Jon Batiste and Stay Human had the crowd on their feet and filled the Harbor Tent with the kind of rousing excitement that comes naturally with music rooted in the New Orleans tradition. I love it when I can experience a little piece of home here in Newport.

John Batiste smiles at the crowd, harmonaboard in hand, as he performs with his band Stay Human at the Newport Jazz Festival. In the background is Joe Saylor on tambourine. Listen to the set on NPR: Here

Jon Batiste joins Joe Saylor on the drums while performing with his band Stay Human at the Newport Jazz Festival. Listen to the set on NPR: Here

Jon Batiste and his band Stay Human get the crowd on their feet at the Newport Jazz Festival. Listen to the set on NPR: Here

Jon Batiste (melodica) and members of his band Stay Human (from left) Ibanda Ruhumbika (tuba) and Eddie Barbash (saxophone) play among the crowd during their set at the Newport Jazz Festival. Listen to the set on NPR: Here

Jon Batiste, right, and members of his band Stay Human (from left) Joe Saylor, Eddie Barbash and Ibanda Ruhumbika receive applause from fans when they enter the crowd to play a few tunes during their set at the Newport Jazz Festival. Listen to the set on NPR: Here

Hiromi is quite possibly the most dynamic musician I have ever seen. She is a photographer's dream!

Eddie Palmieri laughs at a comment made by a fan as he performes with his Salsa Orchestra during the Newport Jazz Festival. Listen to his set on NPR: Here

Jonathan Powell plays a trumpet solo with Eddie Palmieri and his Salsa Orchestra during the Newport Jazz Festival. Listen to the set on NPR: Here

(from left) Pauline Smith of New Rochelle, NY dances with friend Ronald Hancox of East Hartford, CT, while Ernestine Jennings of Barrington, Eric Mosley of Boston and Rhonda Persip of Boston get down to the sounds of Eddie Palmieri and his Salsa Orchestra during the Newport Jazz Festival. Listen to the set on NPR: Here

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Trumpet players Gregory Davis, left, and Efrem Towns perform with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

Our Evangeline is becoming a Jazz Festival regular. She hasn't missed a festival since 2010 when she was in my belly. Here she is with my mom, clearly feeling the familiar New Orleans love coming from Jon Batiste and Stay Human.

Joanne and Brian's Cottage by the Sea

It’s a perfect summer evening. There’s a mellow breeze and a blanket of soft golden light. The Kings are sitting on their deck with drinks and a cheese tray watching sailboats race in Narragansett Bay. A couple sitting in a parked car takes in the scenery from across the street. It is this view, described by Brian as “stunningly addictive,” that convinced the city girl, Joanne, to leave her beloved Boston and settle in Brian’s hometown of Barrington thirty-five years ago.

The neighborhood, known as Bay Spring, began as a community of modest summer cottages built on small lots around the turn of the 20th century. Hurricanes in the 30’s, 50’s and 60’s took a toll on the area. The Kings' house, which started out as a rental that was not much to look at, was barely winterized when they moved in. “The curtains still fluttered in the slightest breeze, even with the windows locked shut,” Brian recalls.

Seeing that the neighborhood was on the verge of a comeback, the couple purchased the house in 1984 and got serious about turning it into a home where they could raise a family. “Our little summer cottage had to be made solid enough to remain cozy through New England winters when even the bay froze over,” explains Brian. In addition to making the house structurally sound, they opened up the first floor by eliminating walls and enlarged the second floor. The renovations were completed just in time to welcome their son Nick.

Throughout the years, the house has evolved as the Kings have built their life as a family of three. The addition of a front room with vaulted ceilings and French doors that open to a wraparound deck creates what Joanne aptly describes as “a fluid space that spills out into both the landscape and the seascape.” “I always feel like the outdoors is right there,” Joanne explains, “I never feel enclosed.” The sea air, the ocean breeze and the sound of birds chirping in the trees make the airy room a favorite spot for afternoon naps. Nikko blue hydrangeas — planted as a nod to their son’s childhood nickname and his “bluer than blue” eyes — surround the house along with sea grasses, lavender, poppies, irises and rosa rugosa. A private Zen patio garden, a quiet sanctuary for morning coffee and relaxation, provides a perfect space for annual flowers.

Joanne acts as art director for the house, continually rearranging furniture, adding decorative touches, and displaying the work of local artists and friends. She draws from their abundant gardens to make flower arrangements and fills the kitchen with artful displays of fresh produce from nearby farms and seasonal markets, special touches that add to the feeling that the home is one with its natural surroundings. Randomly placed dimes are present throughout the house as a spiritual reminder of Joanne’s mom, who had an affinity for the tiny silver coins.

The King house is filled with memories. Looking back to when their journey as homeowners began, Joanne recalls sitting in a lawn chair while pregnant, during the ‘84 Olympics, and thinking, “When you arrive, this house will be ready for you.” She remembers the spring days she spent watching Brian and Nick play catch on the lawn — a sure sign that summer was around the corner — and white Christmas nights when holiday lights illuminated the house like a snow globe. “Every season is beautiful,” she says. Hurricanes, Nor’easters and winter blizzards may come their way, but the Kings are in it for the long haul. “We’ve built our life here,” Joanne says, “I can’t imagine ever letting this go. It’s just wonderful.”

You can see more photos of the King's cottage and read about their style and inspiration on Apartment Therapy.

Photos and text by Jacqueline Marque.

Chris and Kristen's Dreamy Houseboat

It all started with a wildly imaginative dream, sketched on a cocktail napkin one summer night in 2011. Chris and Kristen wanted to design a boat to use as a creative outlet and a place for entertaining summer guests. Never mind the fact that neither had experience with boat building. The couple, artists and gallery owners who divide their time between Newport and New York, aren’t ones to shun a challenge, no matter how unachievable it may seem.

The ideal vessel they sketched during dinner overlooking Newport Harbor became a reality six months later. Kristen shrieked with excitement when she laid eyes on the 1969 houseboat on a freezing cold day in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Within a week they were making plans to transport her back to Newport, Rhode Island.

That March, the new boat owners took a road trip to Miami in search of inspiration for the renovations that lay ahead of them and to visit Kristen’s father, a master carpenter and builder. He offered much insight into how they could execute their designs. When they returned to Newport, fresh with ideas, Kristen recalls visiting the boat and thinking “What have I gotten myself into?”

The boat needed lots of work. She had rotten wood and leaky windows. She needed new plumbing, wiring, floors and walls. They found vendors at a Boston boat show to come check her out and give them estimates for repairs. “One quote for plumbing was six times what we paid for the boat — the amount we had set aside for total costs including renovations, mooring and insurance. When the vendor left the boat yard, I was standing in front of my boat in shock, with black leather boots and a fur coat, and an old salty sailor walked by and said ‘nice boat shoes.’ I had tears in my eyes and went home and called my dad.”

This is when the hard work began. Kristen’s father intended to come for two weeks and stayed for six. He knew exactly what needed to be done to bring Chris and Kristen’s vision to fruition. He took on the role of foreman and began directing them and their team of friends and family who came to help. The boat was gutted, the stringers inside the hull reinforced, the floors and walls rebuilt. The work went on well into the evening on many cold New England nights. Slowly, the interior began to look more like the inside of an apartment and less like “a wet cardboard box.” “My father is incredible,” says Kristen, “and without him there is no chance I would have had the guidance or knowledge to do half of what was done.”

They put the boat in the water just before Memorial Day in 2012, and christened her Belafonte. “It seemed like a good vessel name. I love Harry Belafonte and his music,” Kristen explains. “The Life Aquatic had a magical boat named Belafonte and it seemed to make sense; an ode to Wes Anderson and Bill Murray who were here filming Moonrise Kingdom, which Chris helped make some props for.” They still had work to do, but over time, they have put it all together, little by little; adding curtains, fabrics, sheets, pillows and cushions. This summer Chris and Kristen began renting Belafonte for overnight stays, dinner parties and spa days. When the boat isn’t rented, she is the ideal setting for Chris and Kristen to entertain their ever-present stream of summer guests.

Moored in the center of Newport Harbor, Belafonte is easily accessed by a water taxi that leaves from downtown Newport. The exterior is a classic navy blue and white. The deck rails are beautifully wrapped with rope. The interior is filled with light that bounces off a gleaming white ceiling and white beadboard walls. An emerald green sideboard adds a pop of color and doubles as a sink and storage for food and tableware. The bed, bordered by windows on three sides, is a perfect spot to relax and read a book or drift off into slumber.

The upper deck seats 12 for alfresco dining and has a blue and white canopy – a deconstructed spinnaker – that can be adjusted in countless ways to create shade as the sun shifts throughout the day. Seeing it billow in the wind evokes the feeling of a dreamy island getaway and adds a bohemian spirit to Belafonte’s mod design. Chris and Kristen say that everyone who steps aboard falls in love with Belafonte’s charm. They’re right; she’s got the stuff that dreams are made of.

You can see a full tour of Belafonte and read more about Chris and Kristen's inspiration for their renovation on Apartment Therapy.

Photos and text by Jacqueline Marque

Gail and Chil's "Dead Grandmother" Style

The first things you notice when you approach Gail Greenwood and Chil Mott’s home are delicate lace curtains hanging in black-trimmed windows and a skull affixed to the yellow clapboard beside the front door. This dichotomy sums up what you’ll find inside of their 1930’s cottage, half of which feels frozen in another time, while the other half tells the story of a rock ‘n’ rock life.

The couple met in the late 1980’s when Gail began playing bass with Chil’s punk rock band, The Boneyards. The two bonded over music, a shared love of history, and joy rides that lead to adventures exploring abandoned buildings. “I love stories about houses that were just left as they were — with the table still set and everything — the family up and moved, or, sadly, the elderly died or were put away. There are so many abandoned houses that I am dying to break into,” Gail explains.

Chil’s reverence for the past dates back to his childhood, when he would accompany his mother, a second-generation genealogist and family historian, to cemeteries. He would shine a light on gravestones as she searched for clues to the past. “Don’t be afraid of ghosts,” she used to say, “Just ask them a lot of questions.”

Together the couple has developed a style they like to call “dead grandmother.” The first floor of their home echoes the feeling Gail previously described — minus the dust and cobwebs — of walking into a home untouched by time. The house manages to look a bit like a movie set while still feeling comfortable and inviting.

The kitchen is the most striking example of a time warp. Vintage hand-painted wallpaper with a repeating pattern including a fruit motif is the perfect complement to the house's original cabinets, now painted a bright cherry red and stocked with Fire-King and LuRay tableware. Sparkling white 1940’s appliances look right at home beside a mid-century red and white dinette set.

The bathroom — tiled by Chil in black and white with Vermeer’s "Allegory of Painting" as inspiration — displays old apothecary bottles, vintage glass jars and a working vintage red hairdryer.

The guest room was inspired by the Nature Lab at Gail’s alma mater RISD, and intentionally has a little bit of a creepy Bates Motel vibe. The red walls feature botanical paintings and drawings from long gone relatives — Chil's grandmother, Gail’s great-uncle — and antique taxidermy Gail acquired for use as study models when she taught drawing at Mass Art. The room holds some of Chil’s most precious family heirlooms: a glass-front bookcase filled with antique genealogy and history books inherited from his mother, and the rocking chair his great-great grandfather was sitting in when he died.

The frozen-in-time feeling of the home ends on the second floor. Once an unfinished attic inhabited by pigeons, the large open space filled with custom built-ins made by Chil is now the office of Greenwood Associates, the illustration and graphic design company started by Gail’s father Robert in 1954. Gail and Chil inherited the business from Robert and Gail’s late sister Betsy. Although the business has a long history, the office and art studio is filled with things that distinctly mark the space with signs of modern life — computers, magazines, lighting equipment, props for music videos.

A large collection of electric basses and guitars that line the walls tell the story of a life filled with music: the Rickenbacker and Thunderbird Gail played when she was on the road with Belly, L7 and Bif Naked, a black and white Hamer that used to belong to Rhode Island rock legend Carlotta Christy, and the ones they now play with their current band Benny Sizzler. The instruments are also reminders of the old Boneyards days when they first met and traveled with their bandmates Sluggo and Gene in a red and white van, playing shows with the Goo Goo Dolls, Social Distortion and the Circle Jerks. “To this day I have never laughed — nor cried — as hard as when we were all in that van, the "Pack of Luckys."  The funniest people I have ever met,” Gail remembers fondly.

Their band no longer takes them far from home, but their life is still filled with music and laughter. The couple is currently planning a new Benny Sizzler video, complete with costumes and props they make themselves, featuring their charming and incredibly well-trained dogs Maurice Cheeks and Bear.

You can see Gail and Chil's full house tour and read more about their style and inspiration on Apartment Therapy.

Photos and text by Jacqueline Marque

Chris and Kristen's Artists' Retreat

Kristen Coates loves to have a home full of guests. She and partner Chris Wyllie, both artists who divide their time between New York and Rhode Island, had entertaining in mind when they moved into their spacious third-floor apartment in the heart of Newport above their gallery Egg + Dart. They imagined their home as an artists’ retreat for themselves and their friends, some of whom show work in their Manhattan art gallery Coates Wyllie.

The airy, light-filled space is the perfect place for an artist to unwind. A ten-foot square window that overlooks Bellevue Avenue is the first thing you notice as you enter the drawing room. There is art — big and small, in books and on ledges — nearly everywhere you turn. The high ceilings and ample wall space keep the apartment from feeling cluttered and make it possible to display large artwork, including several of Chris’ figurative and narrative subjects painted on vintage doors. Kristen, best known for her creative fashion collections and full-sized teepees, adds warmth to the space with simple designs like a bundle of sticks with brightly painted edges and a hand-dyed tablecloth draped over the dining room table, a Coates family heirloom.

The couple has a laissez-faire attitude when it comes to hosting. They enjoy putting out a beautiful spread of food and wine and insist that friends come and go at will, help themselves to anything in the fridge and, most importantly, relax and feel at home. “It’s like summer camp, but better, because there are no rules,” says Wyllie.

In order to have room for more visitors, they recently took over a second floor apartment in their building. They also own a renovated houseboat they use as a creative outlet and a place for entertaining. “Newport is a special place and our home is very open and comfortable,” explains Coates. “Friends come for a day or two and end up staying a week or longer once here. We have the gallery and the garden and the boat in addition to the apartment itself, and inspiration springs from all places.”

And it’s hard to not feel inspired by Chris and Kristen themselves; the perfectly suited pair has mastered the art of living well. To the benefit of those who surround them, they thrive on sharing the wealth.

You can see a full tour of Chris & Kristen's apartment on Apartment Therapy.

Photos and text by Jacqueline Marque.

Alix and Nick's Cheerful Dream Home

For Alix and Nick, moving into their home in the quaint seaside village of Jamestown four years ago was a “dream come true.” Nick had admired the Edwardian house ever since he was a young boy, when his family spent summers in the picturesque island community. Every time he passed this classic New England cedar-shingled cottage, located on the main road into town, he would think, “Man, I would love to have a house like that someday.”

Coming from a house in Newport with a tiny yard and not even enough room for a high chair in the kitchen — they used a stand-up backpack on the floor — this family of four appreciates having room to stretch out, with a house situated on just under an acre. Two third-floor guest bedrooms, added when they turned the attic into living space, even make it possible for both of their mothers to visit at the same time. Spacious rooms give them enough wall space to display their vast collection of art, almost all of which was created by family and friends. Nick's father John and brother Christopher are both well-respected artists, Alix's brother-in-law Robert Rust is also an artist, and they are close friends with extraordinarily talented artists like Sue McNally and Luke Randall.

Although Alix, a professional intuitive and blogger, and Nick, a third-generation stone carver, calligrapher, and designer, love the architecture and history of old homes, they are “not afraid to mix it up.” Bright colors like Paradise Peach and Citrus Blast, modern artwork, Turkish rugs, and a contemporary kitchen with high-gloss red and turquoise cabinets mix effortlessly with antiques and Edwardian woodwork. A Madonna and child mosaic is displayed near a Buddha figurine, and an elaborate grandfather clock, a precious Flood family heirloom, shares space with pink dining room chairs upholstered with zebra fabric. The juxtapositions are unexpected and fun. “I love seeing antiques in modern spaces and contemporary furnishings in older spaces,” Alix explains. Designed without the limitations of rules or expectations, the Bensons’ home is a pure reflection of their joie-de-vivre.

“With Nick always loving this house, it made the whole process of moving here rather magical,” Alix explains. “We have always loved old shingle-style houses and dreamed of living near the water. With this house, we were able to achieve both dreams. Nick says Jamestown is ‘Shangri-Freakin’-La.’ It is!”

You can see more photos of Nick and Alix's colorful home on Apartment Therapy.

Photos and text by Jacqueline Marque.

Monica and Austin's Charming Bungalow

It all started with a ship captain in the 1920’s. He translated his passion for the seafaring life into a nautical-inspired Arts and Crafts home. Wood planks from the deck of his boat became flooring, a porthole became a window, and ceramic tiles, souvenirs from his many ports of call, became embellishment for a stone fireplace.

Each successive owner has added his own touch of handicraft and clever design. A cabinet-maker and sailor maximized space with built-ins, and in a nod to Craftsman-style architecture and life below deck, added transom windows to allow light to pour into the living room from above. In the 1970‘s, a greenhouse adjoining the original home was converted into a front entry and corridor, linking to a new wing consisting of three bedrooms and what is now an office. The last owner, a home builder, infused the property with an Asian vibe with the addition of open decking and a privacy wall of bamboo, cautiously contained within a 6-ft.-deep layer of poured cement.

What started as a simple home and greenhouse nearly a century ago has bloomed into an expansive ranch-style bungalow rooted in a legacy of craftsmanship. Current owners Monica, founder of The Revelation Project, and Austin, a web marketer and digital strategist for a large financial company and founder of blocs.tv, built a creatively designed reading nook they call the “treehouse” for the kids. The space, converted from attic storage and brightly lit by a skylight, is accessed only by a wooden ladder that is stored horizontally on the wall in the hallway below it.

Monica and Austin were charmed by the home’s simplicity, attention to detail, and layout, which creates a natural separation between private and public spaces. The house feels bright, open and airy; standing in one place, it is possible to see into multiple rooms at the same time. Despite this, there are numerous cozy spots with comfortable seating just begging for someone curl up and be lulled into a cat nap by the warmth of the sun. The original artwork, family photographs, cheerful fabrics, and bright colors that fill each room add an authenticity befitting of this gem of a home. If the ship captain could see what has become of his creation, he would be proud.

You can see the full house tour and read more about Monica and Austin's unique home on Apartment Therapy.

Photos and text by Jacqueline Marque

Daniela and Damon's History-Filled Home

While a young Czech girl spent her summers at a family cottage built by her great-grandfather in the country outside of Prague, playing hide and seek with her great-grand mum and eating cherries right off the tree, halfway around the globe a young Florida boy, immersed in the world of NASA, was developing a lifelong love of space travel. Three decades later, Daniela and Damon’s disparate pasts come together in a home filled with collections of sentimental objects that keep their individual histories very much a part of their everyday lives.

An extensive collection of Czech art and meaningful objects from Daniela’s past keep her connected to her family and transport her back to precious moments from her childhood. The original lock and key set from her beloved family cottage hangs amongst a grouping of metal items carefully displayed on the wall below their staircase. Her grandmother’s bundt pans decorate the kitchen walls. “Looking at the bundt pans that my grandma used,” she says, “brings back that smell of fresh-baked bundt cake and my grandfather’s aftershave; such distinct smells just flood in.”

Drawings of astronauts and rockets, autographed by the likes of Buzz Aldrin and John Glenn, and an entire wall display of photos and images related to space tell of Damon’s connection to NASA. Following in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, grandfather, and step-father, who have all worked on space-related projects, Damon spent two years working at the Kennedy Space Center’s Astronaut Hall of Fame, where he was able to meet many of the astronauts he grew up admiring.

Today Daniela, a sailing event coordinator at a yacht club, and Damon, a sailmaker, are creating a new history of their own in the City-by-the-Sea. Unique nautical touches – curtains made by Damon with sailcloth and a powder room they wallpapered together in nautical charts and outfitted with a porthole mirror – speak of the their shared industry and love of the ocean. Their joint love of antiques and salvaged materials, coupled with impressive DIY skills, makes for a home filled with one-of-a-kind pieces. The talented duo have either built, refinished, or repurposed much of their furniture. Their dining room table top is an old barn door, painted and distressed by Daniela and resting on legs and a frame built by Damon. Oak planks, left behind by a previous owner, are now radiator covers, a wine rack and bookshelves. An antique post office sorting unit is now shoe storage in their mud room.

Although their home is filled with numerous collections, everything seems to have a place. Daniela’s milk glass collection is housed in a china cabinet they lovingly transformed from a Pepto-Bismol pink to a soft yellow and lined with blue toile. A built-in wall unit in the living room, custom-made by Damon, holds books, photographs, small artworks and ceramic statues made by a friend of Daniela’s grandfather.

Now Daniela and Damon have created a new world of their own, imbued with the spirit of their ancestors, to raise their daughter Sidonie. An oil painting Daniela always cherished, gifted to her and her new daughter by her grandfather when Sidonie was born, ensures that the past will live on into the future. Daniela’s deceased grandmother, painted in a striking pin-up style in the 1940‘s, stares out from a canvas on the Burton living room wall. “In all the photographs we took when I was younger at my grandparents’ house, that painting was always in the background. It’s wonderful that it is now in the background of our family photographs.”

You can see more of Damon and Daniela's home and read about their style and inspiration on Apartment Therapy.

Photos and text by Jacqueline Marque

James and Mark's Haute Flea Market Style

When James and Mark first laid eyes on their third floor apartment, they saw past the hideous wall mural in the stairwell, dingy cabinets and linoleum in the kitchen, holes in the walls, and ratty stained carpeting. The dumpy place that scared every other potential renter away filled them with a sense of excitement and possibility. Inspired by the apartment's hip South Broadway neighborhood, which reminded them of the old East Village of their 1960's youth, the duo set out to transform the place into a home. With a lot of imagination and hard work, they've created a unique space filled with humor, color, and kitsch.

After each living alone for many years, these two best friends -- who both have backgrounds in art and retail merchandizing and share the same passion for flea markets, religious iconography, Andy Warhol, vintage portraits and 60's nostalgia -- knew that combining their individual collections under one roof would create a pad that is totally over-the-top. Their beloved objects are assembled in what feels like theme rooms. The dramatic candlelit "Hall of Devotion," which includes an authentic Catholic sick room last rites box, and the 1950's one-armed mannequin in The Warhol Room, adorned with the artist's famous coif and a pair of roller skates, are a testament to their love of excess.

James and Mark’s vibrant home feels like an artistic bazaar, two collectors’ ode to their undying love of the hunt. Despite the outrageousness, their fondness for vintage objects comes from a sentimental place. With a hint of wistfulness, James puts it like this: “It’s the memory of my childhood. It’s the feeling of searching in someone’s attic and finding all of these treasures.”

You can check out Mark and Jimi’s full apartment tour and read more about their style on Apartment Therapy.

Photos and text by Jacqueline Marque