Founder George Wein returned the landmark event to its original format last year in celebration of its 50th anniversary. The experiment was a critical and commercial success.

"The 2005 festival will be a continuation of last year's 50th Anniversary celebration of the glory that the Newport Jazz Festival has brought to jazz, a verification of the fact that jazz is alive and healthy, and that jazz continues to be an important force in American music," Wein said. "Last year's festival, the 50th Anniversary of the Newport Jazz Festival, was truly a landmark festival with more than 120 artists and press coverage from around the globe."

Highlights include a a celebration of drummer Roy Haynes' 80th birthday and a screening of Miles Electric: A Different Kind of Blue, a concert film shot at the 1970 Isle of Wight festival and featuring Davis's fusion band.