music

Newport-New England. Now the Newport Jazz Festival used to be held at Newport. But three-four years ago, after George Wein started inporting people like Led Zeppelin to punch up the gate, they had a riot. Nice one, too. About 7,000 stone broke hippies came rolling off the hill overlooking the festival site and rolled clean through the one chain link fence separating themselves from wall to wall music. At which point they clashed with the paying customers and much mangling of flesh ensued. So now they hold the festival in places like the Sheep Meadow and Fenway Park. All that considered, this year's local festival shapes up well indeed. The key evening is Saturday, because Stevie Wonder and B.B. King more or less top a bill of giants: Mingus, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and his Quintet, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and the Vibration Society, and mellow man Donny Hathaway. The problem of course is Fenway Park, cozy for baseball, but cavernous for jazz. I saw McCarthy there in '68 and the sound was rotten. This is 1973 though, and when Led Zep can fill Kezar Stadium in San Francisco, while making sure the sound is adequate, well times done changed indeed.

Brian Auger has survived both Julie Driscoll, and numerous changes in what the English call rock and roll, and has surfaced, fronting an outfit called Brian Auger's Oblivion Express, at Paul's Mall, and will be there this week. You might also want to struggle out to Lenox and catch America at Tanglewood, seeing as how their Boston concert was cancelled. Judy Collins warbles (ouch) at Suffold Downs for the Sunset Series, Monday night, and the New York Dolls are booked into a place out in Revere. Where else. --F.V.B.

Newport-New England. Friday: War, Ray Charles, Herbie Mann, the Staple Singers, and Billy Paul. Saturday: Donny Hathaway, B.B. King, Freddie Hubbard, Charles Mingus, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and Stevie Wonder. At Fenway Park, July 27 and 28. Tickets are $5.50-$7.50.