Jim Newsom is a flutist, guitarist, vocalist and bandleader based in Norfolk, Virginia. He currently leads the Jim Newsom Quartet, one of the most popular jazz-inflected bands in southeastern Virginia. He and his band have one of the widest ranging repertoires of any musical ensemble, putting their unique stamp on rock, folk, jazz, pop and country offerings as well as a wide array of original material.
His last CD, Jazz on the James, is a sextet affair recorded in October, 2004, at the jazz festival of the same name in Richmond, Virginia, featuring Jim's late uncle, Tommy Newsom, of Tonight Show fame, on tenor saxophone.
Jim and his sidemen draw from a playlist that includes standards, originals, classic and contemporary jazz, as well as rock, folk, country and soul favorites. Versatile brassman Ron Hallman blends his trumpet, fluegelhorn and bass trumpet with Jim's multi-instrumental and vocal talents, producing a unique, exciting sound. Bassist Dave Hufstedler anchors the bottom end with his six-string bass, providing sympathetic accompaniment and fiery solos. Drummer Rick Jebavy, a retired member of US Navy bands and veteran of the jazz scene, provides the rhythmic propulsion and nuanced brush and stickwork that gives the group its unique, classy sound.
Jim and his bandmates are among the best known musicians in the area, electrifying audiences in clubs, art museums, outdoor festivals, receptions and concert venues. Their wide ranging repertoire and musical versatility has made them a mainstay of the region's outdoor festival circuit as regular performers at annual events like Norfolk's Harborfest celebration and Stockley Gardens Arts Festival, the Chesapeake Jubilee, the Boardwalk Art Show & Festival and the Neptune Festival in Virginia Beach, and the Seawall Festival in Portsmouth.
The Jim Newsom Quartet is the perfect band for any function. They are equally at home playing for a wedding reception or corporate banquet as they are headlining a concert or festival, or opening for national and international artists.
In addition to playing music, Jim Newsom writes about it. His articles appear regularly in VEER, a regional magazine of news, opinion, arts and culture, and TReehouse, the "magazine of possibilities." He has also written numerous album reviews and artist biographies for the All Music Guide and was a longtime contributor to PortFolio Weekly, a regional weekly that folded in 2009.
A 2003 article in the Daily Press called him "an important voice of support for creative music in Hampton Roads." He consistently places high in regional polls and has been listed among the "greatest jazz flutists" in the world.
Jim Newsom Quartet at the Stockley Gardens Arts Festival - May 16, 2010
BELOW: Performing "If I Could Write a Song," one of Jim's originals.
Additional audio and video files can be found on the MUSIC / VIDEO page.
Dave Hufstedler - Jim Newsom - Rick Jebavy - Ron Hallman
Jim and his bandmates are among the best known musicians in the area, electrifying audiences in clubs, art museums, outdoor festivals, receptions and concert venues. Their wide ranging repertoire and musical versatility has made them a mainstay of the region's outdoor festival circuit as regular performers at annual events like Norfolk's Harborfest celebration and Stockley Gardens Arts Festival, the Chesapeake Jubilee, the Boardwalk Art Show & Festival and the Neptune Festival in Virginia Beach, and the Seawall Festival in Portsmouth.
