George Wein’s CareFusion Jazz Festival 55 in Newport - you know it as the Newport Jazz Festival - opens tonight with Chaka Khan headlining a show at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Tomorrow and Sunday bring a slew of artists to Fort Adams State Park. Some highlights:
SATURDAY
Branford Marsalis Quartet: The saxophonist and his sidemen - pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis, and drummer Jeff “Tain’’ Watts - make the most intense jazz of their day. A typical set runs through several tunes with no breaks, one song rolling into the next.
Joshua Redman Double Trio: The Harvard-educated saxman is getting better with age, and he’s stepping outside jazz tradition with a five-man group that includes two bassists and two drummers.
The Vandermark 5: Chicago-based multi-reedist Ken Vandermark is one of the leaders of free improv, and he belongs to us - he grew up in Natick. His quintet is one of the most explosive you’ll see.
SUNDAY
Dave Brubeck Quartet: The master pianist has become a mainstay of the Newport festival, and he always puts on a show that belies his age (88). You know he’ll play “Take Five,’’ one of jazz’s most recognizable songs.
Roy Haynes Fountain of Youth Band: The 84-year-old drummer from Boston, who has performed with some of jazz’s biggest legends, still plays with the verve of an 18-year-old. As the name implies, he’s playing with a group of musicians who are substantially younger than he.
The Bad Plus: The piano-trio pranksters are back, this time with alt-rock vocalist Wendy Lewis. The band is doing mostly covers these days, and their arrangements of tunes like Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb,’’ Wilco’s “Radio Cure,’’ and the Bee Gees’ “How Deep Is Your Love?’’ are perfectly suited to Lewis’s strong, lovely voice.
