Sound Changes for Newport Fest

Things will be different at this year’s Glen Ellen Newport Beach Jazz Festival, but only slightly. Along with the new corporate sponsorship, the third annual outdoor jazz fest promoted by Ritz Entertainment of Laguna Beach will kick off Saturday at a slightly different location. And there’s a slight change in musical direction as well.

It’s still being held at the Hyatt Newporter Resort, but because of scattered vegetation around last year’s main stage, sight lines were less than perfect. So this year the stage is being moved to a more suitable natural amphitheater on the resort grounds, says Ritz president Eric Jensen, who promises clear views of the stage--and of Newport Bay beyond.

And in contrast with last year’s event, which featured a mix of contemporary and mainstream acts, this year’s list of performers, with the exception of Poncho Sanchez’s Latin jazz band, tilts heavily to fusion and contemporary artists.

Still, at least two of the performers--pianist Joe Sample and guitarist Earl Klugh--attract contemporary and mainstream fans alike. Each plays the kind of rhythmically accessible yet musically ambitious material that shouldn’t alienate fans of either jazz camp.

“Even though my music is somewhat contemporary, my background is really in improvisation,” Klugh said in a phone interview from his home in West Bloomfield, Mich. “It’s the way I grew up. I played in a lot of different contexts over the years and with a lot of different people. I need to reflect all that in my music.”

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Indeed, the 41-year-old native of Detroit performed early on with the likes of then mainstream guitarist George Benson and freethinking saxophonist Yusef Lateef. He toured briefly with pianist Chick Corea’s Return to Forever band and has collaborated frequently on projects with keyboard player Bob James.

Klugh is known for his laid-back, ballad style and says his new Warner Bros. release, “Sudden Burst of Energy,” is a bit more aggressive than his previous efforts. “I wanted to do something a little more energetic,” he explained, “something done in the studio but [with] more of that live attitude. People were always asking me why I didn’t play with more energy on the albums, like I do live. So this album has more of that live feel.”

Although Klugh and Sample are this year’s big draws, the Sanchez band, saxophonist Gerald Albright, singer Shelby Flint and pianist Alex Bugnon also have broad appeal.

* The Glen Ellen Newport Beach Jazz Festival takes place Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Newporter, 1107 Jamboree Road, Newport Beach. Single-day admission: $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Two-day pass: $35. (714) 650-5483.

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JAZZ FESTIVAL

Saturday:

* Noon: Dean James, sax.

* 2 p.m.: Alex Bugnon, piano.

* 4 p.m.: Peter White, guitar.

* 6 p.m.: Gerald Albright, sax.

* 8 p.m.: Poncho Sanchez, Latin jazz.

Sunday:

* 11 a.m.: Joe Vincelli, sax.

* 1 p.m.: Greg Karukas, keyboards, and Shelby Flint, vocals.

* 3 p.m.: Boney James, sax.

* 5 p.m.: Joe Sample, keyboards.

* 7 p.m.: Earl Klugh, guitar.

--B.K.