Bernard Purdie, Nate Smith & Tia Fuller Join Vulfpeck At Newport Jazz Festival

Just a week after performing at the Newport Folk Festival, Vulfpeck returned to Fort Adams State Park in Rhode Island to deliver a Newport Jazz Festival set. The guest-filled affair saw the funk collective welcoming Bernard Purdie, Nate Smith and Tia Fuller.

Vulf kicked off their Newport Jazz Fest set with a rowdy “3 On E,” led by vocalist Antwaun Stanley. The band also delivered additional popular tunes such as “1612,” “Animal Spirits,” “Back Pocket,” “Wait for the Moment” and “Dean Town.”

Drummer Nate Smith counted as the first guest for the set, joining his Fearless Flyers bandmates guitarist Cory Wong and bassist Joe Dart for a take on the Vulf cut “Cory Wong.” Smith took over for Louis Cato on drums, who came out from behind the kit to play guitar. Saxophonist Tia Fuller then came aboard for “Outro,” where she traded lines with Vulf sax player Joey Dosik

Drum legend Bernard Purdie — who joined Vulfpeck at their most recent MSG show — came on board later in the set for a pair of songs, beginning with the Vulf favorite “It Gets Funkier.” Purdie also stuck around for a take on a tune from the Vulfmon catalog — project of Vulfpeck bandleader Jack Stratton — “How Much Do You Love Me?”

Watch Vulfpeck’s full Newport Jazz Festival set below: