Montreux Jazz Festival
Location(s)	Montreux, Switzerland
Years active	1967 - present
Founded by
Date(s)	First fortnight of July
Genre(s)	Jazz, Rock, Pop
Website

The Montreux Jazz Festival is the best-known music festival in Switzerland. It is held annually in early July in Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Montreux is a resort town in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland, on Lake Geneva with a population of 22,897. ... Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States around the start of the 20th century. ... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... For popular forms of music in general, see Popular music. ... A festival is an event, usually staged by a local community, which centers on some unique aspect of that community. ... Montreux is a resort town in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland, on Lake Geneva with a population of 22,897. ... Lake Geneva or Lake Léman (French Lac Léman, le Léman, or Lac de Genève) is the second largest freshwater lake in Central Europe (after Lake Balaton). ...

History

In 1967, the first Montreux Jazz Festival opened its doors. The festival lasted for three days and featured almost exclusively jazz artists. The highlights of this era were Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette, Bill Evans, Nina Simone, Jan Garbarek, and Ella Fitzgerald. Keith Jarrett (born May 8, 1945 in Allentown, Pennsylvania) is an American pianist and composer. ... Jack DeJohnette (b. ... William John Evans, (better known as Bill Evans) (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was one of the most famous jazz pianists of the 20th century; he remains one of the major influences on post-1950s jazz piano. ... Eunice Kathleen Waymon, better known as Nina Simone (February 21, 1933–April 21, 2003), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. ... Jan Garbarek (born March 4, 1947 in Mysen, Norway) is a Norwegian tenor and soprano saxophonist, active in the jazz, classical, and world music genres. ... Ella Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 – June 15, 1996), also known as Lady Ella and the First Lady of Song, is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th Century. ...

Originally a pure jazz festival, it opened up in the 1970s and today presents artists of nearly every imaginable music style. Jazz remains an important part of the festival. Today's festival lasts about two weeks and attracts an audience of more than 200,000 people. Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States around the start of the 20th century. ...

In the 1970s, the festival began broadening its scope, including blues, soul, and rock artists. In December 1971, the Casino burned down, and the festival was forced to move until the new Casino was ready in 1975. Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of music based on the use of the blue notes and a repetitive pattern that most often follows a twelve-bar structure. ... The soul, according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is the self-aware essence unique to a particular living being. ... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ...

Towards the end of the decade, the festival expanded even more, including music from all continents (with an emphasis on Brazilian music) and lasting a full three weeks. Santana came to Montreux for the first time in 1970; Van Morrison played in 1974. Other artists included Weather Report, Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, Bo Diddley, Stan Getz, Airto Moreira, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Charles Mingus, Etta James, Sonny Rollins, Count Basie, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, B.B. King, Gilberto Gil, Ray Charles, James Booker, Hermeto Pascoal, Stevie Ray Vaughan and many more. Strong influences on the music of Brazil come from Africa, India, Portugal and the natives of the Amazon rainforest and of other parts of the country. ... Carlos Augusto Alves Santana (born July 20, 1947), known simply as Carlos Santana or Santana, is a Grammy Award-winning Mexican-born American Latin rock musician and guitarist. ... George Ivan Morrison OBE (generally known as Van Morrison) (born August 31, 1945) is a singer-songwriter from Belfast, Northern Ireland. ... Weather Report was a influential jazz fusion band of the 1970s and 1980s, pitting jazz with R&B, funk, and rock elements while still retaining an extremely high level of compositional and improvisational skills. ... Charles Edward Anderson Chuck Berry (born October 18, 1926 in St. ... Eric Patrick Clapton CBE (born 30 March 1945), nicknamed Slowhand, is a Grammy Award winning English guitarist, singer and composer, who is one of the most successful musicians of the 20th century,[1] garnering an unprecedented three inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ... Bo Diddleys emphasis on rhythm largely influenced popular music, especially that of rock and roll in the 1960s. ... Stanley Gayetsky (February 2, 1927 in Philadelphia – June 6, 1991 in Malibu, California), usually known by his stage name Stan Getz, was an American jazz musician. ... Airto Moreira (born August 5, 1941) is a Brazilian Jazz percussionist and musician. ... John Birks Dizzy Gillespie (October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was born in Cheraw, South Carolina. ... Oscar Emmanuel Peterson, CC, CQ, O.Ont. ... Charles Mingus (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979), also known as Charlie Mingus, was an American jazz bassist, composer, bandleader, and occasional pianist. ... Etta James (born Jamesetta Hawkins January 25, 1938 in Los Angeles, California) is an American Blues, R&B and Gospel singer. ... Theodore Walter Sonny Rollins (born September 7, 1930 in New York City) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist. ... William Count Basie (August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. ... Armando Anthony Chick Corea (born June 12, 1941) is a multiple Grammy Award winning American jazz pianist/keyboardist and composer. ... Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an Academy Award and multiple Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist and composer from Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Hancock is one of jazz musics most important and influential pianists and composers. ... Riley B. King aka B. B. King (b. ... The minister sets the rhythm for Brazils culture policy Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (born June 26, 1942) is a Brazilian singer, guitarist and songwriter, and the countrys current Minister of Culture. ... Ray Charles was the stage name of Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004), a pioneering American pianist and soul musician who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues. ... James Booker James Carroll Booker III (December 17, 1939 – November 8, 1983) was an eccentric and flamboyant pianist and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana. ... Hermeto Pascoal (b. ... Stephen Stevie Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990), born in Dallas, Texas, was an American blues guitarist. ...

Initiator

The initiator and—as of 2006—still the head organizer, Claude Nobs, has managed to bring an amazing array of artists to Montreux, both established ones and newcomers. The roster of artists who have played at Montreux reads like a "Who's who" of the music scene (see, for example, [1]). Claude Nobs was born on 8 February 1936 in Montreux Switzerland. ...

Venue

The festival was originally held at the old Montreux Casino, which burned down in December 1971 during Frank Zappa's performance. ("Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple tells that story.) The festival was held then in other auditoriums in Montreux, until it could return to the rebuilt new Casino in 1975. The festival continued to grow, and in 1993, it moved to the larger Convention Centre. Since 1995, it has occupied both the Convention Centre and the Casino. Frank Vincent Zappa[1] (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American composer, musician, and film director. ... Smoke on the Water is a famous and influential rock song by British rock band Deep Purple. ... This article is about the rock band. ...

Extreme expansion

The festival changed in the 1980s: It started growing dramatically and included an even wider variety of music styles. Jazz remained important, but more and more rock and pop artists were also invited, and Brazilian music remained important.

20^th anniversary poster (1986) designed by Andy Warhol and Keith Haring

Miles Davis came to Montreux several times, Santana returned in 1980. Other notable artists at Montreux were Max Roach, James Brown, Wynton Marsalis, Art Blakey, John McLaughlin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Wayne Shorter, and Al Di Meola but also Elvis Costello, Jimmy Cliff, Mike Oldfield, Brian May, Marvin Gaye, Leonard Cohen, Nina Hagen, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Joe Cocker, Los Lobos, The Manhattan Transfer, Tracy Chapman, and Van Morrison again. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Andy Warhol was a amazing artist (August 6, 1928 — February 22, 1987) was an American artist who became a central figure in the movement known as pop art. ... Harings Radiant Baby Keith Haring (May 4, 1958 - February 16, 1990) was a pre-eminent artist and social activist whose work responded to the New York street culture of the 1980s. ... Miles Dewey Davis III (26 May 1926 – 28 September 1991) was one of the most influential musicians of the latter half of the 20th century. ... Carlos Augusto Alves Santana (born July 20, 1947), known simply as Carlos Santana or Santana, is a Grammy Award-winning Mexican-born American Latin rock musician and guitarist. ... Jazz in 3/4 time cover released in 1957 on EmArcy Maxwell Lemuel Roach (born January 10, 1924) is a percussionist, drummer, and jazz composer. ... James Brown, known variously as: Soul Brother Number One, the Godfather of Soul, Mr. ... Wynton Learson Marsalis (b. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... John McLaughlin John McLaughlin (aka pinyon)(born January 4, 1942), also Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is a jazz fusion guitar player from Doncaster, Yorkshire in England. ... Stephen Stevie Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990), born in Dallas, Texas, was an American blues guitarist. ... Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz composer and saxophonist. ... Al Di Meola (born Al Laurence Dimeola July 22, 1954 in Jersey City, New Jersey) is an American jazz fusion and Latin jazz guitarist. ... Declan Patrick MacManus (born August 25, 1954, in London), better known by his stage name, Elvis Costello, is an English musician, singer, and songwriter of Irish ancestry. ... Jimmy Cliff, real name James Chambers OM (Jamaica) (born April 1, 1948, in St Catherine, Jamaica) is a Jamaican reggae musician, best known among mainstream audiences for songs like Sittin in Limbo, You Can Get It If You Really Want and Many Rivers to Cross from The Harder They Come... Michael Gordon Oldfield (born May 15, 1953 in Reading, England) is a multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music and more recently dance. ... Brian Harold May, CBE, BSc, DSc, ARCS, FRAS, (born July 19, 1947) is a virtuoso[1][2][3][4] guitarist best known as the lead guitarist and backing, sometimes lead, vocalist for the English rock band Queen. ... Marvin Gaye (born Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. ... Leonard Norman Cohen, CC (born September 21, 1934 in Westmount, Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. ... Nina Hagen (born Catharina Hagen on March 11, 1955) is a singer from Berlin, Germany. ... Eric Patrick Clapton CBE (born 30 March 1945), nicknamed Slowhand, is a Grammy Award winning English guitarist, singer and composer, who is one of the most successful musicians of the 20th century,[1] garnering an unprecedented three inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ... Philip David Charles Collins (born January 30, 1951 in Chiswick, London) is an English singer, songwriter, drummer and actor. ... Joe Cocker (born John Robert Cocker, 20 May 1944, Sheffield) is an English rock/blues singer who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, and his cover versions of popular songs. ... Los Lobos is an American rock band, heavily influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country music, folk, R&B, blues, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music such as boleros and norteños. ... The Manhattan Transfer is an American vocal group that was established in New York City in 1972. ... Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her singles, Fast Car, Talkin Bout a Revolution, Baby Can I Hold You, and Give Me One Reason. ... George Ivan Morrison OBE (generally known as Van Morrison) (born August 31, 1945) is a singer-songwriter from Belfast, Northern Ireland. ...

The expansion that began in the 1980s continued in the 1990s and the 2000s — Montreux definitely transformed from a jazz festival into a world music festival. Quincy Jones coproduced the festival from 1991 to 1993. By 1993, the festival had outgrown the Casino and moved to the larger Convention Centre. The number of visitors rose from 75,000 in 1980 to 120,000 in 1994, and an "Off-festival" developed on the lakeshore promenades and in the cafés of Montreux. Quincy Delight Jones Jr. ...

Many "regulars" returned, but many new artists also appeared on stage: Sting, Bob Dylan, Fats Domino, Deep Purple, Al Jarreau, Chaka Khan, Johnny Cash, Cheb Mami, Youssou N'Dour, Marianne Faithfull, Ice T, Jazzmatazz, ZZ Top, Simply Red, Eric Clapton, Marisa Monte, George Benson, Jazzkantine, Alanis Morissette, David Bowie, Paul Simon... In 1999, the festival saw more than 220,000 visitors. Sting in Budapest, 2000 Gordon Matthew Sumner, CBE (born October 2, 1951), usually known by his stage name Sting, is an English musician from Newcastle upon Tyne. ... Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, author, musician, and poet who has been a major figure in popular music for five decades. ... Antoine Dominique Fats Domino (born February 26, 1928) is a classic R&B and rock and roll singer, songwriter and pianist. ... This article is about the rock band. ... Alwyn Lopez Al Jarreau (born April 12, 1940) is an American singer. ... Chaka Khan (born Yvette Marie Stevens on March 23, 1953 in Great Lakes, Illinois) is an American singer best known for her 1984 cover of Princes I Feel For You, for her smash hit Im Every Woman and as a member of the funk band Rufus, with whom... It has been suggested that Johnny Cash family be merged into this article or section. ... Cheb Mami, real name Mohamed Kélifati (born July 11, 1966, Saïda, Algeria) is an Algerian-born raï singer. ... Youssou NDour Youssou NDour (born October 1, 1959 in Dakar) is a Senegalese singer. ... Marianne Faithfull (born 29 December 1946) is an English singer and actress whose career spans over four decades. ... Tracy Marrow (born February 16, 1958), better known as Ice T or Ice-T, is an American rapper, singer and actor. ... Name of jazz web site that lists upcoming jazz releases, as well as running capsule reviews of jazz CDs. ... ZZ Top is an American blues rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. ... Simply Red are an English pop band. ... Eric Patrick Clapton CBE (born 30 March 1945), nicknamed Slowhand, is a Grammy Award winning English guitarist, singer and composer, who is one of the most successful musicians of the 20th century,[1] garnering an unprecedented three inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ... Marisa Monte is a Brazilian popular singer, and one the biggest stars of contemporary MPB. She was born on July 1, 1967 in Rio de Janeiro. ... George Benson (b. ... Inspired by Gurus Jazzmatazz project, the German formation Jazzkantine was founded in 1993 in Braunschweig. ... Alanis Nadine Morissette (born in Ottawa, 1 June 1974) is a Canadian and naturalized[1] American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. ... David Bowie (IPA: []) (born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger and audio engineer. ... Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, half of the folk-singing duo Simon and Garfunkel who continues a successful solo career. ...

The festival has also played host to some of the most well-known and talented student groups, including big bands and vocal ensembles.

The expansion has also prompted a DVD series to be released showing the sets of a number of great artists from a range of genres playing at the festival. The series, entitled 'Live At Montreux' includes performances from artists such as:

• Gary Moore
• Ray Charles
• Stevie Ray Vaughan
• Eric Clapton
• Otis Rush
• 'Legends'
• Rory Gallagher
• Suzanne Vega
• Dr John
• The Moody Blues
• Emerson, Lake and Palmer
• Deep Purple
• The Jeff Healey Band
• Canned Heat
• Steve Earle
• Mike Oldfield
• Alice Cooper
• Lou Reed
• Carlos Santana presents Buddy Guy, Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown and Bobby Parker
• Johnny Cash
• Bonnie Raitt
• Marvin Gaye
• Marcus Miller

Australian Youth All Star Big Band performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2004.

For the former TV host, see Garry Moore. ... Ray Charles was the stage name of Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004), a pioneering American pianist and soul musician who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues. ... Stephen Stevie Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990), born in Dallas, Texas, was an American blues guitarist. ... Eric Patrick Clapton CBE (born 30 March 1945), nicknamed Slowhand, is a Grammy Award winning English guitarist, singer and composer, who is one of the most successful musicians of the 20th century,[1] garnering an unprecedented three inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ... Otis Rush (born April 29, 1934 in Philadelphia, Mississippi) is a blues musician and guitarist. ... Rory Gallagher (2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995) was an Irish blues/rock guitarist, born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, grew up in Cork City in the south of Ireland. ... Suzanne Vega in 2006 Suzanne Nadine Vega (born July 11, 1959) is an American songwriter and singer known for her highly literate lyrics and eclectic folk-inspired music. ... Dr. John, born Malcolm Rebennack (born November 21, 1940 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a colorful pianist, singer, and songwriter, whose music spans, and often combines, blues, boogie woogie, and rock and roll. ... The Moody Blues are a British rock band originally from Birmingham, England. ... ELP can also stand for Extra Long Play, a format for the VCR tape. ... This article is about the rock band. ... Jeff Healey (born March 25, 1966) is a Canadian blues-rock guitarist. ... Canned Heat album cover Canned Heat is a blues-rock/boogie band that formed in Los Angeles in 1965. ... Steve Earle (born Stephen Fain Earle January 17, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, well known for his rock and country music, as well as for his political views. ... Michael Gordon Oldfield (born May 15, 1953 in Reading, England) is a multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music and more recently dance. ... Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948), is a rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans four decades. ... Lewis Allan Lou Reed[1] (born March 2, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. ... Carlos Augusto Alves Santana (born July 20, 1947), known simply as Carlos Santana or Santana, is a Grammy Award-winning Mexican-born American Latin rock musician and guitarist. ... George Buddy Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues and rock guitarist and singer. ... Bobby Parker (b. ... It has been suggested that Johnny Cash family be merged into this article or section. ... Bonnie Raitt, (born November 8, 1949) is an American Blues-R&B singer, songwriter, and guitarist who was born in Burbank, California, the daughter of Broadway musical star John Raitt. ... Marvin Gaye (born Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. ... Marcus Miller (born June 14, 1959 in New York) is a jazz musician, composer and producer, perhaps best known as a bass guitarist with Miles Davis, Luther Vandross and David Sanborn. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 1. ...

Awards

2004

• Trio Grande (Belgium) and Christoph Siegrist Quintet (Switzerland)
• Proyeccion Latina (Central African Republic}}) and Starch Addition (Switzerland)
• La Chango Family (Canada)

2005

• Lazuli (France)
• Ulrich Rasch Quartett and Brenda Broykin (Germany/USA)
• S'aight and vertigo connection (Czech Republic/Template:Slovakia)

Lazuli is a French progressive rock band consisting of 6 musicians. ...

2006

• Celyane (Switzerland)
• Nemo (UK)
• Saskia Laroo (Netherlands)

Nemo may refer to: Look up Nemo in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

External links

• Official website
• Concert database of the Montreux Jazz Festival
• / Kitchen Caravan episode featuring the Montreux Jazz Festival