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Montreux Jazz Festival

Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience

Bright sign for the Miles Davis Hall and Stravinsky Auditorium at the Montreux Jazz Festival.

The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held every year in early July in the beautiful town of Montreux by the shore of Lake Geneva. It is one of the biggest jazz festivals in the world, coming right after the famous Montreal International Jazz Festival in Canada.

The festival began thanks to the hard work of its founder, Claude Nobs, who invited many talented musicians to perform in Montreux. After Nobs passed away in 2013, another organizer named Mathieu Jaton took over and continues to make sure the festival stays wonderful and exciting for everyone who attends.

History

The Montreux Jazz Festival began in 1967, started by Claude Nobs, Géo Voumard, and René Langel, with help from Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun of Atlantic Records. It first took place at the Montreux Casino and lasted three days, featuring mostly jazz artists like Charles Lloyd, Miles Davis, and Ella Fitzgerald.

Over time, the festival grew to include many other music styles such as blues, soul, rock, hip-hop, and more. Artists like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Santana performed there. Today, the festival lasts about two weeks and welcomes over 200,000 people each year. Since 1967, a different artist designs the festival's poster annually, with famous creators like Keith Haring and Andy Warhol contributing in the 1980s.

Venue

The Montreux Jazz Festival started at the Montreux Casino, but that building burned down in 1971 during a concert. After that, the festival moved to different places in Montreux until the Casino was rebuilt in 1975. Later, in 1993, the festival moved to the larger Montreux Convention Centre. For many years, performances happened at both the Convention Centre and the Casino, but in 2007, most big concerts moved to the Montreux Musique & Convention Centre because it was easier for everyone involved.

As of 2023, the Convention Centre is closed for renovations and will reopen in 2025. While it’s being fixed up, big concerts will take place on a special stage set up right on the lake.

Venue history
DateVenue
16–18 June 1967Montreux Casino
12–16 June 1968
18–22 June 1969
17–21 June 1970
12–20 June 1971
16–29 June 1972Pavillon Montreux
29 June – 15 July 1973Montreux Convention Centre
28 June – 7 July 1974
3–20 July 1975Montreux Casino
25 June – 6 July 1976
1–24 July 1977
7–23 July 1978
6–22 July 1979
4–20 July 1980
3–20 July 1981
9–25 July 1982
8–24 July 1983
6–22 July 1984
5–20 July 1985
3–19 July 1986
3–17 July 1987
1–17 July 1988
7–22 July 1989
6–21 July 1990
9–29 July 1991
10–22 July 1992
2–17 July 1993Montreux Convention Centre
(Auditorium Stravinski/The New Q's)
1–16 July 1994Montreux Convention Centre
(Auditorium Stravinski/Miles Davis Hall)
7–22 July 1995Montreux Convention Centre
(Auditorium Stravinski/Miles Davis Hall)
Montreux Casino
Montreux Jazz Café
5–20 July 1996
4–19 July 1997
3–18 July 1998
2–17 July 1999
7–22 July 2000
6–21 July 2001Montreux Convention Centre
(Auditorium Stravinski/Miles Davis Hall)
Montreux Casino
Montreux Jazz Café
Scène Bleu
5–20 July 2002Montreux Convention Centre
(Auditorium Stravinski/Miles Davis Hall)
Montreux Casino
Montreux Jazz Café
Montreux Jazz Young Planet
Montreux Jazz Club
4–19 July 2003Montreux Convention Centre
(Auditorium Stravinski/Miles Davis Hall)
Casino Barrière de Montreux
Montreux Jazz Café
Montreux Jazz Young Planet
Montreux Jazz Club
2–17 July 2004
1–16 July 2005
30 June – 15 July 2006
6–21 July 2007Montreux Musique & Convention Centre
(Auditorium Stravinski/Miles Davis Hall)
Montreux Jazz Café
Montreux Jazz Young Planet
Montreux Jazz Club
4–19 July 2008Montreux Musique & Convention Centre
(Auditorium Stravinski/Miles Davis Hall)
Montreux Jazz Café
Montreux Jazz Young Planet
Montreux Jazz Club
MDH Club
Studio 41
Music in the Park
3–18 July 2009
2–17 July 2010
1–16 July 2011
29 June – 14 July 2012
5–20 July 2013Montreux Musique & Convention Centre
(Auditorium Stravinski/Miles Davis Hall)
Montreux Jazz Café
Montreux Jazz Young Planet
Montreux Jazz Club
MDH Club
Studio 41
Music in the Park
Montreux Jazz Lab
4–19 July 2014
3-18 July 2015
1-16 July 2016
30 June – 15 July 2017
29 June – 14 July 2018

Expansion

In the 1980s, the Montreux Jazz Festival grew a lot and included many different kinds of music. While jazz and Brazilian music stayed important, more rock and pop artists were also invited.

Famous musicians like Miles Davis, Deep Purple, and Status Quo performed many times at the festival. Other well-known artists included Sandra, James Brown, Eric Clapton, Queen, Van Morrison, Sting, Bob Dylan, and David Bowie.

Since the 1980s, the festival kept growing and changed from just a jazz event into a world music celebration. By 1993, it moved to a bigger place, and the number of visitors went up a lot. New artists kept coming each year, bringing even more variety to the music. The festival also welcomes talented student groups and young musicians in several competitions.

Competitions

The Montreux Jazz Artists Foundation holds three big contests each year: Solo Piano, Guitar, and Voice. Each contest has a group of expert judges, led by a famous musician. For example, in 2008, Fazıl Say judged the Solo Piano, Lee Ritenour judged the Guitar, and Patti Austin judged the Voice competition. There was also a local contest called the Tremplin Lémanique until 2016, for jazz bands from areas around Léman lake, including parts of France and Switzerland.

Performances

Main article: List of performers at the Montreux Jazz Festival

Many talented musicians have played at the Montreux Jazz Festival since it began in 1967. Some artists, like Herbie Hancock and B.B. King, have performed there many times—Herbie Hancock appeared 27 times, and B.B. King performed 21 times.

Discography

Albums recorded at the festival

Images

A saxophone, a popular musical instrument known for its rich, mellow sound.

Related articles

Music festival
Switzerland
Jazz
Blues
Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd

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