Jazz festival in the Swiss city of Montreux – Montreux Jazz Festival – is the most famous festival in Switzerland and one of the most prestigious musical events on a global scale. It traces its history back to 1967, takes place every year and lasts just over two weeks. Typically the festival starts at the end of June – in early July.
Creator and permanent director (until 2013) of the Montreux Jazz Festival – Claude Nobs. It was he, a jazz fan, who figured out how to attract more tourists to a quiet and calm town at the foot of the Alps. So in 1967, the three-day jazz festival was born, where Charles Lloyd and Kate Jarrett performed, and several other European jazz groups.
Already in the first years of its existence, the festival gained worldwide fame, glorifying Montreux throughout the world. Every year the format of this musical event changed: the dates became longer, the composition of – participants became more and more diverse, and the festival itself turned from a modest holiday into one of the loudest and most prestigious musical events in Europe. After all, Nobs turned it into a gathering place for jazz connoisseurs from all over the world. He brought Aretha Franklin to Europe for the first time, and Ray Charles, Miles Davis, David Bowie, Quincy Jones and other stars performed at this festival.
Today, the Montreux Jazz Festival is attended not only by world jazz stars and aspiring musicians, but also by previously fashionable «classical » now rock musicians. Frequent festival guests include: Bob Dylan, Sting and Eric Clapton. And the festival program is expanding every year and becoming more and more diverse, thanks to the emergence of new interesting musical numbers.
Although historically jazz forms the basis of the festival, other musical styles and trends quickly found their place at this celebration. Rock music, blues, soul, hip-hop, pop, techno, reggae, and African jazz are performed here.
More than 200 thousand people come to Montreux to attend the Festival and related events taking place within its framework.
The main venue of the festival is located in the Stravinski Auditorium complex, where the main festival concerts are held every evening in two halls named after famous musicians of the past – Stravinski Hall and Miles Davis Hall, as well as in the Montreux Jazz Lab. Stars of the first magnitude perform here. The musicians say that the halls have excellent acoustics.
In addition to the main program, a huge number of concerts by aspiring musicians take place in the open areas of the city. Guests from all over the world enjoy these open-air concerts and guitar and piano competitions that take place throughout the town. Emerging musicians play decisively everywhere: on the streets and in parks, on steamships plying Lake Geneva, and on «music trains».
The phenomenon of the Montreux festival, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, – in a special festive atmosphere. During the festival, the entire city literally becomes one huge stage and lives in the rhythm of music. In addition, the public is entertained with seminars, master classes, films, shows in nightclubs where the most fashionable DJs perform, and beach parties.
Anyone who wants not only to listen to music, but also to participate in the action can demonstrate their ability to dance samba or salsa on special stages. All kinds of restaurants, cafes, game libraries, boutiques are open along the entire Montreux embankment…
By the way, neither euros, nor dollars, nor francs apply here. During the festival there is only one currency – «jazz» – copper coin with a hole. The author of this invention – is also Claude Nobs. Sellers selling on «jazz» receive a good tax discount – so the state supports the festival.
Even the city of Montreux itself is filled with the spirit of music. This is where the monuments to Freddie Mercury, Miles Davis, and B.B. King stand.
For many years, the Montreux Jazz Festival has been and remains one of the most original and innovative on the international stage and is a great event in the world of music. Many jazz stars lit up here, and today it remains a launching pad for aspiring musicians.