The Montreux Jazz Festival prepares to kick off its fifty-second edition

Montreux Jazz Festival - Jonas Follonier

One day to go before the chords of the most famous festival in French-speaking Switzerland echo from the shores of Montreux. Tomorrow, the festival founded by Claude Nobs prepares to kick off its fifty-second edition.

As always, the lineup is packed with big names: the legendary band Deep Purple, global sensation Rag’n’Bone Man, the iconic Iggy Pop, folk singer-songwriter Ben Howard, and the master of French pop, Etienne Daho. And we could go on like this until the end of the article. The mention of these artists may have confused some readers who expected to see a lineup of jazz greats. For those who aren’t aware, the festival hasn’t been dedicated to that genre for years now. The Montreux Jazz Festival is simply dedicated to quality—whether it’s already recognized or not.

That is what underpins the deep respect we owe to such a musical event, which shuns the mainstream, but one that is undeniably a source of discoveries and rediscoveries. Yes, because listening to Van Morrison’s blues chords at the Stravinski Auditorium is inevitably a unique experience in every way—timeless—especially when dealing with the kind of artists who seem oblivious to the era in which they live—and thank goodness for that.

The Montreux Jazz Festival is also known for its willingness to embrace change. This year, there’s a major innovation on the stage front: the Petit Palais will be transformed into the House of Jazz for the duration of the festival. This new must-visit venue will delight fans of old-school clubs, with small round tables and an intimate, cozy atmosphere. Up-and-coming artists in the genre will perform on the free stage at La Coupole, located on the first floor of the building, which will also host workshops and jazz sessions.

This jazz venue will host an exhibition dedicated to David Bowie, who discovered his guitarist, Stevie Ray Vaughan… at the festival—no less—and who, sixteen years ago, performed his entire album Low, as a reminder, for the French-speaking Swiss audience. In short, these two anecdotes, plucked from the vast realm of Bowie-esque ghosts inhabiting Montreux, are enough to show that it’s not the festival that’s great because of its history with Bowie, but rather that Bowie is great because of his history with the festival. And the same goes for Deep Purple, whose hit’s origins are well known to everyone Smoke on the Water.

Starting tomorrow, Le Regard Libre will be exploring the festival to share his impressions with you, making no claim to provide a summary of the concerts. We’ll adopt a subjective tone, in line with the festival’s vision of jazz: an open genre, born of the blues and the forerunner of hip-hop, closely related to soul and a friend of funk. This is even the wish of its director, Mathieu Jaton: «The program for this edition tells a different story to each of us. I therefore invite you, dear friends in the media, to share your own stories with us as well…»

Write to the author : [email protected]

Photo credit: © 2017 FFJM – Emilien Itim