Jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater in 1974 (Giuseppe Pino)
Giuseppe Pino
Producer and bandleader Quincy Jones in 1995 (Claude Nobs Archives)
Claude Nobs Archives
Singer songwriter Leonard Cohen in 1976 (Giuseppe Pino)
Giuseppe Pino
Musician, singer and actor David Bowie in 1990 (1947-2016) (Claude Nobs Archives)
Claude Nobs Archives
Tenor saxophonist Charles Lloyd in 1967 (Jean-Pierre Leloir/GM Press)
Jean-Pierre Leloir
Soul singer Aretha Franklin in 1971
Giuseppe Pino
Blues guitarist and singer John Lee Hooker in 1990 (1917-2001) (Gérald Bosshard)
Gérald Bosshard
Blues guitarist B.B.King in 1991 (1925-2015)
Gérald Bosshard
Soul singers Wyclef Jean and Bobby Womack in 2013 (1944-2014)
Mehdi Benkler
Montreux Jazz Festival founder Claude Nobs in 1987 (1936-2013)
Edouard Curchod
It is almost impossible to imagine the lakeside city of Montreux without the annual Montreux Jazz Festival, which turns 50 this summer. A new book tells the story of the renowned festival.
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Half a century of existence has resulted in the creation of some legendary material – images, recordings and publications. In “50 Summers of Music”, around 60 stars share their Montreux experience. Illustrating the book by music journalist Arnaud Robert are 175 photos, many previously unseen.
It was in the summer of 1967 that Swiss chef and tourism promoter Claude Nobs transformed his love of jazz into the seed of a global phenomenon along the shores of Lake Geneva.
Sure, other festivals now draw larger, younger and less well-heeled crowds. But in terms of sheer music history though, none have richer pickings. The festival had grown over the years with a budget not be scoffed at – CHF28 million ($28.5 million).
Sometimes, you just have to be there when it happens. Notable moments include artists Prince and 3rdEyeGirl bringing down the house – everybody on their feet – only three summers ago. The festival has been a stage for the creativity and serendipity of countless other big names, such as Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King and Nina Simone.
This summer’s line-up is no exception and features Van Morrison, Neil Young, Patti Smith, PJ Harvey, ZZ Top and Deep Purple – who recorded “Smoke on the Water” after watching the Montreux Casino burn while Frank Zappa was playing in 1971.
The festival runs from July 1-16.
(Text: swissinfo.ch)
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Behind the scenes in Montreux
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Born in Paris in 1941, Le Querrec has worked for the Magnum photo agency since 1976. His work is closely associated with jazz as he’s been covering Montreux since the early 1970s. (All photos: Guy Le Querrec / Magnum)
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In over three decades of photographing the Montreux Jazz Festival, two Swiss photographers have amassed thousands of images.
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Van Morrison, Deep Purple and Quincy Jones are just some of the big names to headline the 50th edition of the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival.
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High-quality images and acoustics capturing irreplaceable moments from the history of jazz and blues will soon be accessible to the public.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.