Montreux Festival raises star stakes
An all-star line-up and higher ticket prices have been unveiled for the 42nd Montreux Jazz Festival in July.
The programme, published on Thursday, offers a mix of musical legends such as Leonard Cohen, Joan Baez and Paul Simon and more recent big names, including The Gossip and Gnarls Barkley.
Around 90 groups will be performing from July 4-19, with the festival offering 250 concerts in addition to Lake Geneva crossings and musical rail trips.
Some ticket prices are higher than last year, ranging from SFr80 ($80) to SFr380 for concerts in the biggest venue – a reflection of a “substantial rise in cachets” this year, a festival spokeswoman said.
Herbie Hancock and Al Jarreau will be among the artists taking part in a special tribute concert to producer and 27-time Grammy Award winner Quincy Jones.
The festival will end with a gala concert featuring British rock band Deep Purple, who immortalised the event in their song Smoke on the Water, based on a fire at Montreux Casino in 1971.
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