The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annual jazz festival in the world after Canada's Montreal International Jazz Festival.
Initiator and head organizer Claude Nobs brought an array of artists to Montreux. Mathieu Jaton has organised the festival since Nobs' death in 2013.
History The Montreux Jazz Festival opened was founded in 1967 by Claude Nobs, Géo Voumard and René Langel with considerable help from Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun of Atlantic Records. The festival was first held at Montreux Casino. The driving force is the tourism office under the direction of Raymond Jaussi. It lasted for three days and featured almost exclusively jazz artists. The highlights of this era were Charles Lloyd, Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette, Bill Evans, Soft Machine, Weather Report, The Fourth Way, Nina Simone, Jan Garbarek, and Ella Fitzgerald.
Originally a pure jazz festival, it opened up in the 1970s and today presents artists working in various styles of music (hip-hop, rap, funk, disco). Jazz remains an important part of the festival. Part of the festival's expansion was due to coproduction by Quincy Jones, who brought many international artists in the early 1990s. Today's festival lasts about two weeks and attracts an audience of more than 200,000 people.
In the 1970s, the festival began broadening its scope, including blues, soul, and rock artists; for instance, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, Deep Purple, Canned Heat and many others. Towards the end of the decade, the festival expanded even more, including music from all continents (with an emphasis on Brazilian music) and lasting a full three weeks. Santana came to Montreux for the first time in 1970; Van Morrison played in 1974 and 1980. The Dubliners played there on the festival in 1976. Other artists included B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Gary Moore, Weather Report, Don Ellis, Crossfire, Buddy Guy, Camarón de la Isla and Tomatito, Soft Machine, Chuck Berry, Peter Tosh, George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic, Eric Clapton, Luther Allison, Bo Diddley, Stan Getz, Airto Moreira, Joe Henderson, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Ney Matogrosso, Charles Mingus, Etta James, Sonny Rollins, Son House, Count Basie, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Gilberto Gil, Ray Charles, James Booker, Hermeto Pascoal, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Rory Gallagher, Marianne Faithfull, Elis Regina, Les McCann, Eddie Harris, Pasadena Roof Orchestra, New Order, Jaco Pastorius, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, Toto, Zucchero Fornaciari, André Geraissati, Korni Grupa, Jan Akkerman, Joe Satriani, Status Quo, Prince, and many more.
Since 1967, the festival has allowed a Swiss or international artist to design the official poster every year. Swiss artist Pierre Keller was an art consultant to the festival. Keller recruited artists such as Jean Tinguely, Keith Haring, Niki de Saint Phalle, Shigeo Fukuda, and Andy Warhol to create artwork for the festival in the 1980s.
Venue
The festival was originally held at the original Montreux Casino, which burned down in December 1971 during Frank Zappa's performance (as referenced in "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple). The festival was held then in other auditoriums in Montreux, until it could return to the rebuilt new Casino in 1975. The festival continued to grow, and in 1993, it moved to the larger Montreux Convention Centre. From 1995 through 2008, it occupied both the convention centre and the casino. Beginning with the 41st MJF in 2007, nightly performances of headliners were again moved mainly to the Montreux Musique & Convention Centre (though the Casino still hosts the odd one-off shows), owing mainly to logistics: the Casino is approximately from the Convention Centre, making it difficult for crew, artists and technical personnel (as well as fans) to travel easily through crowded streets from one venue to the other. (This is exacerbated by the presence of a large number of streetside vendors and artisans – as well as strolling crowds of tourists – on the lakefront walk that connects the venues.) As of 2007, the Convention Centre hosts two main stages, Auditorium Stravinski (capacity 3,500) and Miles Davis Hall (capacity 1,800), as well as the smaller Montreux Jazz Cafe, and several smaller open-air stages around the Centre. Additional themed shows (Bahia, Blues, etc.) are held on boats cruising the lake and train cars traveling the region, and various workshops and competitions are held at the nearby Montreux Palais and Le Petit Palais.
The Convention Centre closed for renovation in July 2023, and is expected to reopen in 2025. During its closure, major concerts at the Festival will be held on a specially built stage on the lake.
Venue history + Venue history Date Venue16–18 June 1967Montreux Casino12–16 June 196818–22 June 196917–21 June 197012–20 June 197116–29 June 1972Pavillon Montreux29 June15 July 1973Montreux Convention Centre28 June7 July 19743–20 July 1975Montreux Casino25 June6 July 19761–24 July 19777–23 July 19786–22 July 19794–20 July 19803–20 July 19819–25 July 19828–24 July 19836–22 July 19845–20 July 19853–19 July 19863–17 July 19871–17 July 19887–22 July 19896–21 July 19909–29 July 199110–22 July 19922–17 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 CasinoMontreux Jazz Café5–20 July 19964–19 July 19973–18 July 19982–17 July 19997–22 July 20006–21 July 2001Montreux Convention Centre (Auditorium Stravinski/Miles Davis Hall)Montreux CasinoMontreux Jazz CaféScène Bleu5–20 July 2002Montreux Convention Centre (Auditorium Stravinski/Miles Davis Hall)Montreux CasinoMontreux Jazz CaféMontreux Jazz Young PlanetMontreux Jazz Club4–19 July 2003Montreux Convention Centre (Auditorium Stravinski/Miles Davis Hall)Casino Barrière de MontreuxMontreux Jazz CaféMontreux Jazz Young PlanetMontreux Jazz Club2–17 July 20041–16 July 200530 June15 July 20066–21 July 2007Montreux Musique & Convention Centre (Auditorium Stravinski/Miles Davis Hall)Montreux Jazz CaféMontreux Jazz Young PlanetMontreux Jazz Club4–19 July 2008Montreux Musique & Convention Centre (Auditorium Stravinski/Miles Davis Hall)Montreux Jazz CaféMontreux Jazz Young PlanetMontreux Jazz ClubMDH ClubStudio 41Music in the Park3–18 July 20092–17 July 20101–16 July 201129 June14 July 20125–20 July 2013Montreux Musique & Convention Centre (Auditorium Stravinski/Miles Davis Hall)Montreux Jazz CaféMontreux Jazz Young PlanetMontreux Jazz ClubMDH ClubStudio 41Music in the ParkMontreux Jazz Lab4–19 July 20143-18 July 20151-16 July 201630 June – 15 July 201729 June – 14 July 201828 June – 13 July 20192-17 July 20211-16 July 202230 June - 15 July 20235-20 July 2024Scène du LacScène du CasinoLake HouseEl MundoIpanemaLi LoFunky Claude's BarLisztomaniaSuper Bock StageTerrasse Ibis MusicTerrasse NestléPoolpartyAudemars Piguet Parallel Experience4-19 July 20253-18 July 2026Montreux Musique & Convention Centre (Auditorium Stravinski/Montreux Jazz Lab)Montreux Jazz LoftLake HouseFunky Claude's BarEl MundoLi LoNestlé Sunset StageSpotlight Stage supported by Julius BärSuper Bock StageAudemars Piguet Parallel ExperiencePoolparty
Expansion
The festival changed in the 1980s: it grew dramatically and included an even wider variety of music styles. Jazz remained important, as did Brazilian music, but more rock and pop artists were also invited.
Miles Davis came to Montreux several times, British hard rock band Deep Purple were invited as headliners eight times, and Status Quo have headlined the festival twice. Other notable artists at Montreux were Sandra, Max Roach, James Brown, George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic, Wynton Marsalis, Art Blakey, John McLaughlin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Wayne Shorter, Al Di Meola, Elvis Costello, Jimmy Cliff, Steel Pulse, Mike Oldfield, Brian May, Marvin Gaye, Rory Gallagher, Leonard Cohen, Nina Hagen, Eric Clapton, Queen, Phil Collins, Philip Bailey, Joe Cocker, Los Lobos, The Manhattan Transfer, Tracy Chapman, and Van Morrison again.
The expansion that began in the 1980s has continued since then – Montreux transformed from a jazz festival into a world music festival. Quincy Jones co-produced the festival from 1991 to 1993. By 1993, the festival had outgrown the Casino and moved to the larger Convention Centre. The number of visitors rose from 75,000 in 1980 to 120,000 in 1994, and an "Off-festival" developed on the lakeshore promenades and in the cafés of Montreux.
Many "regulars" returned, but many new artists also appeared on stage: Sting, Bob Dylan, Fats Domino, Deep Purple, Al Jarreau, Chaka Khan, Johnny Cash, Cheap Trick, Cheb Mami, Youssou N'Dour, Marianne Faithfull, Ice-T, Jazzmatazz, ZZ Top, Simply Red, Marisa Monte, George Benson, Jazzkantine, Alanis Morissette, David Bowie, Paul Simon. In 1999, the festival saw more than 220,000 visitors.
The festival has also played host to some well-known and talented student groups, including big bands and vocal ensembles. Young, talented musicians are encouraged to take part in several competitions.
Sustainability The Montreux Jazz Festival has progressively introduced environmental initiatives aimed at reducing the ecological impact of the event. These measures include waste reduction programs, recycling systems across the festival venues, and efforts to limit single-use plastics through the promotion of reusable containers.
The festival also encourages the use of public transport by visitors, leveraging the city's railway connections and coordinating with local transportation services to reduce car usage during the event period. Additionally, strategies like energy efficiency and collaborations with local authorities have been incorporated into the event planning to manage the environmental footprint of large scale attendance.
Competitions Three international competitions are organised by the Montreux Jazz Artists Foundation every year: Solo Piano, Guitar, and Voice. Each competition has its own jury composed of professionals and chaired by a world-renowned musician (in 2008: Fazıl Say for the Piano Solo, Lee Ritenour for the Guitar, Patti Austin for the Voice competition). In addition, until 2016, a local competition, the Tremplin Lémanique, was aimed at jazz bands that are based in one of the regions of the Léman lake: the French departments of Ain and Haute Savoie and the Swiss cantons of Geneva, Vaud and Valais.
Performances
Over 1300 artists have performed at the Festival from 1967 to 2016, with the most appearances by Herbie Hancock (27 times) and B.B. King (21 times).
Discography Albums recorded at the festival Alanis Morissette: Live at Montreux 2012 (Eagle Rock Entertainment, 2013) [CD/DVD/Blu-ray] – recorded in 2012 Alice Cooper: Live at Montreux (Eagle Vision, 2006) [CD/DVD] – recorded in 2005 Anna von Hausswolff: Live at Montreux Jazz Festival (Southern Lord, 2022) – recorded in 2018 Arista All Stars: Blue Montreux (Arista, 1979) – recorded in 1978 Atlantic Family: The Atlantic Family Live at Montreux (Atlantic, 1978) – recorded in 1977 Baby Consuelo: Baby Consuelo ao Vivo – 14th Montreux Jazz Festival (Elektra, 1980) Benny Carter: Benny Carter 4: Montreux '77 (Pablo Live, 1977) Bill Evans: Bill Evans at the Montreux Jazz Festival (Verve, 1968) Bill Evans: Montreux II (CTI, 1970) Bill Evans: Montreux III (Fantasy, 1975) Bob James: Live at Montreux (Koch, 2005) [DVD] Bobbi Humphrey: Bobbi Humphrey Live: Cookin' with Blue Note at Montreux (Blue Note, 1974) – recorded in 1973 Bobby Hutcherson: Bobby Hutcherson Live at Montreux (Blue Note, 1974) – recorded in 1973