Montreux Jazz Festival 2016 line up announced
50th Anniversary of the Montreux Jazz Festival
The line-up has just been released for this year’s Montreux Jazz Festival… and there are a few surprises in there!
Old school jazz fans will be excited to know that the legendary guitarist John Schofield will be performing, as will jazz singers Al Jarreau, Lisa (daughter of Nina) Simone and British jazzman Jamie Cullum.
Proving that the festival now caters to all musical tastes, other concerts guaranteed to sell out include Muse, Patty Smith, Jean Michel Jarre, PJ Harvey, Neil Young, Lana del Ray and Santana.
Slayer will be making their second visit to Montreux after erm, slaying it, back in 2002. They’ll be snarling and tossing their hair about in the intimate surroundings of the Jazz Lab on Wednesday 6th July with Meshuggar, an experimental Swedish metal band that have only been going since 1987, making them mere whippersnappers by comparison.
If you like your music a bit more on the classic rock side, then ZZ Top should fulfil all your air guitar needs. Curtis Stigers will be representing the croonier aspect of rock, while Deep Purple will be belting out Smoke on the Water which was, incidentally inspired by the night a fire broke out at this very festival many years ago. Dweezil, son of Frank Zappa and a guitar genius in his own right, will be playing his take on some of his dad’s eclectic hits.
This being no less than the 50th anniversary of the Montreux jazz festival, there are some big names lined up to be part of the celebration. Festival regular Quincy Jones will be presenting a special gathering on Friday 8th July featuring both established and up and coming artists - all accompanied by renowned saxophonist Pepe Lienhard, who has played for all the greats including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, and Shirley Bassey.
It’s not all about the famous faces though; the great thing about the Montreux Jazz Festival is that there is no entry fee and many of the concerts are completely free of charge. Our top recommendation is to get there early, go for a swim in the lake or hire a paddle board, have a wander round the many stalls selling all the usual weird-and-wonderful items that you find at festivals, chill out on a park bench or on a patch of grass with a picnic lunch and enjoy the atmosphere. As the night unfolds you’ll find plenty of places to grab a beer and join in the party, as the music takes centre stage and the lights reflect across the water.
The festival runs from 1st to 16th July and you can find the full programme on the official Montreux Jazz Festival website, we advise that you buy tickets for your favourite artists as soon as possible as this event always sells out!
