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Montreux, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Melody Gardot is either an old soul hiding out in a young woman’s body, or an incredibly aloof, and self-assured performer, or both.

Gardot, who is billed as a jazz “chanteuse,” began her set at the Montreux Jazz Festival with an a capella number, telling the audience “I believe all jazz comes from the blues, and the blues comes from a place of pain,” and advising the crowd not “to snap on the downbeat, because it is considered aggressive.” All of which left me wondering if she was too smooth; until she began singing, and then I didn’t think at all, I just listened contentedly. “This ain’t no church, it ain’t no funeral either, come on,” Gardot exhorted the audience as she kept time with her stiletto heal.

Gardot’s second number, a sultry piano piece with trumpet accompaniment, was only slightly hampered by a faulty mike, rendering her silky voice all but inaudible. But it was still good, and the crowd waited for the song’s closing, before shouting “no mike,” “can’t hear you,” etc. Gardot, seized the opportunity, telling the audience “C’est pas ma faute,” and then pleading “merci à Dieu,” (yes she speaks French well) before asking the crowd if they wanted to hear the number again. The shouts and catcalls left no doubt, and she treated Stravinsky Hall to a reprise, this time with her rich voice front and center.

Gardot’s élan might not seem surprising given the wealth of talent at the festival, until you consider that she is a twenty-something year old performing in a genre that is often based on life’s pains and woes. However, according to Gardot, “It’s not the ups and downs that get you, it’s the moments in between.” In a bittersweet piece titled “Our love is easy,” she showed just how well she can paint those moments, pairing a sublime xylophone solo with vocals so subdued you could hear the hiss of the monitors.

“I believe in taking people on little voyages,” Gardot told the audience towards the end of her set. Looking around the hall on Saturday night, I saw hundreds of mesmerized faces, apparently all travelling somewhere.

Seal thrills Stravinsky Hall on Friday Night -Photo courtesy of Montreux Jazz Festival

Stravinsky Hall was thick with anticipation on Friday night as the packed house waited for Seal to take the stage.

The British pop and house music star opened the concert with a rendition of “Pappa Was a Rolling Stone,” from his new album of soul standards.

The concert was a hit among fans who managed to shoot a home video of his song “Kiss from a Rose,” and have posted it online.

Ed. note: See the GenevaLunch coverage of the 2009 Montreux Jazz Festival, including the complete collection of Laila Rodriguez’s and Jared Bloch’s reviews – Blind Boys of Alabama, George Duke, George Benson, Rachelle Ferrell, Kool and the Gang, Earth Wind and Fire Experience, new bands and more!