MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND – Police Monday evening issued their full report on security and crimes during the Montreux Jazz Festival, following an earlier report on the last weekend of the hugely popular Festival which ended on a sour note, with 21 people detained by police in separate incidents between Friday evening and Sunday morning, 15-17 July.
The report calls the security situation “worrying”, despite a well-coordinated policing and safety effort that included cantonal police, the Riviera city police group, criminal police responsible for arresting those caught committing a crime, highway patrol teams from the region, firefighters, emergency crews and private security firms. The festival was faced with a level of violence not seen before.
Security forces and local retailers noted a trend towards younger people buying hard alcohol and taking it into the festival, where they got very drunk, say police, “and where the mob mentality [went] to work, with a bump or a look taken amiss and used as the excuse for a fight”, with police and security guards often the first target.
Police registered some 100 complaints during the festival and they arrested 100 people, 52 of them for drug abuse. They seized 292.5 gr of marijuana, 9 gr of hash, 5.5 gr of cocaine, 0.5 gr of crack, 3.5 gr of amphetamines, 112 Ecstasy pills and 20 ml of GHB.
Security staff parked 47, 600 cars, 1,400 more than in 2010. Firefighterse, who put in 1,000 hours of service during the festival, notably put out the fire from a stand near the Miles Davis Hall, caused by a faulty gas cannister installation.
Fights and violence most worrisome aspect
The most serious early sign of violence came at about 02:00 Saturday 9 July when two groups got into a fight and a man who was not involved in the fight was knifed in the stomach. He was taken to Montreux Hospital where he had eight stitches. He filed charges and the person who attacked him was identified and turned over to to the public attorney after a hearing.
The violence the last two nights took place mainly in the Montreux Jazz Café, where several groups, clearly under the influence of alcohol, went after private security guards and then the police who brought reinforcements. At one point Saturday police were faced with 300 rioters throwing stones, bottles, chairs, parts broken off cars. Several members of the security forces were injured, with the most serious a police officer who was hospitalized and who received 13 stitches to the forehead and head.
Bicycles and motorcycles parked in the area were heavily damaged, and other property was damaged.
Eleven people, including two minors, were detained between Friday and Saturday morning, Ten more people were held by police between Saturday evening and Sunday.
Police are asking witnesses to phone +41 (0) 21 644 4444.
Organizers say the festival drew in excess of 230,000 people this year.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Are you a gas-burning road hog who loves festivals and concerts? You might have to change your ways this summer, with environment and sustainable development the buzz words for Swiss festivals.
Montreux Jazz Festival, keeping an eye on electricity consumption (photo: Odile Meylan)
Montreux Jazz Festival, which runs to 16 July, is the first of the big summer festivals and it provides details about its environmental efforts on its web site. The MJF notes that it’s been given the Green ‘n Clean award from Yourope, which awards festivals that actively work to protect their impact on the environment.
Montreux turns on the lights, turns down the consumption
Two measures the MJF cites are its work with Alpiq to provide very low consumption lighting for Le Jardin and its work with e-covoiturage to reduce the number of cars coming to the festival.
Walk! World’s largest sports event encourages us to use our legs
The giant multicultural, multi-event Gymnaestrada, which has brought 20,000 gymnasts from around the world to Lausanne this week, said loud and clear at the outset that its sustainable charter was being given top priority. Walk to the events, as a starting point, it tells visitors.
Green festivals: a balancing act (photo, Gymnaestrada, 11 July group events)
The event increased the population of Lausanne by 20 percent overnight, creating rubbish and other problems, the organizers notes.
It details its green efforts on a web page, which at the end puts the onus on you and meet to make the charter work: “Help us to make this idea of sustainable development a reality! On a daily basis, travel sensibly, eat healthily, sort your rubbish and switch the lights off after you. From now on, you can support the WG-2011 by calculating your carbon footprint and committing to reduce it!”
Gymnaestrada runs until 16 July.
Paleo pushes festival-goers to reflect on transport
The Paleo Festival in Nyon opens 19 July and it will pull in more than 230,000 people by the time it ends 24 July. Paleo sent out a newsletter Tuesday 12 July about its efforts to push concert-goers in the right direction: greener travel.
The CFF rail company offers 20 percent off to anyone who goes by train, and online car-sharing options work for both Switzerland and France. RouteRank, newly improved, is a great way to find the best options for getting from your place to Paleo, and to find out your environmental impact in the process.
St Prex Classics, small is beautiful but also gentler on the environment
A late summer festival, the newly renamed St Prex Classics, takes another approach to the environment by keeping things manageable: 10 concerts over two weekends in intimate surroundings in the lakeside old town (Vieux Bourg) of St Prex (two are in Morges, this year only). The concert, now in its fifth year, runs from 16-28 August.
Here’s one of the country’s largest music festival, this year the likes of Ricky Martin, Carlos Santana, BB King, Youssou N’Dour, Sting and more during two weeks. Check also the free music all over town.
Location: Montreux, Switzerland
Link out: http://www.montreuxjazz.com/2011/fr/program11/p…
Date: 1 Jul 2011
Old and loved coming to Montreux: BB King, Jimmy Cliff, Santana, Ricky Martin, George Benson and more
Montreux, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The web site of the Montreux Jazz Festival was hacked Tuesday 12 April and the programme, a closely guarded secret, was published online two days ahead of the official announcement. The festival office has hired a company to find the leak.
Officially, we won’t know until Thursday 14 April at 10:00 what the complete lineup is, but unofficially, most of it is already out there, the MJF office said Tuesday.
The festival office has produced the official if incomplete programme. Check back Thursday for more news.
Sting at an Abbey Road rehearsal for the Symphonicity tour, part of Montreux Jazz Festival 2011
Montreux, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Sting will play at Montreux 11 July, the Montreux Jazz Festival announced Monday morning, with tickets to go on sale Wednesday 9 March at 10:00.
The announcement about his Symphonicity tour concert comes well ahead of the programme announcement for the rest of the festival. Sting will perform with a symphony orchestra and band, conducted by Sarah Hicks, at the Auditorium Stravinski.
The jazz festival statement notes that: “Sting’s most celebrated songs have been re-interpreted especially for this tour and will include fan-favorites such as The Police hits “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”, “Roxanne”, “Next To You” and “Every Breath You Take,” to notable songs from Sting’s enduring solo career – “Englishman in New York,” “Fragile,” “Russians,” “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You,” “Fields Of Gold,” and “Desert Rose.” Sting will also be joined by a group of accomplished musicians, comprised of Dominic Miller (Sting’s longtime guitarist), Rhani Krija (Sting’s longtime multi-genre percussionist), Jo Lawry (v! ocalist) and Ira Coleman (bassist).”
EPFL’s new media centre has exclusive research, educational use rights to make digital record of musical treasure
Ray Parker Jr.'s smooth vocals - Photo ©Montreux Jazz Festival
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Ten thousand recording tapes will now become the Montreux Jazz Festival (MJF) library, “the largest testimony of live music recorded at the same place (more than 4,000 bands played in Montreux), both in audio and video, for the past 40 years resulting in 10,000 recording tapes,” EPFL and the Montreux festival enthused when the project was announced in 2008, as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations of the MJF.
The global economic crisis hit soon after.
It has taken two years to find the funds, one person close to the project told GenevaLunch, but it has a home as of December 2010, at the MetaMedia centre for new media announced 9 December at EPFL.
The importance of the project has repercussions for the entire music world: back in 2008 the joint announcement by the Lausanne polytechnic university and the festival noted that “Despite the use of the best state of the art technologies at the time of each recording, there is urgency for their safeguard.” The physical deterioration and technological obsolescence of the audio-visual media, says EPFL today, “of which there are no backup copies—has prompted the Montreux Jazz Festival to find a solution to manage these media in the long term.” Great 20th century recordings of music by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Phil Collins and David Bowie risked being lost.
Audemars Piguet, the Swiss watchmaking company, Montreux Sounds (owned by MJF founder Claude Nobs), Kudelski in Lausanne and EPFL have joined forces to make the digital record of 5,000 hours of music, representing some 4,000 artists. The group calls the collection of music “a unique treasure and without a doubt one of the greatest musical documents of the past 40 years”.
Montreux Jazz Festival, 1-16 July 2011.
Montreux, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Organizers of the Montreux Jazz Festival released the poster for the 45th edition of the world-renowned music festival 2 December. The poster is designed by Swiss artist Francis Baudevin, an artist from Bulle, canton Vaud, who lives and works in Lausanne.
The Festival breaks with tradition to choose an abstract painting for its poster, only the second time in its history to do so. Baudevin is currently showing at Mark Mueller Gallery in Zurich until 18 December.
Regina Spektor, and former Katy Perry band-member dies in Montreux
Daniel Cho performing
Montreux, Switzerland – The announcement of the death of Daniel Cho, a member of Regina Spektor’s band, came from the singer during her appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival.
Spektor, appearing at the Stravinsky Hall, went on stage with two other band members, looking very frail, visibly upset and crying.
Before starting her set, Spektor announced that the band would try to perform, in spite of having lost one of its band members: their dear, “loving friend” Daniel, referring to Daniel Cho, the band’s Brooklyn-based cellist.
Cho reportedly drowned on Tuesday 6 July while swimming with a friend near the Chillon Castle in Montreux.
The audience, unsure what to make of or do with this information, gave her a loud and warm welcome.
Spektor played a couple songs, very clearly undone, while the jumbo screen zoomed in on her crying, distraught face.
After the third song, she asked the press to stop taking pictures.
Geneva cools off at the beach (photo, ©2010, Peter Brodbeck)
Geneva and Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch.com) – There’s no excuse for being bored or lonely this weekend, with the weather hot and sunny and crowds hitting the lakes and swimming pools, as well as concert halls and outdoor arenas.
Two of the biggest and best music events in Switzerland are taking place: the Montreux Jazz Festival (ticket information) in canton Vaud and Zurich’s Zuerifaescht 2010. See our Geneva Living guide to surviving Montreux for all the practical tips, plus a host of freebies, and if you’re heading for Zurich, seriously consider taking the train because parking will be at a premium in the packed-out city.
Weather forecast: hot hot hot and more sunshine – be sure to check the national weather service forecasts on the GenevaLunch weather page, and pack some sun lotion and water bottles into your bags. Highs between 31 and 33 throughout Switzerland, for the next five days.
Swimming: the swimming pools by the lakeside are one of Lake Geneva’s best vacation features, and there are plenty of beaches around the lake, so check out our list and head for the water to cool off.
The Miles Davis Hall programme now complete for MJF
Montreux, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Alternative rock, dark melodies and hard riffs are on the agenda for 3 July 2010 when The Dead Weather play at the Miles Davis Hall, completing its programme as part of the Montreux Jazz Festival.
Jack White (The White Stripes, The Raconteurs) and Alison Mosshart (The Kills) are joined by bassist Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs) and guitarist Dean Fertita (Queens Of The Stone Age). The four will release an album in May.
Tickets for the concert go on sale Thursday 6 May at the FNAC, Ticket Counter and online at the Montreux Jazz Festival.
2-17 July: complete programme now online and ticket sales start online 29 April at 10:00
Montreux, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Montreux Jazz Festival kicks off 1 July 2010, a day before the official opening of the 16-day concert series, with a special show by Vaud resident Phil Collins. Collins will take the audience back to the 1960s with his interpretations of memorable Motown hits.
Montreux then moves to Africa, in keeping with the South African mood set by the summer World Cup Football championship: a concert in tribute to Miriam Makeba, Angélique Kidjo with African stars will celebrate “Mama Africa” and Youssou N’Dour will end the evening with the Dakar-Kingston.
Big band and jazz lineup
The Auditorium Stravinski will host big bands of Pepe Lienhard and Roger Cicero 12 July. Herbie Hancock will play John Lennon’s biggest hits 16 July and Quincy Jones will present his Global Gumbo All-Stars, a group composed of young artists he discovered in Montreux.
Jazz is a Montreux must and this year features Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny, Brad Mehldau and Chick Corea’s Freedom Band.
Montreux Jazz Festival 2010, by Britto
Montreux, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The new Montreux Jazz Festival poster is out, with Romero Britto, Brazilian neo-pop artist providing the bright and lively artwork. This is not Britto’s first work for the Festival: some will remember that he did the poster work for the 33rd Montreux Festival in 1999.
His work is energetic, lively and fresh, defined by a harmonious use of colour and space. His style is on the edge between the directness of marketing and the subtlety of fine art. Think of Paul Klee with a spray can.
Paleo Music Festival, near Nyon, Switzerland, a sea of music-lovers
Montreux, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Lake Geneva region’s musical summer is well underway, good for music-lovers, a bit less so for drivers. If you’re on the road between Geneva and Lausanne in the coming week, check the news for traffic jams around Nyon. Festival-goers are urged to use public transport, made easy for them: the CFF rail company is putting on extra trains and reducing ticket prices. The last train for Geneva leaves at 03:00 and for Lausanne-Montreux at 03:30. Shuttles and extra trains between the Nyon train station and the festival operate at 10-minute intervals.
The festival sold out, all 200,000 tickets, in two hours when sales opened in April. An additional 1,000 tickets a day go on sale online at the festival site, to discourage black market ticket sales.
GenevaLunch will be covering the festival daily, bringing you news and reviews.
Montreux closes on a happy note, offers listeners online treats
Read more…
- Melody Gardot, cool incarnate – Photo courtesy of Montreux Jazz Festival
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.
The party's over for this year - Photo ©Jared and Gabriela Bloch
Montreux, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Seventeen July, the final day for GenevaLunch at the Montreux Jazz Festival, and I think I finally figured it out.
Having driven to Montreux from Geneva three days, and taken the train a fourth day, I would opt for public transportation next year. Festival parking was well organized (as previously noted) but really by the time you negotiate Lausanne traffic, find parking, walk or bus it to the Convention Center, and then do the same in reverse, a good nap on the train looks mighty appealing.
Ray Parker Jr.'s smooth vocals - Photo ©Montreux Jazz Festival
Montreux, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – There was a time warp in Montreux last night that took me back to the days when I used to sing in front of the mirror waiting for the moment when I could go dancing with the big girls, on a “Ladies Night” because even then I knew, “A Woman Needs Love” and it is easy to get lost in “Boogie Wonderland.”
These are some of the dance and R&B anthems of the late 70s and 80s performed to a packed auditorium at the Montreux Jazz festival last night, 16 July.
King Solomon holds forth - photo courtesy of Montreux Jazz Festival
Montreux, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Solomon Burke or King Solomon as he would have it, cut a large figure at first glance both literally and figuratively last night at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Unfortunately for the audience, neither the oversized crown at centre stage, nor the red sequin dress-clad performers in his lineup were able to translate a string of doo wops and medleys into a royal fest.
Blind Boys of Alabama at Stravinsky Hall- Photo courtesy of Montreux Jazz Festival
Montreux, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – “We don’t have much time, so we’re not going to do a lot of talkin’, we’re gonna do a lot of singin’,” Jimmy Carter proclaimed Tuesday night (14 July) in Montreux.
This call to spirituality came not from the Nobel Peace Laureate, though it well could have, but from five-time Grammy award winners the Blind Boys of Alabama, as they warmed up the audience last night at the Jazz Festival. Carter quickly allayed any doubts as to the abilities of the mostly blind and mature-aged entourage, telling the crowd, “The Blind Boys of Alabama don’t like conservative audiences.”
Boo Boo Davis playing the harp - Photo courtesy of Montreux Jazz Festival
Montreux, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – My second night at Montreux began with a solid dose of unadulterated Mississippi blues courtesy of Boo Boo Davis and his band members, John Gerritse and Jan Mittendorp.
Davis and company are straightforward in the delivery of the goods, with not a lot of fanfare, and that’s ok. The quality lament of Davis’ blues harp playing together with Mittendorp’s slide guitar backing was a sweet sound indeed inside Stravinsky Hall.
Ed. note: See the GenevaLunch coverage of the 2009 Montreux Jazz Festival, including the complete collection of Jared Bloch’s reviews – George Duke, George Benson, Rachelle Ferrell and more!
Mise en Scene for the Montreux Jazz Festival - photo by Jared Bloch
Watching the lake vista unfold in front of us, I think, the festival setting truly is spectacular.
After getting stranded in Montreux early Tuesday morning – beware of the early morning public transport gap between 01:08 and 05:14 – I decided to try driving. The verdict?
George Duke warms up for the evening with a performance for RSR - photo by Jared Bloch
Montreux, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - “Am I the only funk-loving person for whom George Duke is not a household name?” This was my last thought as I wandered home at 06:00 this morning, following Duke’s all-night jam session at the Montreux Jazz Festival.
Duke’s introduction by Quincy Jones including “You are gonna get your mind blown once again by this artist,” and “God leaves his hand on the shoulder of some artists longer than others . . .” should have been a clue as to the mind-bending fusion of jazz, R&B, soul and funk that Duke was about to unleash on the ready and willing crowd at Stravinsky Hall in Montreux last night.
Montreux, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Montreux favorite son George Benson showed this town why his music still inspires hip gyrations after so many performances.
Montreux crowd pleaser, George Benson - photo courtesy of Montreux Jazz Festival
The Crowd in Stravinsky Hall - Photo courtesy of Montreux Jazz Festival
Montreux, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - If Rachelle Ferrell’s musical expressiveness is shocking, this is a good thing.
Ferrell, a Montreux veteran, treated the audience to her awesome vocal range and facial acrobatics as she warmed the crowd up by running her rich voice up and down the word M-O-N-T-R-E-U-X.
Montreux Jazz Festival 2009
Lake Geneva region (GenevaLunch) – It’s a gorgeous summer day, the temperature is sitting around 27 degrees and I am dreaming of jumping in the bracing waters of Lake Geneva as I skirt the shoreline on the train from Geneva to Montreux.
I am headed to the Montreux Jazz Festival with great anticipation, but little expectation as I am largely unfamiliar with the music of the lineup this evening. This will be my first of three or four forays into the musical smorgasborg that is Montreux the first two weeks of July each year.
Road to Montreux
In addition to well known acts including George Benson, The Blind Boys of Alabama, the Earth Wind & Fire Experience, John Fogerty and Seal, I will be sampling the musical talent present at the festival, including free concerts staged in Montreux’s Parc de Vernex each afternoon.
If you haven’t been able to steal away this year to Montreux, or just want to see more of what’s on hand, check out GenevaLunch for updates through Friday July 17th.
Fête du Bois, Lausanne school parade
Geneva, Lausanne and Montreux, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Geneva and most international schools in the area finished the 2008-09 school year 26 June, last Friday, but canton Vaud children are still braving hot days for their last week of school, which finishes Friday 3 July.
Lausanne’s primary schools Wednesday 1 July celebrated the end of the year with their traditional Fête du Bois parade through the city, to the cheers of parents.
Images: reproduced with permission, celestialpilgrim (see his complete parade collection on flickr). Click to view larger.
Summer music festivals begin
Summer now begins in earnest, by popular acclamation, in the Lake Geneva region with city music and arts festivals.
Montreux Jazz Festival
The Montreux Jazz Festival opens Friday 3 July. Expect long lines at the A9 autoroute entrances to Montreux, and if you’re going to the festival from another town, seriously consider taking the train. The festival’s new magazine is out, with day by day highlights. The free music in the streets pulls in crowds so prepare to mingle! [Ed. note: GenevaLunch articles on the Montreux Jazz festival are here. We'll be reviewing the festival for you, starting next week]
Title: Montreux Jazz Festival
Location: Montreux, Vaud
Link out: Click here
Description: Founded by Claude Nobs in 1967, over the years the Montreux Jazz Festival has become an unmissable event for music fans in Switzerland and around the world.
The 2009 festival promises another fun week of music and more in Montreux.
Start Date: 03 Jul 2009
End Date: 18 Jul 2009
Orquestra da bomba do Hemeterio, Brazil
Montreux, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The popular Brazilian night at the Montreux Jazz Festival will be open to all this year, festival organizers announced 27 May as they unveiled the free festival programme. The Carnival Olinda-Recife will be at the centre of Brazilian night 11 July but the party will spill onto the streets of Montreux as the evening unfolds, to create a very carioca atmosphere in the lakeside city.
Music in the Park and the Montreux Jazz Café will also open to non-ticket holders that day.
Montreux, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The new Montreux Jazz Festival poster is out, designed by award-winning illustrator Tomi Ungerer, possibly best known for his children’s books but also famous for his advertising work.
The festival also announced the dates for the 2009 programme: 3-18 July.
