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?
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.
hot, hot, hot (image, celestial pilgrim, reproduced with permission)
Lake Geneva region, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Pull out the sun cream nd sunglasses, but take along an umbrella when you head out this weekend: temperatures of 17-27C are expected around Lake Geneva, with 15-30C in canton Valais and the Alps.
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]
Lake Geneva region, Switzerland (20Minutes, Fre) – Free wifi access is coming to various communes surrounding Geneva, Switzerland, such as Vernier, but slowly and patchily, reports 20Minutes. The city of Geneva already has 156 access points at 73 locations around town.
And just in time for the picnic season, by years-end Geneva will be getting picnic tables in every city park , too, says Geneva’s mayor, Rémy Pagani, in a 20Minutes report. Read more…
Swiss news weekly L’Hebdo magazine’s 2 June edition features on its cover the murder trial of Cécile Brossard, accused of killing her lover, wealthy French banker Edouard Stern, in 2007. GenevaLunch, a partner of l’Hebdo, brings you the English version in two parts, with an introduction by GL editor Ellen Wallace.
French version © 2009 l’Hebdo
English version © 2009 GenevaLunch (may not be reproduced in part or whole without written permission). Translation: Sean Ecker
Background: The trial of Cécile Brossard for murdering Edouard Stern opens in Geneva 10 June, and is expected to run to 19 June. With 30 journalists accredited, it will likely remain in the headlines for the length of the trial. She has admitted to murdering her lover, divorced banker Edouard Stern, one of France’s wealthiest men, who was 50 at the time of his death in February 2005. The killing – four gunshots at his luxurious apartment in central Geneva – sparked enormous media interest at the time. The story was a hot mix: money, world travel, an on-again off-again affair he had with a woman 16 years his junior who came from a middle-class small-town French background while he came from generations of banking wealth, and then there was the death scene, with the victim found dressed in a head to toe latex suit that was part of their sadomasochistic sexual games. And then tales of his manipulative behaviour began to eke out, while other observers questioned his killer’s words.
The trial adds to this two well-known lawyers and public curiosity about the woman who committed the crime. Swiss media have already warmed up for the trial: the Tribune de Genève writes of obscure plots, disinformation being spread and swissinfo (in French) relates a tale of passion, power and sex. Suisse Illustré asks, diabolical Mata Hari or fragile woman? TSR, which is putting three journalists on the story, has a video blog to follow the trial.
The story according to L’Hebdo:
Montreux, Vaud, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Two people have died in separate accidents in Vaud in the past two days. The body of a 25 year-old woman was found Sunday morning 31 May above Montreux beside the Montreux-Glion-Rocher de Naye railroad tracks. She had left the nearby institution where she had been under psychiatric treatment, For reasons that are unclear she appears to have become lost in a forest, then fell 15 metres from the edge of a cliff. Police have opened an investigation to clarify the circumstances of the accident, but at this point they are excluding the involvement of another person in her death.
Early Thursday morning 4 June a fire broke out in a farmhouse in Yens, near Morges. Firefighters discovered a body, not yet identified, in the rubble of the blaze. One of the two people who lived there was at work.
GenevaLunch is posting limited news today 1 June due to the Whit/Pentecost holiday in the Lake Geneva region.
Take advantage of the day off to visit our blogs, with recent posts added on Paddy Ashdown’s new book (and presentations in the region in coming weeks), snow in the Alps, buy American? by guest blogger Andy Sundberg – and if you’ve missed the scoop on where to walk your dog off the leash in Geneva, it’s time to visit Laila Rodriguez’s blog, New to Geneva? Me too.
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
Fribourg, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Gregory Rast, Astana team, is wearing the yellow jersey at the end of the first day of racing in the Tour de Romandie. The climb from Montreux to Fribourg was cut short due to forecasts of snow, from 176.2 km to 87.6 km. The Col de Jaun, at 1,508 metres altitude, was left out of the race, which began at 15:00 rather than 12:35. Details, race stages (Fre)
Title: Exhibition: Bear stories
Location: Montreux, Vaud
Link out: Click here
Description: This exhibit is set in the magnificent Chillon Castle in Montreux.
The collections are in loan from the former Federal Councilor Samuel Schmid and representatives of the Alexis Forel Museum.
Start Date: 22 Apr 2009
End Date: 28 Jun 2009
Title: Mother’s Day in a castle
Location: Montreux, Vaud
Link out: Click here
Description: The castle of Chillon in Montreux, is extraordinarily celebrating Mother’s Day.
The “Aula Magna” will be center stage for a bruch and a workshop – the “Bear Hospital” – which will enable children to repair their teddy bears or make a new one.
Date: 10 May 2009
Title: Riviera classical music festival
Location: Montreux, Vaud
Link out: Click here
Description: Swiss and international musicians gather in one of the most prestigious events of classical music.
Start Date: 21 Apr 2009
End Date: 26 Apr 2009
Title: International tournament of roller-hockey
Location: Montreux, Vaud
Link out: Click here
Description: Spain, Portugal, Macao, Argentina and Switzerland are but a few of the teams participating.
Start Date: 10 Apr 2009
End Date: 13 Apr 2009
Title: Montreux choral festival
Location: Vevey and Montreux, Vaud
Link out: Click here
Description: All the concerts, during the contest, will take place in Vevey Theater.
Prize-giving and Gala concert will take place in the Auditorium Stravinsky in Montreux.
Start Date: 14 Apr 2009
End Date: 18 Apr 2009
Title: Valentine’s cruises on Lake Geneva
Location: Lake Geneva region
Link out: Click here
Description: Dinner, drinks and a cruise for two for around CHF250. Cruises depart from Geneva, Lausanne, Montreux, Vevey and Villeneuve.
Date: 14 Feb 2009
Title: Concert of the philarmonic of the Czech Republic
Location: Montreux, Vaud
Link out: Click here
Description: Under the direction of Manfred Honeck.
Date: 15 Feb 2009
Title: Montreux miniature show
Location: Montreux, Vaud
Link out: Click here
Description: Hundreds of exhibitors will show and sell their creations.
Start Date: 06 Dec 2008
End Date: 07 Dec 2008
Title: Montreux Christmas market
Location: Montreux, Vaud
Link out: Click here
Description: Christmas shopping and carnival with a gorgeous background: the mountains and Lake Geneva.
Start Date: 27 Nov 2008
End Date: 28 Nov 2008
Title: Swiss Brass band contest
Location: Montreux, Vaud
Link out: Click here
Description: Famous brass on stage: a Swiss cultural tradition for two days in Montreux.
Start Date: 29 Nov 2008
End Date: 30 Nov 2008
Montreux, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – “Currently, we can actually prove that by buying from Africa, buying from the developing world, you’re having less of an impact on the environment than by buying local,” Patricia Francis told the 10th World Export Development Forum Wednesday, Francis, executive director of the International Trade Centre in Geneva, argues that the plethora of terms used to talk about sustainability issues is confusing consumers. [video interview]
Lake Geneva region, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The economy might be in the doldrums elsewhere, but it’s booming from Geneva to Montreux, thanks to the region’s overall attractiveness, and the result is that the Lake Geneva area has become a homogeneous region, conclude the authors of a report published by Credit Suisse Thursday morning. The report cites the growth of the economy, increasing population density and more intense commuting as part of the reason why the right bank of Lake Geneva has merged. It also cites a strong start-up scene and migration to the area as indications of its pull, as well as the landscape, quality education and a good transport infrastructure.
But the report, by the bank’s economists, also underlines weak points, noting that “the high tax burden, constant accommodation shortages and unemployment,
which is high for Switzerland, spoil the picture of this dynamic
economic area.”
The population that has been moving into the area covers all age groups, according to the report, with students and people starting their careers pulled towards the urban centres, and families moving to outlying areas, in general. Overall, the population in the region is younger than in the rest of Switzerland.
The increasing density, which Credit Suisse expects to continue for some years, will continue to put pressure on housing, already very tight in Geneva and tight in Lausanne. Nyon and the Morges-Rolle areas are some of the most sought-after by newcomers, but as Lausanne’s housing situation worsens the bank believes several areas to the east of the city will grow in popularity because of good commuting options: Gros-de-Vaud, Glâne/Veveyse, Aigle and Monthey/St-Maurice.
The relatively high cost of housing, especially in the urban centres, coupled with tax rates that are less attractive than in many cantons, nevertheless upsets the rosy picture. In Geneva in particular, the large number of foreigners moving into the canton are offset by the population moving out to less expensive areas, giving the canton a negative immigration figure in recent years.
Montreux, Vaud, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Leonard Cohen, one of the biggest names in songwriting for nearly 40 years, whose lyrics have been sung by innumerable major artists, left no doubts about his stature when he played in Montreux 8 July, Tuesday night.
This is a leg on his first concert tour in 15 years, and the crowds loved the quiet Canadian poet with the familiar voice, dressed in black.
Tonight’s big calling card in Montreux is another legend, Paul Simon.
Cohen, meanwhile, moves on to London for a 17 July concert.
(click on images to view larger)
