The author frolicking in Lake Geneva last August, with
the Montreux skyline in the background (Photo credit:
Robert Schrader)
Started in 1967 by Claude Nobs, Géo Voumard and René Langel, the Montreux Jazz Festival currently hosts musicians of nearly every genre and draws crowds of more than 200,000 to the serene alpine town of Montreux, located on the eastern shores of Lake Geneva in the Swiss Canton of Vaud. Until 1971, performances were held exclusively at the Montreux Casino, which burned down that December. During the construction of the new casino, completed in 1975, the festival was forced to utilize other venues, an expansion that continues to this day and can be at least partially owed to the explosive growth of the festival, which lasted but three days its first year and played to only a fraction of today's guests.
The primary engine of the festival's success is Claude Nobs, a former Swiss tourism professional who still serves as the head organizer and is largely credited for securing new acts, both established and breakthrough. Having hosted such classic rock legends as Led Zeppelin, Santana and Van Morrison, the festival is also notable for having effectively launched the careers of several recent artists, including iconic singer-songwriter-pianist Tori Amos, whose recently released 10th album, Abnormally Attracted to Sin, was preceded by a DVD of her 1991 and 1992 appearances at the festival as part of the new Live at Montreux series, which also features classic performances from artists such as Eric Clapton, Johnny Cash and Ella Fitzgerland.
Running from July 3-18, this year's festival will feature performances from legendary guitarist B.B. King, R&B icon Chaka Khan, the hugely influential Dave Matthews Band and England's quirky Lily Allen. Tickets can be purchased on the venue's website and are sold by individual event.
Montreux can be reached easily by car from anywhere in Switzerland, approximately 50 minutes from the Geneva Airport on Autobahn A1/A9 and two hours from Zürich International. From Austin, Switzerland can be accessed via one-stop service into Zürich from New York, Atlanta and Newark on American, Delta and Continental, respectively; Delta offers daily service into Geneva from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Accomodation in Montreux is vast and varied, with a number of botique hotels, B&Bs, backpacker hostels and rural camping options available. For more information on this year's Montreux Jazz Festival and festivals of years past, visit the official website. Stay tuned to the Austin International Travel Examiner for all news, reviews, profiles and advice related to international travel.
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