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 Marcus Miller, Neil Young, Lana Del Rey, Jamie Cullum,
Santana and Deep Purple are standouts at the June 30-July 16
event, which Quincy Jones, a former co-director of Montreux,
calls "the Rolls-Royce of festivals".
"It's rare for a music festival to turn 50," MJF director
Mathieu Jaton told Reuters as the program was announced in the
Swiss resort where the late Claude Nobs founded the festival in
1967.
"We're bringing together people close to the DNA and savoir-
faire of a festival known for its special creations, this time
with a Quincy Jones evening and a Brazilian-African night, but
also the young generation like Woodkid, inviting his own guest
artists" he said, referring to a French singer-songwriter and
video director.
It kicks off on June 30 with a tribute to "two jazz greats",
Jaton said.
American saxophonist Charles Lloyd, who headlined the first
edition in 1967, performs with his New Quartet, followed by
Jamaican Monty Alexander, whose best-selling Live! album was
recorded at Montreux in 1976.
"It will be held at the Montreux Casino, we're going back to our
roots," Jaton said.
"Brazilian Dream" night, set for July 10, features artists Elba
Ramalho, Hamilton de Holanda and Maria Rita, followed by
Angelique Kidjo leading five African women.
"It underlines the trust that Claude Nobs had in Brazilian
music. He brought Latin music to Montreux in the early 1970s.
Every year we've featured Brazil," Jaton said.
The July 8 show features Quincy Jones, now in his sixth decade
of a career as a musician, composer and producer, during which
he has worked with artists ranging from Frank Sinatra to Michael
Jackson, whose album "Thriller" he produced. It will star Mick
Hucknall's Simply Red and surprise guests.
The budget for the festival, whose tickets go on sale on Friday,
is 28 million Swiss francs ($29.1 million).
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CREATING STORIES
"We try to create stories, put artists on the same stage the same
night," Jaton said.
Patti Smith and PJ Harvey, queens of rock, pair up on July 6, after
Buddy Guy and ZZ Top share the stage for a bluesy American Fourth of
July. English singer Anohni, formerly lead singer of Antony and the
Johnsons, and French electronica duo Air have double-billing on July
1.
"The most obvious (double bill) is closing night with Deep Purple
who recorded 'Smoke on the Water' while watching the Montreux Casino
burn as Frank Zappa was playing (in 1971). This will be Zappa's son
playing and opening for Deep Purple, It's a nice way to put the bill
together," Jaton said.
Neil Young returns on July 12 for the first time since 2001, "it was
a dream of Claude to bring him back", he said.
For aficionados, a "jazz night par excellence" stars John Scofield,
Brad Mehldau, Mark Guiliana and John McLaughlin on July 3 at the
Auditorium Stravinski.
At the Club, an intimate venue with 350 seats, highlights include
Randy Weston on July 2, and New Orleans' Christian Scott followed by
Mike Stern, Bill Evans and Darryl Jones -- "three guys who played
with Miles Davis", Jaton said.
Miles Davis played his last concert in 1991 at Montreux, months
before dying, and is famously remembered for asking for a Ferrari to
drive along lake Geneva, a wish granted by Nobs.
($1 = 0.9623 Swiss francs)
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay, editing by Larry King)
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