Montreux Jazz Festival stalwart passes
The Montreux Jazz Festival (MJF) team has paid tribute to European music industry stalwart Jaquelyne Ledent-Vilain following her death at 78.
German-born Ledent-Vilain, who died on 18 January, was an English teacher before meeting MJF’s legendary founder Claude Nobs in 1974.
She is credited with making the Swiss festival “a haven of peace” for artists, and was recruited by Nobs, then director of Warner Elektra Atlantic (WEA) Records, to work for the label.
“She developed a relationship of trust and complementary friendship with Claude,” reads a tribute shared by the event. “She was the rigorous one, he was the artist. By his side, she worked for over 30 years.”
Speaking to Le Temps in 2019, Ledent-Vilain explained: “One day, Claude Nobs’ assistant, whom I knew, called me to tell me that a guy who worked for the festival had just been hospitalised. She then asked me to come and help them out, and I accepted. That’s how I met Claude and also Nesuhi Ertegün, the big boss of WEA International. I really felt like I was discovering another world.
“The fiercest rockers nicknamed her ‘mom’ while Prince greeted her with a mischievous smile and a bow”
“I gave myself six months to see if I liked it. I started doing my homework: every weekend, I brought back stacks of vinyl, and I started reading Billboard magazine like the Bible.”
Ledent-Vilain spent more than two decades living in London during her WEA tenure, but returned to MJF each year to help out in an unofficial capacity.
“Every summer at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Jaquelyne took care of the backstage area, where she reunited with longtime friends and looked forward to meeting the new generations,” adds the MJF team. “When introducing herself to artists, she would simply say, ‘I am the backstage girl.’
“Whether they were emerging talents or global stars, all quickly discovered that Jaquelyne was much more than that. During their stay, she was both a protector, a trustworthy ally, a strict coordinator, and a fantastic storyteller. The fiercest rockers nicknamed her ‘mom’ while Prince greeted her with a mischievous smile and a bow. She could tell you many stories about AC/DC, Mariah Carey, or Nina Simone.
“After each concert, Jaquelyne would put down her notebook and gather everyone backstage to applaud the artists when they got out of stage. A gesture that surprised and touched the artists, accustomed to being applauded on stage, rarely backstage. We invite everyone – family, former colleagues, staff, managers, and artists – to come together to applaud, in turn, this great lady who ‘simply loved people’.”
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