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Thousands of concertgoers attended the inaugural Montreux Jazz Festival (MFJ) Miami, which featured a surprise appearance from actor Will Smith.
The US spin-off of the legendary Swiss festival premiered from 1-3 March at 1,500-cap waterfront venue The Hangar, with Smith joining event co-owner and ambassador Jon Batiste on stage for an impromptu rap performance on the second night.
Batiste headlined the first two days of the event, which also featured the likes of Daryl Hall, The Wailers, Cimafunk, Emily Estefan, Cory Henry, Mathis Picard, Daniela Mercury and Adrian Cota & The Winston House Band.
Topping off each night was the Legendary Montreux Jam Session, curated by Elmo Lovano.
“Our goal from the very beginning was to take a page out of Montreux Jazz Festival’s book”
“It is with immense gratitude that we joyfully close the first chapter of Montreux Jazz Festival Miami,” says a statement from organisers. “Our goal from the very beginning was to take a page out of Montreux Jazz Festival’s book and create a festival that did everything it could to show the musicians how much we love and respect them.
“Our friends in Switzerland had shown us over the years that if we were successful in doing that, the artists would feel at home and subsequently the talent would alchemise. If the magical musical moments of the first year are any indication, we are off to a good start.”
MJF’s flagship Swiss edition has unveiled a reimagined layout for its 58th edition, set for 5-20 July 2024, while its traditional main venue undergoes construction work. The event is reinventing itself in the town with an extended route along the quay, plus a brand-new 5,000-cap stage to be built on top of Lake Geneva itself.
The changes have been made due to construction work on the Montreux Music and Convention Centre Congress Centre (2m2c), which usually hosts the festival’s major shows, with work scheduled to continue until 2025. A stage was previously created on the lake in 2021.
MJF has previously launched international editions in Japan, China and Brazil, with further expansion planned in the UAE and Spain.
“It’s not a copy and paste format,” Jaton told IQ last year. “It’s bringing the DNA of Montreux to each of those countries, using the rules of each of these countries.”
PHOTO (L-R): Adam Fell (MJFM board), Jeremy Arditi (MJFM board), Jon Batiste (MJFM board and co-owner), Mathieu Jaton (CEO of Montreux Jazz Festival).
Image: @mannyofmiami
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In a Grammy Awards ceremony that featured a video plea from Ukraine’s president, as well as a tribute to Foo Fighters dummer Taylor Hawkins, artists including Olivia Rodrigo, Silk Sonic and Jon Batiste scooped the top prizes.
The 64th event was held last night (3 April) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas after a three-month delay due to the Covid-19 surge in the US.
Jazz musician Batiste won album of the year for We Are, while Rodrigo won best new artist and best pop album.
Silk Sonic, a joint project between Bruno Mars and rapper/drummer Anderson .Paak, took home both the record and song of the year prizes for Leave The Door Open.
This year’s Grammys presented one of the most open fields in years, with the “big four” categories expanded to include 10 nominees each.
The ceremony featured performances from Silk Sonic, Gaga, Rodrigo, Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, J Balvin, BTS and more
Other winners included Lady Gaga, Doja Cat and Foo Fighters, who picked up three a little more than a week after their drummer Taylor Hawkins was found dead in his Colombia hotel room at the age of 50.
Presenter Jimmy Jam accepted the prizes in the band’s absence, “with prayers to their loved ones”.
Elsewhere, in a pre-taped message, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky urged musicians to “fill the silence” left by Russian bombs “with your music”.
“Tell our story,” he said. “Tell the truth about the war on your social networks and TV. But not silence.”
His speech was followed by a performance by John Legend, accompanied by Ukrainian musicians Siuzanna Iglidan and Mika Newton, and poet Lyuba Yakimchuk.
The ceremony also featured performances from award winners Silk Sonic, Gaga and Rodrigo, as well as Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, Chris Stapleton, J Balvin and K-pop stars BTS.
A full list of award winners can be found here.
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