Montreux Jazz Festival chief talks 2024 revamp
Montreux Jazz Festival (MJF) organiser Mathieu Jaton has previewed this year’s reimagined 58th edition in an interview with IQ.
The Swiss event, which typically draws 250,000 people over 16 days, kicks off today with performances from Jon Batiste and Henry Moodie and runs until 20 July. More than 30 shows will be livestreamed for free on the festival’s YouTube channel.
MJF has undergone a number of temporary changes for 2024 due to construction work on the Montreux Music and Convention Centre Congress Centre (2m2c), home to the 4,000-capacity Stravinski Auditorium, its main venue.
As a result, this year’s festival features a new layout with a new 5,000-cap main stage erected on top of Lake Geneva, and a return to the historic Casino, which will have a capacity of 1,300 and a half-seated, half-standing configuration. The Casino burnt down in the ’70s and inspired Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple.
“It’s a totally different festival this year,” Jaton tells IQ. “We decided to reinvent everything and create something exceptional for this 2024 edition. The main difference is the festival is much larger in terms of distance, because it was concentrated around the Congress Centre before, so the spirit will be a little bit different.
“It will have the same overall capacity, although the stage on the lake is much bigger than Stravinski, with space for [an additional 1,000 people]. We will be out of the hall for two years, but it will be ready for ’26 for the 60th anniversary of Montreux.”
“Our signature right now is to have very powerful double bills”
Each night will offer a carefully curated double bill including Editors & Smashing Pumpkins, PJ Harvey & The National, Jessie Ware & Paolo Nutini, Róisín Murphy & Kraftwerk, Air & Massive Attack, Rag’N’Bone Man & Sting, Raye & Janelle Monáe and Soft Cell & Duran Duran.
“Our signature right now is to have very powerful double bills,” explains Jaton. “It’s not like an opening act and main act, it’s really a complementary double bill, so that’s exactly where we’re going. When we had the confirmation of Janelle, the goal was to make something not only good, but something exceptional that makes Montreux unique.
“With the big open air festivals, you have 10 to 15 bands playing the same night, and you buy tickets because you know you will see something fun. In Montreux, every single person is buying a ticket for a specific night, so it should be unique and exceptional. Putting two acts on with very big production, like Air and Massive Attack, for example, is not easy, but it’s amazing to have both together on the lineup on the same night.
“We are very proud of that stage this year, because it looks totally different from all the other festivals, and that’s what we’re trying to do. The audience loves the storytelling and know they will have an experience that is different from anywhere else.”
Deep Purple will also return as part of this year’s lineup alongside Alice Cooper for what will be the band’s 10th performance at Montreux.
“Of course, their story is very deep with us, and they want to show a little movie at the beginning of their performance to celebrate,” says Jaton, who recently the MJF brand’s international expansion. “Smoke on the Water is really the hymn of Montreux so I could not have dreamed of anything better than having Deep Purple playing the stage on the lake. Even though the rest of the lineup is crazy, one of the first sold out shows was Deep Purple so I’m very happy.”
“Jack White said, ‘Montreux is not like Lollapalooza or Bonnaroo: the music is first, the party is secondary.’ That is a beautiful definition”
The Swiss institution was the subject of a documentary mini-series, They All Came Out To Montreux, which premiered last year and detailed the history of the event and its celebrated founder Claude Nobs, who died in January 2013 following a skiing accident.
“Claude was not a businessman, he was really a music lover,” says Jaton. “So he was not doing a festival to make money, but because he loved music. He loved the musicians and wanted to have them close to them. They interviewed Jack White [for the documentary] and he said that when his children asked him what Montreux is about, he told them, ‘It’s not like Lollapalooza or Bonnaroo: the music is first, the party is secondary.’ And that is a beautiful definition.
“We are not a for-profit company. I don’t have shareholders, so I don’t have pressure for there to be a return on investment at the end of the festival. The only thing I have to do is take the festival into the future – and we’re always thinking of the artistic projects first, before thinking of the budget.”
MJF also includes a free programme, which represents more than 80% of its total offering and will feature more than 500 activities on 15 stages, largely dedicated to emerging artists. Highlight include Kenya Grace, Good Neighbours, Sid Sriram, Marcel Dettman, Jazzbois, Venna, Dargz, Elmiene and Black Coffee.
The prospect of MJF’s landmark 60th edition in two years’ time is also rapidly coming closer into view.
“We’ve started thinking about it,” reveals Jaton. “It’s quite difficult to book an artist for 2026 right now, but we have some ideas and discussions about doing something very special with artists who have become friends of Montreux – the old but mostly the new guys that played Montreux when they were up and coming – because our Spotlight project and Artists Foundation are very important to our programme. So we’re going to work on that, and hopefully some of the big guys will come to the 60th anniversary.”
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Montreux Jazz boss targets ‘iconic destinations’
Montreux Jazz Festival (MJF) chief Mathieu Jaton has revealed he is eyeing up “iconic destinations” for the brand’s continued international expansion.
The iconic Swiss festival returns to the Lake Geneva shoreline from 5-20 July this year. However, Jaton and the team are also exploring further overseas spin-offs following the festival’s successful debut in the US in Miami, Florida, earlier this year.
MJF has previously held international editions in Tokyo, Japan, Suzhou, China and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. And Jaton, who has directed the event since 2013, tells IQ that there is much more to come on that front.
“The future of the festival is very interesting because next year we’re going to have at least six international festivals in iconic locations,” says Jaton. “Tokyo is coming back in ’24, as is China and Brazil, which will maybe move from Rio to Salvador, Bahia. We will also continue in Miami.
“We will open in Abu Dhabi at the Louvre. We’re going to have the stage on the sea facing the museum, which is going to be great. And the last baby is a Montreux Jazz Festival in Ibiza. We’re still processing, thinking and talking about it. It’s not definitely signed yet, but we have the date, we have the partners, we have everything.
“The goal is to bring jazz into the mecca of electronic music. I love the idea: the electronic music needs recognition from the jazz scene, and the jazz scene needs electronic music to be open to the word. So having Montreux in the middle is a very nice sign. I love that.”
“The goal is not to have 10 or 20 festivals around the planet. We’re looking for iconic destinations that make sense with our DNA”
The third Montreux Jazz Festival China is set for 25-27 October at Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre, while talks have also taken place regarding a potential MJF South Africa.
“We are having discussions [about an event] close to Cape Town,” adds Jaton. “But it’s not a strategic development in terms of us wanting a very big expansion and having 10 or 20 festivals around the planet – that’s not the goal. We’re looking for iconic destinations that make sense with our DNA.”
Montreux Jazz Festival Miami premiered over three days in March at waterfront venue The Hangar, with actor and rapper Will Smith joining event co-owner and ambassador Jon Batiste on stage for an impromptu rap performance on the second night.
“Miami was crazy. We were very happy with it,” says Jaton. “We decided to start small and beautiful in Coconut Grove with only 1,500 people. Jon Batiste headed the festival, and as an ambassador, he brought all of his friends. We got the appearance of Will Smith coming in and jamming with Jon, which was very much in the spirit of Montreux.”
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, topped off with the Legendary Montreux Jam Session, curated by Elmo Lovano.
“The American audience was quite surprised to see a little bit of a different way of doing things,” adds Jaton. “It was a really interesting first edition and we will continue in that vein.”
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Festivals update: Rock en Seine, Roskilde, Open’er
Some of Europe’s biggest festivals have added to their lineups as the 2024 summer season gets underway.
Notable events taking place across the continent this weekend include Best Kept Secret in the Netherlands, Rock am Ring and Rock im Park in Germany, Primavera Porto in Portugal, Sweden Rock Festival, Orange Warsaw Festival in Poland and Parklife in the UK.
Meanwhile, France’s Rock en Seine, which is set for 21-25 August at Domaine national de Saint-Cloud, outside Paris, has announced 38 new acts, joining headliners Lana Del Rey, Fred again.., LCD Soundsystem, Måneskin, Massive Attack, PJ Harvey, The Offspring and The Smile.
Del Rey, who headlines the opening night, will top a 100% female line-up, supported by Rori, Towa Bird and Pomme. Other fresh additions include Kae Tempest, Venna, Sofie Royer, CVC, Joy (Anonymous), Loverman, New West, Rachel Chinouriri, Nell Mescal, BINA, Soft Launch, Monobloc, Vox Low and Yoa.
Also featuring are Durry, Emily Jeffri, Aili, Dynamite Shakers, Martha Da’ro, The Scratch, Astral Bakers, Merryn Jeann, Rallye, Dog Park, Madam, Nina Versyp, Clara Kimera, 135, Please, Geagea, Menades, Past Life Romeo, Bada-Bada, Lisa Ducasse and Joe la panic.
Elsewhere, there has been a change at the top at Denmark’s Roskilde, which runs from 29 June to 6 July, with Charli XCX stepping in to replace Kali Uchis on 5 July. SZA, Doja Cat, Foo Fighters, J Hus, PinkPantheress, 21 Savage and Skrillex are among this year’s headliners.
“Charli XCX sets new standards for hyperpop, and we are pleased to add an international name of such high calibre”
“Charli XCX sets new standards for hyperpop, and we are pleased to add an international name of such high calibre,” says Roskilde programme director Anders Wahrén.
Charli XCX has also joined the bill at Poland’s Open’er alongside Don Toliver and Hozier, who has been confirmed as the 3-6 July event’s final headliner. Foo Fighters, Dua Lipa and Doja Cat also top the lineup, with other acts including Måneskin, Disclosure, Ashnikko, 21 Savage, Ice Spice, Air, Loyle Carner, Michael Kiwanuka, Floating Points, Kim Gordon, Tom Morello, Sampha and Slowdive.
Croatia’s biggest open-air music festival InMusic, which was forced to cancel last year’s edition, has released the full lineup for its 2024 return from 24-26 June. The Zagreb event will be topped by The National, Hozier, Paolo Nutini and the Smashing Pumpkins. Also set to perform are Röyksopp, Gossip, Viagra Boys, Dogstar, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Gaslight Anthem, Squid and Sleaford Mods, among others.
The legendary Montreux Jazz Festival has unveiled the free programme for its 58th edition, which will take place on the shores of Lake Geneva, Switzerland, between 5-20 July 2024.
With more than 500 activities on 15 stages, the free programme is largely dedicated to promoting emerging artists and represents more than 80% of the festival’s total offering. Highlight include Kenya Grace, Good Neighbours, Sid Sriram, Marcel Dettman, Jazzbois, Venna, Dargz, Elmiene and Black Coffee.
“After careful consideration and evaluation of various factors, we have decided that this is the right time to close this chapter”
In addition, daily workshops will include members of Deep Purple and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason sharing their memories of Montreux in the 70s, as well as jazz artists such as Lakecia Benjamin, Faraj Suleiman and Roni Kaspi, while a workshop and four events will be dedicated to iconic French artist Serge Gainsbourg on 14 July.
The free events will run alongside the main festival lineup, which will star the likes of Raye, Sting, Massive Attack, Kraftwerk, Janelle Monáe, PJ Harvey, Smashing Pumpkins, Jungle, Duran Duran, Rag’n’Bone Man, Yussef Dayes, André 3000 and Alice Cooper.
Also in Switzerland, hip-hop festival Openair Frauenfield, scheduled for 11-13 July, will feature acts including Nicki Minaj, 21 Savage, Offset, Don Toliver, Apache 207, Gunna, Ice Spice, Skepta, Shirin David and D-Block Europe.
However, Weihern Openair has come to an end after 10 years. The Swiss festival traditionally took place in St Gallen in mid-September, after the main season.
“This decision was not easy for us, but after careful consideration and evaluation of various factors, we have decided that this is the right time to close this chapter,” says a statement.
Glastonbury has dropped its full 2024 lineup, complete with stage times
The association behind the event had reportedly run into deficits over the past two years due to declining visitor numbers.
“One of the main reasons is that at the end of the festival season we were unable to motivate enough people or visitors to come to the Weihern to enjoy music,” says Kajo Bischof, organising committee member of the Weihern Openair Association, as per FM1 Today. “We noticed that the demand to go to festivals at this time of year has dropped significantly.”
Plus, the UK’s Glastonbury festival has dropped its full 2024 lineup, complete with stage times. Late additions to the 26-30 June programme include James, Tems, Femi Kuti, Seasick Steve, Jamie Webster, the Staves, the Skatalites, Jalen Ngonda, the Vaccines, Johnny Flynn, Soft Play, Rachel Chinouriri, The Zutons and the Birmingham Royal Ballet. Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA are this year’s Pyramid Stage headliners.
Lastly, London concert series BST Hyde Park has fleshed out this year’s supporting cast, with Hans Zimmer, Seal, Zucchero, Katherine Jenkins and Matteo Bocelli joining headliner Andrea Bocelli on 5 July.
In addition, Gary Clark Jr, Cannons, Somebody’s Child, Red Rum Club, Keo, The Meffs, Daydreamers and Nieve Ella bolster Kings of Leon’s 30 June show with previously announced special guests Paolo Nutini and The Vaccines. Plus, MARINA, Anitta and ALTÉGO will perform before Kylie Minogue’s headline set on 13 July, and Maisie Peters, Alec Benjamin, NMIXX, and KIRE will support Stray Kids on 14 July.
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Montreux Jazz Festival unveils 2024 lineup
Switzerland’s legendary Montreux Jazz Festival has announced a typically eclectic lineup for its 58th edition.
Running from 5-20 July, artists will include Raye, Sting, Massive Attack, Kraftwerk, Janelle Monáe, PJ Harvey, Smashing Pumpkins, Jungle, Duran Duran, Rag’n’Bone Man, Yussef Dayes, André 3000, Alice Cooper and Deep Purple.
The 2024 event will see a number of temporary changes 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, this year’s festival will feature a new layout with a new 5,000-cap main stage erected on top of Lake Geneva, and a return to the historic Casino, which will have a capacity of 1,300 and a half-seated, half-standing configuration.
The Casino burnt down in the 70s and inspired Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water. Deep Purple will return to perform on the lake on 8 July for their 10th performance at Montreux.
“We have to find a new and brilliant ID for ’24 and ’25, so that’s going to be a major challenge”
“It was very clear when we came back in ’22 that we were going to bring in a lot of changes to transform the festival and take it into the future,” Montreux Jazz Festival chief Mathieu Jaton told IQ last year. “We have to find a new and brilliant ID for ’24 and ’25, so that’s going to be a major challenge. And then June ’26 is the 60th anniversary, so we have some nice years in front of us.”
Other performers will include Michael Kiwanuka, Jessie Ware, Laufey, Lenny Kravitz, Tyla, The National, Diana Krall, Mahalia, Jamie Cullum, Soft Cell, Dionne Warwick, Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets and Air.
There will also be 11 free stages, while the Lake House returns with its the Memphis jazz club and its jam sessions, the cinema screening room and the Bibliotheque, which brings together collections of vinyl and books, with talks presented each day by a guest. The free programme will be announced in full on 5 June.
US spin-off Montreux Jazz Festival Miami debuted last month at 1,500-cap waterfront venue The Hangar. Event co-owner and ambassador Jon Batiste headlined the first two days of the 1-3 March 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, along with a surprise appearance by Will Smith.
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Thousands flock to first Montreux Jazz Fest Miami
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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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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US fest lineups: Gov Ball, New Orleans, MJF Miami
It has been a busy week for festival announcements in the United States, with a host of events joining Coachella in revealing their 2024 lineups.
Coachella, which takes place from 12-14 and 19-21 April at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, unveiled Lana Del Rey, Tyler, the Creator, Doja Cat and the reunited No Doubt as this year’s headliners.
Elsewhere, New York’s Governors Ball is set for Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens during New York’s Music Month on 7-9 June, when it will be headlined by SZA, Post Malone, and The Killers. Also confirmed are 21 Savage, Dominic Fike, Carly Rae Jepsen, Reneé Rapp, Labrinth, Sabrina Carpenter and Don Toliver, alongside an expanded presence of Latin music with artists such as Peso Pluma, Rauw Alejandro and Farruko.
Gov Ball will also welcome festival debut performances from Victoria Monét, Sexyy Red, TV Girl, Goth Babe, Alex G, Jessie Murph, Teezo Touchdown, Tyla and Kevin Abstract, among others.
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is adding an extra day to expand to eight days in 2024, creating two equal four-day weekends from 25-28 April and 2-5 May. Held at the historic Fair Grounds Race Course, it will be topped by the Rolling Stones, Foo Fighters, Chris Stapleton, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, The Killers, Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, Hozier and Jon Batiste.
Other acts include Queen Latifah, Vampire Weekend, Greta Van Fleet, Heart, Widespread Panic, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Bonnie Raitt, Earth, Wind & Fire, the Beach Boys and Joe Bonamassa.
“Miami naturally lends itself to the musical diversity that Montreux has become synonymous with”
Elsewhere, the inaugural Montreux Jazz Festival Miami, which premieres on 1-3 March, at The Hangar in Coconut Grove, Florida, has announced a fresh batch of artists.
The maiden three-day event will feature headline performances from event co-owner and ambassador Jon Batiste, plus Daniela Mercury, Daryl Hall and latest addition Seu Jeorge. Also added to the bill are Israel Houghton, Cécile McLorin Salvant, The Wailers, Rogét Chahayed and Cimafunk.
In an effort to recreate the “singular intimacy” of Montreux, Switzerland, the Miami festival will take place in The Hangar, a 1,500-cap waterfront venue that was once a World War I naval air station. The festival programming will include music masterclasses and the Legendary Montreux Jam Sessions.
“As a city of cultural connection, Miami naturally lends itself to the musical diversity that Montreux has become synonymous with,” says Mathieu Jaton, CEO of Montreux Jazz Festival. “We believe that the waterfront location and the artists performing in this first edition are a true reflection of the original Montreux Jazz Festival experience.”
Meanwhile, the 13th edition of Hangout Music Festival is scheduled for Gulf Shores, Alabama from 17-19 May. Its eclectic lineup is headed by Zach Bryan, Lana Del Rey and ODESZA, with other acts to include The Chainsmokers, Cage The Elephant, Dominic Fike, Reneé Rapp, Jessie Murph, Subtronics, Dom Dolla, A Day To Remember, Doechii, Nelly, Koe Wetzel, Alison Wonderland, Megan Moroney, Sexyy Red, NLE Choppa and All Time Low.
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Montreux Jazz Festival reinvents format for 2024
Montreux Jazz Festival (MJF) has unveiled a reimagined layout for its 58th edition while its traditional main venue undergoes construction work.
Set to be held from 5-20 July 2024, the storied Swiss 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.
It will also see a return to the Casino, where the festival started in 1967, along with a large number of free stages as it continues to accommodate its usual 250,000 capacity across the duration of the event. The Casino Stage will have a capacity of 1,300 and a half-seated, half-standing configuration.
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.
“It was very clear when we came back in ’22 that we were going to bring in a lot of changes to transform the festival and take it into the future”
“It is never business as usual at Montreux,” MJF CEO Mathieu Jaton told IQ earlier this year. “It was very clear when we came back in ’22 that we were going to bring in a lot of changes to transform the festival and take it into the future. And ’24 will be another challenge because we have to move the festival from the Congress Centre as [redevelopment] work will be starting just after the festival this summer.”
The reigning top festival (Ligger’s Favourite Festival) at ILMC’s Arthur Awards, the Swiss festival pulled in around 250,000 fans to the shores of Lake Geneva this year for its combination of free and ticketed concerts.
Artists included Bob Dylan, Lionel Richie, Lil Nas X, Sam Smith, Simply Red, Iggy Pop, Generation Sex, Norah Jones, Seal, Joe Bonamassa, Nile Rodgers & Chic and Mark Ronson.
MJF was the subject of the 2023 documentary mini-series, They All Came Out To Montreux, which premiered in the UK earlier this month on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer. The three-part doc details the history of the event and its legendary founder Claude Nobs, who died in January 2013 following a skiing accident. Jaton speaks about Nobs’ enduring legacy here.
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Montreux Jazz Festival ’23 pulls in 250k fans
Ticket sales for this year’s Montreux Jazz Festival (MJF) were among the best in history according to organisers, with venue capacity averaging close to 90% across the event.
Held from 30 June to 15 July, the Swiss festival pulled in around 250,000 fans to the shores of Lake Geneva for its combination of free and ticketed concerts.
Artists included Bob Dylan, Lionel Richie, Lil Nas X, Sam Smith, Simply Red, Iggy Pop, Generation Sex, Norah Jones, Seal and Joe Bonamassa, with co-headliners Nile Rodgers & Chic and Mark Ronson bringing proceedings to a close on Saturday at the 4,000-cap Auditorium Stravinski and 2,000-cap Montreux Jazz Lab, respectively.
“I’m particularly happy with this year’s festival,”festival director Mathieu Jaton tells Swiss Info, noting the spirit of sharing between artists and audiences gave the event a “feeling of collective euphoria”. The event enjoyed good weather apart from two “complicated” days of summer storms, he adds.
MJF reports that attendance figures were on a par with last year, meaning its ticket sale targets were met despite its budget of 28 million Swiss francs (€29m) being one of the highest in its 57-year history. Tickets for most shows were priced between 88 and 145fr, while admission for Bob Dylan’s sold-out show was 365fr.
Its free stages, meanwhile, offered festival-goers a selection of five or six successive performances each evening.
“We have to find a new and brilliant ID for ’24 and ’25, so that’s going to be a major challenge”
Due to major renovation work, 2m2c (Montreux Music and Convention Centre Congress Centre) will be unavailable for the next two years of the event, with a new 5,000-cap stage set to be introduced on the lake. The festival’s perimeter will be moved between the Fairmont le Montreux Palace and the Place du Marché, with the exact format to be announced by the end of the year.
“It is never business as usual at Montreux,” Jaton recently told IQ. “It was very clear when we came back in ’22 that we were going to bring in a lot of changes to transform the festival and take it into the future. And ’24 will be another challenge because we have to move the festival from the Congress Centre as [redevelopment] work will be starting just after the festival this summer.
“We have to find a new and brilliant ID for ’24 and ’25, so that’s going to be a major challenge. And then June ’26 is the 60th anniversary, so we have some nice years in front of us.”
A series of spin-off events will take place prior to MJF’s return from 5-20 July 2024. They include the second edition of Montreux Jazz Festival China (27 September-2 October 2023), the fourth edition of the Montreux Jazz Artists Foundation Autumn Festival (4-7 October) and the third edition of the Rio Montreux Jazz Festival (12-14 October).
Plus, the second MJF Spotlight Sessions in Villars is set for February-March 2024, while the first edition of the three-day MJF Miami in Coconut Grove – which will comprise international programming mixed with well-known local artists – is planned for early March 2024.
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‘It’s never business as usual at Montreux’
Montreux Jazz Festival (MJF) chief Mathieu Jaton has discussed the next stage of the event’s evolution as it prepares to break from the norm in 2024.
The reigning top festival (Ligger’s Favourite Festival) at ILMC’s Arthur Awards, MJF’s 2023 edition launches today with sets by Simply Red and Tom Odell at the 4,000-cap Auditorium Stravinski and Jimi Jules and Rufus Du Sol in the 2,000-cap Montreux Jazz Lab.
The 57th festival will follow the same format as last year’s post Covid return, maintaining the Lake House space that was introduced in 2022 to showcase emerging jazz talent. But changes are already afoot for 2024 as MJF’s 2m2c (Montreux Music and Convention Centre Congress Centre) venue will be out of commission due to redevelopment work. As a result, plans are afoot for a new 5,000-cap stage on the lake.
“It is never business as usual at Montreux,” laughs MJF CEO Jaton. “It was very clear when we came back in ’22 that we were going to bring in a lot of changes to transform the festival and take it into the future. And ’24 will be another challenge because we have to move the festival from the Congress Centre as [redevelopment] work will be starting just after the festival this summer.
“We have to find a new and brilliant ID for ’24 and ’25, so that’s going to be a major challenge. And then June ’26 is the 60th anniversary, so we have some nice years in front of us.”
“The perception of the Montreux brand is getting greater and greater”
Other performers at the Swiss festival, which runs until 15 July on the shores of Lake Geneva, will include Bob Dylan, Lionel Richie, Lil Nas X, Iggy Pop, Norah Jones, Sam Smith, Seal and Nile Rodgers.
“We’ve been elected as the best European festival this year for the second time and the perception of the Montreux brand is getting greater and greater,” Jaton tells IQ. “The format of Montreux is different from other open-air festivals, for sure, and we have a mix of programming that stays close to our DNA. When you put it all together at the end it is quite successful. Now, we’re just hoping for good weather!”
Jaton says ticket sales have moved at a faster pace than last year, when the festival attracted 250,000 people (approximately 100,000 for paid concerts and 150,000 for its 450 free events).
More sets will be livestreamed than ever before, with over 40 performances from the Auditorium Stravinski and Jazz Lab to be available to watch free of charge on the MJF website and YouTube channel as part of the festival and the Montreux Jazz Artists Foundation’s mission to make music accessible to all.
Jaton also gave an update on efforts to strengthen the Montreux Jazz Festival brand worldwide, with spin-offs in Miami, Abu Dhabi and Ibiza all in the offing.
“Fingers crossed… there could be six Montreux Jazz Festivals internationally in 2024”
“We have a complete ecosystem of the festival, which is of course the festival itself in Montreux, but also the Montreux Jazz Artist Foundation,” he explains. “We also have Multimedia Ventures and Montreux Jazz International, which is developing MJF Cafes and the festival around the world.
“We have three international festivals historically, in Tokyo, China and Rio. China and Rio are taking place in October. And we’re planning to open Montreux Jazz Festival in Miami in March ’24; Montreuz Jazz Festival in Abu Dhabi in March ’24 and Montreux Jazz Festival in Ibiza in autumn ’24.
“Fingers crossed, but if it works there could be six Montreux Jazz Festivals internationally in ’24. And it’s not a copy and paste format, it’s bringing the DNA of Montreux to each of those countries, using the rules of each of these countries.”
MJF was the subject of the recent documentary mini-series, They All Came Out To Montreux, which premiered in the UK earlier this month on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer. The three-part doc details the history of the event and its legendary founder Claude Nobs, who died in January 2013 following a skiing accident. Jaton speaks about Nobs’ enduring legacy here.
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