Soundcheck in Montreux The stars sleep in this 12,500-franc suite on Lake Geneva

Bob Dylan, Nora Jones, Simply Red, Gilberto Gil, Iggy Pop and Maluma - these are the headliners of the 57th Montreux Jazz Festival. The latest events in our ticker.

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Thursday, July 6, 12:39 p.m.

The stars sleep in this 12,500-franc suite in Montreux

Who wouldn't want to sleep in the same bed as Diana Ross or Lenny Kravitz? We tell you which suite the music stars stay in when they're in Montreux for the Jazz Festival.

Tuesday, July 4, 9 a.m.

"Swiss German is not the language of love"

With her blend of R&B, soul and jazz, the singer-songwriter Nnavy from western Switzerland is enjoying ever greater success. With over 10 million listeners on Spotify, she has long since gained an audience far beyond the borders of Switzerland.

Last night, Nnavy celebrated her acclaimed premiere on the stage of the Auditorium Stravinski in Montreux. Asked in an interview by blue Music host Alizée Liechti about possible prejudices against Swiss German, the singer replies with a laugh: "That's mean."

But then Nnavy answers the question anyway. If you want to hear her answer, just watch the video below.

Monday, July 3, 5:01 p.m.

Diana Ross and her strange wish for her hotel suite

The concierge is the heart of a luxury hotel. He is the true master of the house. The concierge is a perfect organizer who fulfils his guests' every wish.

Mathieu Terisse, head concierge at Fairmont Le Montreux Palace, tells blue Music Host Annina Frey a wonderful story about soul singer Diana Ross. But just watch the video below.

Monday, July 3, 9:22 a.m.

How well the festival visitors play the recorder

How musical are the fans who attend the Montreux Jazz Festival? blue News puts it to the test and lets some visitors and a surprise guest play the recorder.

Monday, July 3, 7:49 a.m.

Deep Purple and playing under water

You feel like you've been transported back in time when you lie on a deckchair in the Piscine du Casino in Montreux, soaking up the sun and sipping a glass of Prosecco.

The small spa is considered one of the most expensive bathing establishments in Switzerland. The place with its butterfly-shaped pool and view of the lake holds a secret that should interest more than just music fans.

I'm just saying: Deep Purple.

Momoll, my colleague Sulamith Ehrensperger and I didn't want to miss out on this atmosphere. But just take a look at our video.

Sunday, July 2, 6:15 p.m.

"This really is a place to get goosebumps"

Landmarks are famous, but often have a problem.

Everyone thinks they know them, even though many have never actually seen them. Or have you ever been to the Matterhorn? Okay, mountaineering is not everyone's cup of tea.

And Chillon Castle, not far from Montreux, have you ever visited it?

Don't worry, until a few days ago I had never seen the inside of the moated castle on Lake Geneva. Which may have something to do with an experience in my childhood.

Did you also have to make Chillon Castle at school? Did you have to cut out countless pieces of cardboard, fold them, glue them and at some point curse quietly because a flap got caught on your fingers instead of a door?

A complicated cult

The handicraft sheet, designed in 1963 and published by Pädagogischer Verlag, is a cult today. A complicated cult, however, which requires millimeter-precise work and a lot of perseverance. I often had a lot of trouble with this as a child.

Despite this unedifying experience, I recently set off with work colleague Marjorie Kublun to Switzerland's most visited architectural monument.

Château de Chillon, considered by many to be the most beautiful castle in the country, was built on a rocky island almost a millennium ago. It became world-famous thanks to Jean-Jaques Rousseau's novel "Julie or The New Heloise" and Lord Byron's poem "The Prisoner of Chillon".

Oh, enough writing. Just watch the video below.

And don't worry, it's not just about old walls this time. Marjorie and I really enjoyed ourselves on our voyage of discovery around Lake Geneva - during a visit to winemaker David Kind and his son Simon in the Vaud wine-growing region of La Côte in Saint-Prex.

Santé!

Sunday, July 2. 11:11 a.m.

Dear Romands, how well do you speak Swiss German?

Rätschbäsä, Schnurägigä and Gireizle. Schwiizerdütsch surprises with unexpected pitfalls. blue News editor Bruno Bötschi tests French-speaking Swiss in Montreux to see how well they speak the dialect.

Sunday, July 2. 9 a.m.

Ticket prices rise massively in Switzerland: "I would also pay 2,000 francs for Bob Dylan"

Fans of music festivals have to dig deep into their pockets. Tickets for Taylor Swift or Bob Dylan now cost a small fortune after the stars were unable to go on tour for a long time due to the coronavirus pandemic. A survey in Montreux.

Saturday, July 1, 3:52 pm

Mathieu Jaton: "We don't earn anything from Bob Dylan"

Bob Dylan (82) is gracing the Montreux Jazz Festival this week. And for the very last time.

Director Mathieu Jaton reveals in a blue News interview why, despite the high ticket prices (from CHF 365), there is no profit to be made from the Dylan concert.

Saturday, July 1, 3 p.m.

To get in the mood for today's Montreux concert by Bob Dylan

Saturday, July 1, 11:35 a.m.

"Hey, why so loud?"

The sound check has long since become indispensable for a successful concert. It provides the basis for a balanced sound and ensures that the collaboration between the sound engineer and the musicians works smoothly during their performance.

It's just stupid when the editorial office is located directly behind the stage and the drummer practices and practices and practices the same drum beat x times during the sound check ...

Saturday, July 1, 7:16 a.m.

Bob Dylan and his tough concert rules

Cell phone junkies may suffer withdrawal symptoms at Bob Dylan's concert in Montreux tonight. The 82-year-old folk poet has enforced that audience members are not allowed to use their cell phones.

Photography and filming are prohibited during the concert. How will this work? The cell phones of all audience members will be packed in sleeves before the concert begins, which will be sealed afterwards. Even the few media representatives who are allowed to watch the concert will not be able to use their smartphones.

"We would have liked to have had at least a few pictures," says Mathieu Jaton, Director of the Montreux Jazz Festival. However, the ban on cell phones was at Dylan's request. "This requirement also applies to all other concerts on his current tour."

It is no surprise, however, that the Auditorium Stravinski is sold out tonight. This is despite the high prices of CHF 365 and more per ticket.

It will be interesting to see how long Bob Dylan's performance on Lake Geneva will be remembered. The 82-year-old winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature is considered unpredictable on stage. The response to his last concerts was mixed.

Saturday, July 1, 6:45 a.m.

Tom Odell: "I hope the worst day of my life is behind me"

Tom Odell and his piano enchanted the audience in Montreux on Friday evening. A video interview by blue Music host Annina Frey with the British singer-songwriter about his panic attacks and his song "Another Love", which was released in 2013 and became a hit again due to the Iran protests.

Friday, June 30, 11.15 p.m.

Simple Red rocks Montreux

Friday evening saw Simply Red perform at the sold-out Auditorium Stravinski. It was the British band's seventh appearance in Montreux. Here you can see the pictures from the concert.

Friday, June 30, 6.15 p.m.

The Swiss sound engineer who saved Diana Ross

Without people like Stefano Pavoni, musicians would be at a loss. The sound engineer ensures the right sound in the artists' ears. Watch the video to see how Pavoni saved Diana Ross' performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival a year ago.

Friday, June 30, 4.10 p.m.

She's pumped, he's already tired

Friday, June 30, 3.30 p.m.

The calm before the storm on Lake Geneva

The final preparations for the 57th edition of the legendary jazz festival are underway in Montreux today.

Here you can see pictures of the final work before Tom Odell and Simply Red open the festival on Lake Geneva tonight.

Friday, June 30, 8:55 a.m.

Mick Hucknall: "I don't want to be driven into bankruptcy"

At last. The wait is over. For the first time, I'll be seeing Simply Red live on stage today. And at a legendary venue: the Auditorium Stravinski in Montreux.

I have known the English band since their beginnings. Their debut single "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)" was released in the summer of 1985. An extremely successful cover version of a Valentine Brother's song.

The debut album "Picture Book" was released the following fall. This was followed by "Men & Women" in March 1987 and "A New Flame" in February 1989. Although I bought all of Simply Red's first three albums, I never went to a concert by the band.

Now then: Simply Red is also one of those 80s bands that have resigned from the stage more than once. After various solo outings by Mick Hucknall, the band has been playing together again for several years.

And this despite the fact that some concert organizers seem to have a problem with the band's frontman. But Mick Hucknall doesn't care. In a recent interview, he said: "I can live with the tough guy image."

The 63-year-old musician then reveals his secret recipe for why he and his bandmates are still so successful today: "In the music business, you can't put up with anything, otherwise you'll be exploited."

Musicians such as Michael Jackson, George Michael and Prince all had financial or personal problems that ultimately led to their downfall. "I don't want to be driven into bankruptcy or end up a drug wreck," Hucknell continues.

That's why he's fine if people know that they can't take the piss out of him. "I want to do the job I have as well as possible. And I don't want anyone to get in my way."

Okay, so tonight I'll see how well the guys from Simply Red do their job. And another tip for all those who can't be there live at the Auditorium Stravinski in Montreux: blue Music will be livestreaming the concert.

Thursday, June 29

Mathieu Jaton: "Sex, drugs and rock and roll used to look different"

The Montreux Jazz Festival is once again attracting big names to Lake Geneva. In an interview with blue News, Festival Director Mathieu Jaton explains what he would do in the case of Rammstein - and how the stars behave with him.

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June 22, 2023

When I was Claude Nobs' uninvited guest

What you won't do to be close to your idol. Some fans wait for hours in the pouring rain outside a hotel to catch a glimpse of a Hollywood star.

Others attend every concert of their favourite band because they hope to be let into the backstage area at some point and to realize it there at the latest:

Superstars can also stink of sweat after working their butts off on stage for two hours.

My good friend Lukas and I weren't satisfied with that 30 years ago, on my very first visit to the Montreux Jazz Festival. We wanted more. We wanted to go to the chalet of festival founder Claude Nobs, who died in 2013.

We had heard a lot about the place before, but didn't know exactly where to find the house. A circumstance that didn't deter us from our idea. We were still young and so brave.

At the train station in Montreux, we got into a cab and tried to explain to the driver in our school French where the journey should take us: "Conduisez nous à la villa de Claude Nobs ... s'il vous plaît."

And lo and behold, the cab driver drove off without a single query. He drove and drove and drove further and further up the hill. At one point I asked Lukas: "Where is this guy taking us?" I admit I was a bit scared.

A little later, the cab stopped in front of a rather imposing building. An even more handsome man was waiting in front of it. He had countless badges hanging around his neck. As soon as Lukas and I got out of the cab, the man started smiling and opened the door to the house for us. Before we really understood what was happening to us, we were standing in Claude Nobs' famous villa.

The chalet was furnished with antique furniture, various jukeboxes, miniature trains and musical instruments. However, I can't remember it that well. The place felt like a dream come true, but you only realize that it has become reality once you have left this wonderful place.

Did we meet Claude Nobs? Honestly, I don't remember.

I only remember that there were quite a few people standing around in the garden. But there was no one there that Lukas or I would have known. Not a star, not a starlet and not a C or Servelat celebrity for miles around.

The afternoon at the chalet ended with some wine, a few snacks from the buffet and a game of ping-pong. At some point, however, Lukas and I started to get a bit anxious. What if someone realizes that we don't belong here? And we disappeared again.

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June 21, 2023

Tina Turner, friend of Montreux and Claude Nobs

In addition to her home in Küsnacht on Lake Zurich, Tina Turner, who died at the end of May, also had a special relationship with Montreux. She was a close friend of Claude Nobs, the founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival.

Thierry Amsallem, President of the Claude Nobs Foundation and Claude's partner for 25 years, recalls: "When Claude died, we organized a small ceremony in his chalet and Tina Turner came to say goodbye to him".

Claude Nobs had also presented the singer with the trophy when she was honored with the Swiss Award in Zurich in 2010: "They had the same passion for music," said Amsallem in an interview with Keystone-SDA.

Tina Turner performed in Montreux in 1973 and 1979, but never again at the Montreux Jazz Festival. This was partly due to tax reasons, says Thierry Amsallem. He also believes that Tina Turner, like other Swiss-based artists, preferred the country for its tranquillity rather than for performances.

Tina Turner's most important show in French-speaking Switzerland took place on June 30, 1990, when she filled the Pontaise in Lausanne with 40,000 spectators. (sda/bb)

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With blue Music and as a sponsor of the most renowned music festivals in Switzerland, Swisscom creates unique experiences on site, on the road and at home. We accompany many of the best and biggest national open airs and show the stars of the scene in front of and behind the scenes exclusively on all our channels: online at blue News, on social media and with blue Zoom and blue TV also on the big screen at home.

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