2023-05-05 07:37:42
To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the death of the one and only Claude Nobs, we have decided to publish a series of four articles retracing his many achievements.
Claude Nobs did more than create and manage the biggest music festival in the world. He also influenced and had a huge positive impact on many artists. Their participation in the festival relaunched their careers and allowed them to express themselves once more!
We will explore here the years 1967 to 1982!
Claude Nobs, a visionary
Claude Nobs was a visionary who changed the landscape of music festivals by creating the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1967. The festival started modestly, with a budget of just 10,000 francs, with performances by American jazz pianists Charles Lloyd and Keith Jarrett.
It quickly acquired a reputation for its eclectic programming and its idyllic location on the shores of Lake Geneva.
Gems every year
In 1968 jazz pianist Bill Evans recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival. The following year, the album won the 1969 Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album.
The third edition, “Swiss Movement”, was recorded in 1969 at the Montreux Jazz Festival, with jazz pianist Les McCann and saxophonist Eddie Harris.
The album’s success helped popularize jazz and establish it as a genre in its own right.
It became the first live album in jazz history to sell over a million copies.
The 1970 edition of the festival was invaded by the “flower power” generation when they welcomed Santana for the first time, just following their performance at Woodstock the previous year.
One of the most memorable moments in the festival’s history took place in 1971, when British rock band Deep Purple wrote and recorded the hit ‘Smoke on the Water’ in Montreux. The lyrics say that the band was in Montreux to record an album at the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, which is part of the Casino de Montreux.
A determined and convincing man
The casino caught fire during a concert by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, and although there were no serious injuries, the fire destroyed the entire casino complex.
Despite this setback, he managed to keep the festival going and even expanded it to include outdoor concerts and film screenings, demonstrating Claude Nobs’ resilience and dedication to the festival.
That same year, Claude Nobs persuaded Aretha Franklin to perform at the festival by giving her a box of Swiss chocolates. He also helped the Rolling Stones record their album “Exile on Main St” at the festival.
In 1972, the festival began to include more venues and events, such as outdoor concerts and film screenings, with a concert by legendary American saxophonist Stan Getz.
Legendary performance
In 1973, Miles Davis made his first appearance at the festival, which is considered one of the most iconic and groundbreaking in the festival’s history.
He also recorded the album “Miles Davis at Montreux” Disc 1, considered a jazz fusion classic and cementing the festival’s reputation as a hub of innovation and experimentation.
In 1974, Van Morrison delivered a legendary performance that has since become one of the highlights of his career.
Two of the most memorable moments of Morrison’s performance in Montreux were
- his rendition of “Listen to the Lion,” a hypnotic and emotionally powerful song;
- his cover of “Since I Fell for You” by pianist and singer Buddy Johnson.
Subsequently, in addition to the shows, the festival offered workshops and Master Classes for budding musicians, thus offering a unique opportunity to familiarize themselves with the world of music.
As for recordings, many of the 1975 festival performances were recorded and later released as live albums, including Live at Montreux 1975 by Etta James and Made in Europe by Deep Purple. These recordings helped spread the influence of the festival and its artists around the world.
The Festival awards the Rose d’or de Montreux to the best musical and artistic performances, thus reinforcing its reputation.
Nina Simone: A Great Lady
In 1976, the Montreux Festival was marked by the performance by Nina Simone.
That year, Nina Simone’s life was marked by personal and professional difficulties, including divorce from her husband and longtime manager Andrew Stroud, financial difficulties and health problems.
In an effort to find new purpose and direction, she accepted an invitation from the Liberian government to promote that country’s culture and arts. During this period, she was not actively performing or touring.
In order to relaunch her career and make herself better known, she agreed to perform at the festival. In addition, Nina Simone was a fan of the festival and its founder Claude Nobs, since she had already participated as a guest.
At concerts, Nina is not only demanding, she also expects her audience to behave in a way she finds acceptable. Growing up attending classical concerts, Nina refused to tolerate anyone talking or being inattentive at her concerts, and would often stop playing to scold them or give them one of her famous thousand looks. leagues, as can be seen during this concert “Live at Montreux 1976“.
In 1977, Nobs helped organize a concert in support of Amnesty International, during which artists such as Joan Baez, Jackson Browne and Graham Nash performed.
Concerts recorded live
Many concerts from the 1978 festival were recorded and later released as live albums, such as Dizzy Gillespie’s “Digital at Montreux, 1980” and Chick Corea’s “The Mad Hatter”.
The 13th edition of the festival, in 1979, was the occasion for Ella Fitzgerald to perform. She released a live album, “A Perfect Match,” which went on to win a Grammy for Best performance vocal in the field of jazz.
Later, Marvin Gaye performed at the 1980 Montreux Jazz Festival. Coming out of a turbulent period, this performance was seen as a comeback and, following viewing other concert recordings at Claude Nob , he agreed to be filmed on stage.
It was one of the most iconic moments in the festival’s history, as seen this video (et this one too).
In 1981, the father of funk, James Brown, gave an electrifying concert at the festival. His participation in this edition is undoubtedly one of his best concerts, with classic versions of “It’s A Man’s Man’s World“.
This year also marks the last appearance ofElla Fitzgerald au festival.
During the jazz session of The Cusaders ft Larry Graham, Funky Claude rode on stage with his mouth harmonicamaking the jam session unique!
A logo created by Tinguely
In 1982, the festival logo was born: Jean Tinguely, Swiss sculptor and painter, designed the poster for the Montreux Jazz Festival with its characteristic manual lettering.
What we appreciated the most was the fact that Nobs created a creative and above all safe space for artists to express themselves freely, when sometimes they might not even do so in their own country.
Article by the same author:
Should we represent the world net or fuzzy?
Behind the scenes of the Montreux Jazz Festival: Meeting with David Elias Torreblanca
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jul/29/iconic-festival-sets-nina-simone-montreux-jazz-1976
Photo credit : Anais Ahauariki
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