I recently had the privilege to travel to the legendary Montreux Jazz Festival (4-19 July) in Switzerland. “We all came out to Montreux, on the Lake Geneva shoreline”: this line from the classic rock number ‘Smoke on the Water’ by Deep Purple was the first thing that went through my mind. As we know, the song was about the much-publicised fire that broke out during a performance one night in 1971.

The festival was first held in 1967, when local resident Claude Nobs decided to bring his love for jazz to his hometown. The first festival, held at the local casino, lasted three days; this year it lasted 16! 

It was a chilly, rainy morning as I got off the train at Vevey. The first artist scheduled to perform was Brazilian singer/songwriter Gilberto Gil. Gil is a man of imposing presence, almost 66 years old but with an energy that resonated through every single person present in that hall. He opened with a version of the famous Nokia cellphone ringtone and segued into a rousing Portuguese song that had everybody singing along.

Then, it was Stravinsky Hall for the evening performances. Herbie Hancock followed by Chaka Khan. Hancock’s playlists consisted of selections from both his recent albums, Possibilities, and the Grammy-winning River: The Joni Letters. A cool surprise was a stupendous seven-minute jazz-rock version of U2’s ‘When Love Comes to Town’. Then on came the ‘Siren of Soul’ Chaka Khan. Opening with ‘Ain’t Nobody’ and ‘I Feel For You’, she went on to ‘Through the Fire’ and, of course, ‘I’m Every Woman.’

The next day, the Quincy Jones 75th Anniversary Celebration concert had the most fantastic lineup I have ever seen, spanning artists from rock, pop, soul, jazz and R&B. Put together by Greg Phillinganes, a longtime Quincy Jones collaborator and contributor to the legendary Thriller album, the concert included musicians Paul Jackson Jr and Nathan East on guitars and bass, and the iconic John Robinson on drums. A brass and horns section was made up of the astonishing Swiss Army Big Band and a roster of guests that had me quite delirious: Herbie Hancock, Patti Austin, Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau, Angelique Kidjo, Paolo Nutini, Billy Cobham, Nana Mouskouri, Joe Sample, Mick Hucknall, Petua Clark, Curtis Stigers…whew!

The lights went down and out came festival director, Claude Nobs, who went on to introduce the evening and affectionately speak of his friendship with Quincy Jones. The evening began with the Swiss Army Big Band, which played a selection of Quincy’s work-pieces. Herbie Hancock and Patti Austin then did a fascinating jazz version of the Ennio Morricone theme from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The set rolled on with one guest after another performing stellar tributes to Quincy Jones. The evening then came to a halt when trumpeter Franco Ambrosetti walked on stage to pay tribute to Miles Davis with ‘My Ship’ and ‘Summertime’. The auditorium erupted into the hugest applause I have ever heard, a quick camera angle captured Quincy wiping his eyes. A truly collective emotional moment. Then came another high point for the evening: Acapella Act Naturally 7 performed a piece called ‘Sound of Wall’ — a fantastically arranged medley of Q’s popular music, all done with voices and no musical instruments whatsoever. 

I was leaving with memories to last a lifetime.





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