The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second largest annual jazz festival in the world after Canada's Montreal International Jazz Festival…
Produced with loving care by Claude Nobs, founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival, with no edits or overdubs, this document of Miles Davis's Montreux performances shows through never-before-released material how Miles and company transformed his music live, with their fire, invention, and interplay. The list of sidemen on these dates is a who's who of today's superstars, including saxophonist Dave Liebman, guitarists John Scofield and Robben Ford, keyboardists Adam Holzman and Kei Akagi, bassist Michael Henderson, and percussionist Mtume. Most of the music on these discs features versions of Davis's fusion "hits." The funky and R&B-ish ditty "Ife" and the bouncy "Calypso Frelimo" are rendered with more gusto than their studio versions, as are the in-the-pocket, mid-'80s tunes "Star People" and "New Blues." A package this big has more than a few surprises, however. Chaka Khan lends her powerful pipes to Davis's unique cover of the Michael Jackson sleeper, "Human Nature," and "Al Jarreau" is an upbeat (though too short) tribute to the great vocalise master.
'The Montreux Years' showcases some of the legendary pianist's remarkable Montreux Jazz Festival live performances. The set includes brand new liner notes, as well as rare photos from his Montreux shows. Combos featured include Chick Corea Quartet, Chick Corea New Trio, Chick Corea Freedom Band, Chick Corea Akoustic Band, and Chick Corea Elektric Band, plus an appearance by The Bavarian Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra.
In many Yes fans' eyes, the group will never issue a live album better than their 1973 classic, Yessongs. But the group has issued quite a few subsequent live sets, and as evidenced by 2007's Live at Montreux 2003, Yes remain one of prog rock's top live bands. Live at Montreux features arguably their definitive lineup (Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman, and Alan White) and a few newer tracks are included, but Yes are no fools – they know that longtime fans expect to hear the classics…
In 1997, the band embarked on a world tour promoting their then-new album Black Moon, which included this performance at Montreux. It is the only film from this tour available. The set includes ELP classic from across their career. Also included are rare tracks that have never appeared on ELP studio albums…
Prog rock super group, Emerson, Lake & Palmer took the music world by storm in the 1970s. Keyboardist and former The Nice member Keith Emerson's virtuoso abilities were matched by drummer Carl Palmer and former King Crimson member, bassist Greg Lake, who added a pop sensibility to the mix…
B.B. King is the greatest living exponent of the blues and considered by many to be the most influential guitarist of the latter part of the 20th century. His career dates back to the late forties and despite now being in his eighties he remains a vibrant and charismatic live performer…
Deep Purple need no introduction as one of the all-time great British rock bands. Their association with Montreux goes back to the early seventies, when their attempt to record their album "Machine Head" at the Montreux Casino was thwarted when it promptly burnt down, forcing them to make the album in the rooms and corridors of the Grand Hotel instead…