It all started in the Miles Davis Hall, Friday July 6th. Claude Nobs brought on stage the most well known musicians from Senegal. Two kings on the same stage. Ismael Lô for Folk music and Youssou Ndour for the Mbalakh. A complete different style the next day at the Stravinski Hall. More than 15 years after their split, the four musicians (Dio, Iommi, Butler, Appice) from the legendary hard-rock band, Black Sabbath, are back for a unique world tour with a few brand new recordings as well. A one and only chance to see this band, which was so influential in its genre and became an international success. Their name ? Heaven and Hell. The huge crowd of fans did not have the time to realize what happened on stage that Motörhead stepped in. One of the greatest heavy metal bands since the 70s and inventor of trash metal. Tatoos all over their bodies, long hair, gothic scenography, smoke and flames flashing on stage. We are far away from the cool and cosy athmosphere of a Jazz club ! Motörhead remains a giant in its genre and the Stravinkski was on fire.

Sunday, John Legend walks on stage. He is a R&B singer who won three Grammy Awards of which best new artist and best R&B album. Two masters together in the Miles Davis hall. Gary Burton and Chick Corea. Gary Burton is, with no doubt, one of the two greatest vibraphone players to emerge since the ‘60s (along with Bobby Hutcherson), Gary Burton and his 4-mallet technique makes you sometimes believe he is playing with 2 or 3 other people. Chick Corea has made his name from the 1960’s already. He has met and played with the most well known musicians as Miles Davis. Meanwhile in the Stravinski Hall the alternative rock band Placebo with the talented Brian Molko comes on stage. They have been one of the most talked-about bands since their debut in 1996. Their songs swing brilliantly between rock, soft melodies and more electro sounds. Five albums and many world tours later, Placebo continues to keep their place at the top of the charts. The Beastie Boys are from New York and are easily considered amongst the most important and ambitious artists of the ‘90s and still today. Their recordings cover many different genres from punk rock to funk but with a distinctly rap and hip hop feel. Brad Mehldau the pianist and Pat Metheny the guitarist have joined their talent in the Miles Davis Hall July 11th. Pat Metheny and his band Pat Metheny Group, founded in 1977 with piano player Lyle Mays, has recorded 13 albums ! Plus many collaborations with stars as Jaco Pastorius, Gary Burton, Chick Corea or Herbie Hancock. July 12th George Benson steps on stage and took over the show. George Benson is simply the best guitarist of the whole Jazz history. He can play any style of music with an amazing skill. Al Jarreau and Tori Amos are part of the evening and so is a contemporary rock band from the US called Wilco. Next day one could enjoy listening to Living Color. They met in the New York ghetto in 1984 but the real event was Friday 13th : Sly and The Family Stone. Eventhough younger people will not remember the band, their influence can still be heard in today's music which is a mixture of funk, soul and psyche rock.. Due to the fact that Sly Stone dissapeared from the scene at the beginning of the 80s, something like a Sly Stone mythos surrounds his band. Very popular between 1965 and 1975 they have influenced many pop artists mostly because of belting their message of peace. Expected as the Messiah, Sly Stone provided the audience a 25 minutes gig. Almost a record considering his bad health. He tries to save everything he can but one can feel that he is not able to give more. Claude Nobs recalls : “The musicians have given a great show. In Italy the previous day, he only performed a single song. Here in Montreux he did five. His voice is still the same but his body cannot follow anymore. This is obvious”. Brasil Night July 14th with Alceu Valença among other artists from accross the sea ! July 15th Jeff Beck. His technique equals or surpasses that of any other rock player. During a brief pre-Hendrix period (1965-66), Beck stood head and shoulders above his competitors (including Eric Clapton), with blinding speed and inventive use of feedback and distortion. He continued to demonstrate his astounding mastery of the instrument on a long series of solo records, culminating in a highly successful jazz fusion period during the mid-70s. However, his inconsistent songwriting and inability to keep a band together - quitting the Yardbirds at their peak, and letting Rod Stewart slip through his fingers in 1969 - may have kept him from achieving anything resembling Hendrix's level of popularity. Lets not forget Vinnie Colaiuta this same evening. Long time Frank Zappa’s drummer. A producer once told Vinnie that if you threw Tony Williams and Steve Gadd into a blender, Vinnie would be the tasteful concoction !

July 16th the kid from Minneapolis, pop superstar PRINCE stunned 4500 fans at the Festival. The singer/songwriter gave fans only a few hours to snap up tickets for the intimate surprise show, during which he performed tracks from his new album Planet Earth. Lucky fans who were able to grab tickets for the sold out show were also treated to an acoustic version of classic track Little Red Corvette. The show started with a 45 minutes delay at 9.45pm. Unfortunately Prince did not allow any recording of his show. Huge surprise by 3am Prince appeared in the Jazz Café, where his musicians were jaming. He offered two songs and gave the opportunity to all present photographers to snap a few pictures.

July 17th, The daughter of the sitar maestro Ravi Shankar and Sue Jones, Norah Jones walks on the stage at the Auditorium Stravinski in a red dress, strapless, her hair pulled back, her skin shiny and radiant. “I hope you think that I am glowing,” she said. She had no difficulty to capture the public. Next day Van Morrison and Candy Dulfer perform at the Stravinski Hall. Dulfer who is one of the best saxophonists in the world of jazz has no problem in satisfying the audience while the Miles Davis Hall welcomes one of the biggest names in American rap music from the ‘90s. Originally from New York, the Wu-Tang Clan is a collaboration of 9 MCs, most of whom have gone onto lucrative solo careers. B-52’s is an american rock/pop band born in the middle of New Wave music in the beginning of the 80’s. They had no trouble soothing the public. Great performance of he Pet Shop Boys, Booker T & the MG’s, Dr. John or Solomon Burke one of the pioneers of American soul music with his combination of gospel, pop and country music. The last evening was for Seal, Jimmy Cliff “reggae night” and Candy Dulfer.

Let us not forget the “Under the Sky” Festival which offers free performances to the public next to the Stravinski Hall with many excellent bands. A special thank to « Dios Salve a la Reina “ from Argentina July 21st They performed Queen songs under uncontinuous rain falls. It did not stop all their fans to come from all over Switzerland for this last day of the Festival.