•Written by Peter Hulm• ••Sunday•, 19 •June• 2011 20:57•
45th Montreux Jazz Festival: The 2011 lineup includes CARLOS SANTANA & JOHN MCLAUGHLIN (1 July), Jimmy Cliff (1 July), Santana alone (2 July), B.B. King (2 and 3 July), Lee Ritenour and Dave Grusin (4 July), George Benson + Dr John + David Sanborn (5 July), Ruben Blades (6 July), Andreas Vollenweider (6 July July), Natalie Cole (10 July), Sting (11 July), Return to Forever (12 July), Seal (12 July), Paul Simon (14 July), Liza Minelli (15 July) and Deep Purple (16 July).
The paying concerts (CHF75-260 are common prices these days) make the headlines but there are a lot of freebies, workshops and a piano competition as well designed to keep the event fresh. Montreux Palace is staging The Jazz of Matisse on 2 July using local students. For the Free Programme, click here.
I'd often go to the festival without buying a ticket, preferring the atmosphere outside the concert hall. But Montreux's reputation is really for the after-hours jam sessions that don't get recorded, with many of the night's stars on stage. For that you do need to buy a ticket for the night.
For further information: Montreux Jazz Festival
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