The Montreux Jazz Festival has evolved into Switzerland's foremost yearly event with 2 weeks of scheduled performances, workshops and competitions for guitar, solo piano and voice. In addition, there are nearly 300 free concerts across three main stages and a variety of improvised acts throughout the town of Montreux.

Passionate about Jazz and whose idealism never rests, Claude Nobs, then employed by the tourist office, created the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1967. On this first occasion the event lasted just 3 days. In 1973 Claude was made director of the Workshop on Experimental and Efficient Algorithms (WEA) in Switzerland. The 1977 Montreux Jazz Festival set the duration record, lasting 23 days, thanks to an impressively eclectic programme that has remained an ideal for subsequent festivals. With his flair, passion and youthful spirit, Claude Nobs has made it possible for the festival to quickly gain a renowned International reputation, so much so that after 37 years of organising the festival, his enthusiasm and dedication has remained unchanged.

The festival takes its name from the lakeside town where it is held.

Organisers said 230,000 visitors descended on the northeast shore of Lake Geneva for this year’s event.
Jimmy Cliff, Carlos Santana and B.B. King all appeared at the ten day homage to jazz, blues and funk music.

Larry Graham’s Central Station were one of the bands which took to stage for the festival’s closing night, playing out with Sly and the Family Stone’s Dance to the Music.

Graham was the bassist in the seminal soul supergroup’s original lineup.
British rockers Deep Purple returned to the town where they wrote their biggest hit, ‘Smoke On The Water’.

The song, with its infamous guitar riff, was penned in Montreux in 1971 when the band witnessed the local casino go up in flames from their hotel after recording at a nearby studio.
Legendary guitarist Frank Zappa was playing a concert at the casino when the fire broke out.

2011 artists to perform included Carlos Santana, John Mclaughlin, Cindy Blackman, Dennis Chambers, Raul Rekow, Karl Perazzo, David K. Mathews, Jimmy Cliff, Dereck Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Charles Bradley, B.B. King, Shemekia Copeland, Robert Randolph, Bilalaloe Blacc, Raphael Saadiq, George Benson, Randy Crawford, Dr John, Diana Krall, Larry Goldings, Christian Mcbride, Lewis Nash, Joe Sample, Tommy Lipuma, Ricky Martin, Trombone Shorty, Leon Russell, Carly Connor, Paolo Nutini, Richard Bona, Raul Midon, Andreas Vollenweider, Ziggy Marley, Youssou Ndour, Alpha Blondy, Donavon Franken, Alfredo Rodriguez, Harold Lopez, James Vincent, Mario Biondi, Natalie Cole, Sting, Sarah Hicks, Erik Truffazsly Johnson, Rain Dogs, Camille O'Sullivan, Erika Stucky, Esperanza Spalding, Chick Corea, Jean-luc Ponty, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White, Frank Gambale, Alfredo Rodriguez, Emily Bear, Nikki Yanofsky, Marcus Miller, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Sean Jones, Sean Rickman, Black Dub, Daniel Lanois, Brian Blade, Trixie Whitley, Paul Simon, Femi Kuti, Mos Def, Robert Glasper, Afrika Bambaataacoolio, Digital Underground, House of Pain, Naughty by Nature, Prince, Liza Minnelli, Deep Purple, Cody Chesnutt, Larry Graham and Bootsy Collins.