Von Halabuk Family Travels to Montreux

I was lucky enough to go two years to the greatest jazz festival in the world (nay ne nay ne nay ne). Here are the reviews I've filed:

Here we see a Manhattan Transfer sing-a-like at one of the "Off Montreux" stages that run all day and night.

1997 In Review

Montreux is on the Lake Geneva shoreline (I didn't see any smoke on the water though). I did hear a whole lot of great jazz at the world's premier Montreux Jazz Festival. I didn't expect I'd ever get to Montreux for the Jazz Festival, but what timing. I knew it was coming but didn't know if/when I could get away from work. The festival runs two weeks long.

On Monday of the second week I went to the TicketCorner here and they said all the shows were sold out. So I called the hotline and they said it is sold out *but* they do sell standing room only tickets, so I took it. Turns out that there are two rows of seats not reserved and the rest behind that are standing only. I got there early and sat in the 13th row stage right. Great view and fabulous sound.

I opened up my travel guide on Monday too and started calling hotels. The first place I called had a room, so I booked it. I kept calling but could not find another room anywhere. What luck, this place was old but clean, and directly across the street from the main park and one of the jazz sites.

Oh yes, and the music. I spent Saturday and Sunday cruising between the three free jazz sites. Each one going continually from noon to midnight. There were a wide variety of styles, very well planned out. I heard big band, Latin, modern, mainstream, fusion, funk, and bebop. And every group I saw was excellent, no slouches. Every band impressed me.

They had a lot of other things going on too. There was a big yacht race, lots of food and souvenirs, constant para-gliders jumping from a nearby mountain and trying to land on the pier at the park, and a big art contest. There were lots of sculptures with a music theme all over the park. One guy even re-landscaped the parks to a very colorful theme as though they were painted. Big paint brushes drums of paint, and lots of colorful flowers spilling from these drums and brushes. Pretty cool idea. They also had jazz workshops.

Then there were the main events. They have two auditoriums each with a paid main event every night. Each one had a different theme: legends, blues, voices, funk, Latin, African ... Chick, Herbie, and even EWF.

I went Sunday night billed as George Duke with Rachelle Farrell and Jonathan Butler, followed by Bobby McFerrin.

While Rachell was scatting, she waived over to someone off stage to come on, and here walks Patty Labelle-Aston. They did some scatting back and forth that was cool. Then Rachell waives over again, and here comes Bobby McFerrin on stage. They were just over there listening, but didn't have to be asked twice. So Bobby takes the mic like its a soprano sax and just goes to town.

Duke did two sets. Needless to say, Duke got an encore and both Patty and Bobby joined them for that.

This was very beautiful, but every tune was the same thing and they started to sound alike. A few people (and they are not shy there) called out for some action. Then half way through his set, people started leaving! And the standing room only crowd that was boppin' for Duke was now a sitting room only crowd yawning. I thought what he was doing was nice, but I wanted to hear a variety too.

He got good ovations, but not people going crazy. For his last tune, he asked Jonathan, Patty, and Rachell to join him in one of his creations.

When they finished, they got a nice ovation and a small effort for an encore. Then Bobby walks out all alone on stage and says he normally doesn't speak during or after a performance but he felt moved to do so tonight. (Obviously he noticed the lack of enthusiasm and people leaving.) He said he wanted to explain what he was doing, simply making music. He said you don't need to have any expectations of music. And they simply created some for us.

He said thank you and left the stage. A larger effort was made for an encore, but he refused and did not return. Very weird show!

1998 In Review

This year we planned a little more in advance and secured tickets to the Hot and Funky night as well as a hotel right on the lake (still no smoke on the water was seen).

Here is the view from out hotel room.

The center of town and most of the stages are actually to the right.

The white capped Alps can be seen (not in this picture though) just across the lake.

After we arrived we promptly went to the sidewalk shops and food. Natalie then headed for the daycare where she played and painted her own Montreux T-shirt. Us adults headed for the shade in front of the stage (seen above), after a quick stop at the bar.