Pitchfork

Apart from providing the setting for Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water", the Montreux Jazz Festival is also famous for its beautiful setting and spectacular performances. Now in its 39th year, the festival has lured some of the 20th century's greatest jazz musicians to play on the shores of Lake Geneva. Since the inaugural three-day festival in 1967, Montreux has attracted such giants as Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans, and Ella Fitzgerald, to name but a few. But in recent times, the festival has sidestepped the jazz-exclusive hallmark and opened its doors to every possible music genre imaginable, to the regret of many purists. But this disappointment among aficionados is irrelevant of course; even jazz-heads secretly know that one cannot think of "jazz" without automatically thinking of the following words: "Velvet" and "Revolver". Well, maybe not.

Recently, it has been no surprise to see many larger festivals compromising and succumbing to the pressure of competing for consumer and sponsor money, and Montreux is no exception. But seriously, with 16 straight days of shows at three venues, few festivals, whether rooted in a jazz or rock or even a polka tradition, can boast the following lineup:

Kraftwerk, Bright Eyes, LCD Soundsystem, Antony & the Johnsons, Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, M83, Death in Vegas, Soulwax, Underworld, the Dears, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Jean Grae, Lauryn Hill, Audioslave, Velvet Revolver, the Hives, Trail of Dead, Kasabian, the Bravery, Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Marianne Faithfull, Steve Earle, Isaac Hayes, Brian Wilson, and many, many more.

Thankfully for many, some old Montreux traditions have been kept intact: one venue is featuring mostly jazz-related artists for many of its shows. Soul legends and blues greats (including B.B. King and Solomon Burke) are represented as always, and a couple of Montreux's cherished genres, like Brazilian sounds (The Life Aquatic star Seu Jorge) and salsa (Ray "Deeper Shade of Soul" Baretto) are featured prominently.

The festival will be held July 1 through July 16. Check the link below for ticket information and complete details.