Montreux ‘Off’ festival offers budget alternative

Concertgoers attending the 44th annual Montreux Jazz Festival can expect to pay up to 380 francs for tickets to see Phil Collins, the British rock star who is kickstarting the event on Thursday night.

As in past years, the privilege of attending such concerts doesn’t come cheap, but organizers say there are plenty of events for people who don’t want to spend a lot of money.

In fact, organizers say, two-thirds of all concerts at Montreux are free.

As part of the “Off” festival, groups are set to perform over 17 hours of free music every day on stages set up around the Lake Geneva waterfront and in other side venues.

In addition, the jazz festival has a reputation for attracting impromptu performances.

“Spontaneous jams have always taken place at Montreux”, festival spokesman Francesco Laratta told Swisster.

Other planned free events include jazz competitions, workshops for kids, talks and deejays.

Screenings of Montreux Jazz concerts from the last 30 years will be shown at Montreux Jazz Café, including videos of such artists as James Brown, Marvin Gaye and Kool and the Gang.

“Claude Nobs [festival founder] always wanted the festival to be more than a commercial event,” Laratta said, “a place where the public can meet music, even though it costs a lot to the festival.”

A ‘Music in the park’ series hosts five to eight free concerts a day in Vernex park by the lakeside from July 2 to 17, featuring rock, jazz and world music.

Kids can also attend workshops with professional musicians.

They are organized for children of all levels and abilities, according to organizers.

“Last year B.B. King gave a workshop and very young musicians asked technical questions,” Laratta said. “It’s an opportunity for them to meet great musicians.”

American Jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, who is performing with his group on July 7, will offer a free workshop at the Petit Palais at 1 pm, a few hours before his show.

For kids who are not yet virtuosos, an introduction to drumming and electric guitar is scheduled for Sunday, July 4 at Montreux, with no registration required.

The festival offers a range of family services.

For example, parents who want to watch their favorite stars on stage can leave their kids at the festival kindergarten.

The Young Planet area offers several activities for children.

Students from Lausanne’s Federal Institute of Technology are putting on a demonstration called ‘Can robots dance?’ that showcases some of the research they are doing into automated technologies.

The festival is also dedicated to seeking out emerging talents. For the last 10 years, singing and piano competitions at the festival have allowed international young jazz musicians to launch careers.

“Cuban pianist Harold Lopez Nussan won one five years ago and he now plays with the musicians of Buena Vista Social Club,” Laratta said.

American, Russian, UK, German and Turkish artists feature among the 21 selected jazz pianists and singers in the 2010 competitions.

“The selection is very tough,” Laratta said.

The events take place between July 7 and 15 at Montreux Palace and are open to the public.

“Last year, a 13-year-old pianist from Georgia and an 20-year-old from Azerbaijan shared the top prize, it was very moving,” Laratta said.

Difficult economic times are boosting the appeal of free concerts and entertainment.

Indeed, with just two days to go before the jazz festival starts, only a few paying concerts are sold-out, according to the festival’s website.

The Phil Collins concert on Thursday night at Auditorium Stravinski, which precedes the official programme starting on Friday, is one of them.

The Willy Mason and Nora Jones concert, scheduled for Saturday, is another.

Laratta said even in cases when concerts are shown as sold-out, there are additional tickets available just before the show starts.

“We keep around 100 tickets for each evening,” he said.

“They are sold at the entrance at 5 pm. So there are still places available, even for Phil Collins.”

Because the Collins concert is a ‘prefestival’ event, extra buses, extra trains and parking facilities normally provided by the Montreux Festival will not be available, Laratta warned.