Sat Eye Candy: Montreux Jazz Fest

As folks gather in the dusty hills of Tennessee to enjoy a rainbow of musical offerings this weekend, it’s worth sparing a thought for one of the ancestors in Bonnaroo’s DNA, the Montreux Jazz Festival. Begun in 1967 by Claude Nobs, the first edition featured a dozen jazz luminaries including the legendary Charles Lloyd Quartet with Keith Jarrett, Cecil McBee and Jack DeJohnette. By 1970, Santana was on the bill and the line-up began to diversify wildly in the years to come. Originally a meeting ground for jazz sensibilities, Montreux rapidly became a fantastic barometer of all things cool in sound, able to embrace everything from N.E.R.D. to Leonard Cohen to Quincy Jones, as it will when this the 2008 installment convenes July 4 to 19.

One of the most cherished years in Montreux’s history is 1972. The Festival was held June 16 to 29 at the Montreux Pavillon, as the casino site had burned down in December 1971. Jazz greats like Les McCann, Ray Bryant and Jean-Luc Ponty performed but there was also room for Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. Eye Candy gives a cheerful wink to Montreux this weekend and offers some of the sights and sounds of that celebrated edition for your enjoyment.

We kick it into gear with a double shot of Rahsaan Roland Kirk, first with “Seasons” and then “Balm In Gilead” from 1972.

Here’s the ever-hard Muddy Waters singing about that ol’ “Hoochie-Coochie Man.”

Have a taste of this “Bluesberry Jam” from the The Rolling Stones rehearsals for their 1972 Montreux performance.

We conclude with another serving of last week’s Saturday Eye Candy subject, Stan Getz, doing “Times Lie.”

Don’t forget, you can eyeball video sweetness 24/7 with JamBase TV.