On the day when it was to announce the lineup for its 54th festival, Montreaux Jazz Festival, one of the iconic live events, it announced that due to the growing COVID-19 concerns, it is postponing the event. “A rescheduled date to be communicated as soon as possible.”
To fill the gap, the Festival has decided to release, as free streams, over 50 live performances from previous years. In its announcement Montreaux says that “during this unprecedented time, fans will have the chance to experience iconic performances by some of their favorite artists from their living rooms,” continues the press statement, “including rare concerts from ‘The Godfather of Soul’ James Brown, who played Montreux Jazz Festival in 1981 and the legendary Nina Simone in 1976.”
“Fans will also be able to enjoy Johnny Cash’s 1994 Live at Montreux performance, as well as the ground-breaking hip-hop group Run DMC’s electrifying show in 2001.”
On top of the aforementioned artists, fans will also be able to watch performances by Carlos Santana, Alanis Morissette, Nile Rogers & Chic, Simply Red, Deep Purple, Phil Collins, Wu-Tang Clan, Korn, and The Raconteurs. Thirty-five performances are available now via the Stingray Qello platform.
As Universal’s UDiscoverMusic site notes, the Montreux Jazz Festival is one of many organizations that is providing fans with entertainment during the COVID-19 outbreak. LA’s The Grammy Museum has started sharing previously unreleased Q&As and performances with musicians online for the first time, while the recently canceled BFI Flare Film Festival has released its program online.
