Jazz breaking news: Montreux Jazz Festival founder Claude Nobs has died aged 76
Friday, January 11, 2013
Claude Nobs, the legendary founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival, has died aged 76 after several weeks in a coma following a skiing accident during the Christmas holidays.
Born in Montreux, Switzerland on 4 February 1936, Nobs was the founder and general manager of the Montreux Jazz Festival, with the Charles Lloyd Quartet featuring Keith Jarrett as the inaugural 1967 event’s headliner. Soon becoming one of the high points on the global jazz calendar, it featured countless memorable performances from some of the music’s biggest names including Miles Davis (who got on particularly well with Nobs), Frank Zappa, Led Zeppelin, Weather Report, John McLaughlin, Santana and Van Morrison, among hundreds of others.
He was famously dubbed ‘Funky Claude’ in Deep Purple’s iconic ‘Smoke On The Water’, which the band wrote after the Montreux Casino caught fire during a Frank Zappa gig in 1971. He remained as the festival’s director even after undergoing heart surgery six years ago. Legendary US producer/composer Quincy Jones also co-produced the event between 1991-1993 helping to expand the booking policy to include many big name rock, pop, dance and soul artists, increasing visitor numbers to a high of 220,000 in 1999. Nobs was also recently in London for the launch of one of the first Montreux Jazz Café’s at the Harrods department store late last year, with the café combining jazz performances, Montreux merchandise and high-end Swiss luxury goods.
The official Montreux Festival website carried a statement confirming Nobs had died on 10 January, which read: “Thank you for taking us where we never thought we could go. And in your typical spirit, you left by surprise, as if to remind us once more that life as in music, each great performance could be the one even if the show must go on. You hoped your exit would reflect your life and you succeeded in this as well. We carry, and will continue to carry on in your spirit and everything you taught us.”
In accordance with his wishes, a musical tribute to the people of his beloved town of Montreux will be held in the very near future. The date will be announced shortly. Special tributes in New York and London will follow.