SWITZERLAND: ROCK/BLUES GUITAR PLAYER GARY MOORE OPENS THE 35TH MONTREAUX JAZZ FESTIVAL

Record ID: 391667

  • Title: SWITZERLAND: ROCK/BLUES GUITAR PLAYER GARY MOORE OPENS THE 35TH MONTREAUX JAZZ FESTIVAL
  • Date: 6th July 2001
  • Summary: MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND (JULY 6-7, 2001) (REUTERS) SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) MOORE "I love the sound of the guitar you know. My dad used to be a promoter in Northern Ireland. I grew up in Belfast near like a dancehall 10 miles away and he used to take me to see these bands play so I fell in love with the guitar through that and it was also in my head when I was at school. I
  • Embargoed: 21st July 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND
  • Country: Switzerland
  • Topics: Arts,General
  • Reuters ID: LVA2MK48EVY8VQIBSR930KQHC1UW
  • Story Text: British Rock and Blues guitarist Gary Moore has opened the prestigious 35th Montreux Jazz Festival on the shores of Lake Leman on the Swiss Riviera.
    Thousands of music fans flock to the festival each year to see the big names of jazz, blues and rock. This year, festival highlights include performances by legendary musicians Van Morrison, BB King, Bob Dylan and Sting.
    The Montreux Jazz Festival, known for its smooth and relaxed atmosphere, attracts thousands of music fans from all over the world every year.
    But its not just the picturesque setting by the shores of Lake Leman that makes the festival one of the most popular in the world, its also the long list of who's who in the worlds of jazz, blues and rock that make the Swiss summer an unforgettable event for many fans.
    This year is no less impressive than past years. The likes of Gary Moore, Ex Rolling Stone Bill Wyman, Van Morrison, BB King, Bob Dylan and Sting are amongst the crowd pullers.
    Event co-ordinator Stephanie Moretti says "Montreux is not a festival like the others. Montreux is also a place where you come just for a holiday, to have fun, good time, to eat good food, to go on a boat, to do sight-seeing on the mountains, it's a nice place to be I suppose, during the summer."
    On its opening night on Friday (July 6), British guitarist Gary Moore warmed up fans with a smashing performance of blues and rock.
    Moore has been playing the guitar since he was 16 years old, and now, at the age of 49, he says doing his own thing has always been his best recipe of success.
    "The kind of music I play is classic music anyway. It doesn't have anything to do with changing fashions or anything. It's just something that's always been there and I've always come back to it. Even when I've done other things, there's always been an element of blues in them. I don't really try to catch up with trends and fashions. I think when you do that you've had it anyway, you just have to do your own thing."
    In the coming week the festival features a strong presence of Latin stars such as Joao and Bebel Gilberto, Milton Nascimiento and Gilberto Gil.
    The festival finishes on July 21.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register