Remembering Funky Claude

Nearly 500 people were in attendance at Montreux Convention Centre Feb. 8 for a special night to honour Claude Nobs, the founder of the city’s famous jazz festival who died Jan. 10.

“Funky Claude – Le Montreusien,” which featured performances from Amy Macdonald, Andreas Vollenweider, Barbara Hendricks, Paolo Nutini, and Stephan Eicher, was the first of a number of tributes to the popular entrepreneur.

A special concert for his American friends will be held in New York later in the spring, and another special event at London’s Royal Opera House July 26-27, a week after this year’s MJF closes.

The poster for this year’s Montreux Jazz Festival (July 5-20), a painting by Brazilian artist Oscar Oiwa, also has “Merci Claude” written across it.

The 2013 Montreux lineup still hasn’t been made public.