Montreux Jazz Festival 2016 comes to Mumbai!

written by Souranath Banerjee

The famous American composer George Gershwin once said ‘Life is a lot like Jazz … It’s best when you improvise’ 

Originated by the African American communities Jazz music has always fascinated me, specially since I watched such brilliant Jazz-based films like ‘Round Midnight (1986), Sweet and Lowdown (1999),  Lady Sings the Blues (1972), The Connection (1961), Bird (1988), Cabin in the Sky (1943) and the most recent one Whiplash (2014).

And of course like any other Jazz enthusiast I immensely enjoy Jazz concerts and screenings, so when a dear friend of mine told me that Montreux Jazz Festival is coming to Mumbai I had to make sure I was there.  

Venue: antiSOCIAL at 5th Road, Khar West; on 08 July, a perfect Friday evening in Mumbai, all ready to get jazzed up!

LeEco the global internet and technology company hosted a special screening of curated performances from te Montreux Jazz Festival in presence of GINO BANKS. It included performances by some of the prolific jazz musicians like Randy Weston, John Mclaughlin & the 4^th Dimension that included Ranjit Barot, Aruan Ortiz Trio, Alina Engibaryan, MOderat and FKG. Gino Banks along with his musician friends was enthralled by the acts.

LeEco consumers can live stream the performances of the fest which is in its 50^th year starting July 4, 2016. This is one of the 50 plus concerts that LeEco smartphone members get access to as part of the unique membership program of SUPERTAINMENT.

Commenting on this association, Debashish Ghosh, COO Content LeEco India said, “We recently partnered with IIFA 2016 and handpicked two of our lucky members to be part of the IIFA celebration. This was an exclusive offer to our LeEco members. We understand the demand for diverse and genre specific content that our audiences have – and are committed to providing the same. Our association with Montreux Jazz Festival is of course targeting the niche Jazz music aficionados. Similarly, our other Music concert associations – that are streamed in future will cater to other genres – ranging from Rock to Fusion to Blues to Jazz – basically covering all forms of music – but exclusive to only our Members. For the duration of Montreux Jazz Festival our members will have the opportunity to access over live streaming, some of the best know Jazz musicians from across the globe. LeEco believes that such exclusive Content, Experience and Services (more details will be revealed in future) will ultimately drive consumer attention and engagement in our Ecosystem of Products and Services. And this will be the differentiator tomorrow.”

Originally the Montreux Jazz Festival was created way back in 1967 by Claude Nobs, René Langel, and Géo Voumard, and has since become a landmark event.

While jazz and blues are at the roots of this event, other styles of music quickly found their place as well, anchored by artistic encounters between generations of musicians and unique experiments. Montreux has seen historic performances by artists including Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Marvin Gaye, Prince, Leonard Cohen, David Bowie, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins, Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, Weather Report, Ray Charles,  B.B. King, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, Deep Purple, Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder!

The 50th anniversary is leaded by stars, such as Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Santana, Marcus Miller, Jamie Cullum, Alfredo Rodriguez，and Neil Young, Van Morrison, ZZ Top, PJ Harvey, Muse, Mogwai, Lana Del Rey, DJ Shadow, M83, Grimes.

Chinese uprising Jazz star A Bu who claim the champion of Montreux’s piano competition is going to perform this year as well.

LeEco has tied up with Eros Now and YuppTV, through its platforms – Levidi and LIVE. For music fans, LeMusic – our free Music App – will be
powered by Hungama and also adding other music sources to create a vast catalogue music across genres. Users will have access to more than 2 million songs with lossless audio, over 4 million songs in total, 3000 plus movies, 50 plus Big Ticket International Live Concerts, 100 plus premium live channels, exclusive Live Streaming of Major Entertainment Events and Music Concerts Worldwide along with 7500 plus hours of world class entertainment. This amazing SUPERTAINMENT library worth Rs. 4,990 per year – and is being offered bundled with the Le 2 and Le Max2 – as an initial offer.

The screening was highly entertaining, awesome performances accompanied by a variety of choicest snacks and beer – a heaven for the Music Lovers!

The upcoming line-up for live streaming from the festival is:

As we all Jazz enthusiasts already know ‘Jazz Music doesn’t have an expiration date’ – so keep the rhythm flowing till the next time we meet. Enjoy!

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