British Singer Corinne Bailey Rae Signs up for First Montreux Jazz Festival in Rio

By Jack Arnhold, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Perhaps in honor of International Jazz Day, British jazz star Corinne Bailey Rae announced on April 30th that she is to be joining the line-up for the first Montreux Jazz Festival in Rio de Janeiro. The festival is to take place between Thursday, June 6th, and Sunday, June 9th, at Pier Mauá in the city’s regenerated Porto Maravilha.

The festival, which started in Montreux, Switzerland in 1967, will be coming to Latin America for the first time in its history. So far, confirmed musical guests include Steve Vai, Hermeto Pascoal, Hamilton de Holanda, Maria Rita, and Al di Meola.

Corinne Bailey Rae is a welcome addition to the line-up and no stranger to the festival stage, having previously played the New Orleans Jazz Fest, Glastonbury, Singapore Jazz Fest, and the British Summer Time festival in London’s Hyde Park with Stevie Wonder.

After announcing her participation, Bailey Rae spoke to Folha de S.Paulo, saying “I love Brazilian music, especially Bossa Nova. I really like Elis Regina and João Gilberto. I think the sound is incredible.”

The Montreux Jazz Festival also has close ties with Brazil and its musical heritage. The first Brazilian to be invited to participate was Gilberto Gil, who in 1978 played a special night of Brazilian music.

This started an almost constant flow of invitations for other Brazilian musicians to participate in the festival, and since then icons such as Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Milton Nascimento, Elis Regina, and Gal Costa have all taken to the stage in Montreux.

Over the fifty years of the festival’s history, some of the biggest international names in music have also taken part, such as Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Prince, and David Bowie.

According to the festival organizers, there will be about forty musical guests in total that will perform at several different points around the city of Rio de Janeiro. The Pier Mauá will have three main stages that are each named after a different legend of Brazilian music: Ary Barroso, Tom Jobim, and Villa-Lobos.

There will also be shows scattered around five other venues in the city, with plenty of local as well as international talents participating. The social projects of Orquestra de Câmara da Rocinha and the Camerata Jovem have already confirmed their participation.

“The realization of this festival is the recognition of the importance of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil in world culture. We will have the great names of Brazilian and international music, along with grand promises and new discoveries,” comments one of the organizers of the event, Gaetano Lops, to O Globo.

What: Rio Montreux Jazz Festival
When: Thursday, June 6th, to Sunday, June 9th – time varies according to the concert.
Where: Pier Mauá
Avenida Rodrigues Alves, 10 – Centro
Entrance: R$25 to R$187; available here