The Montreux Dream Plus The Bb King Montreux Workshop [DVD] [2001]

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Format: Colour, DVD-Video, Full Screen, PAL, Widescreen

Language English

Subtitles: French, German

Aspect Ratio: 4:3 - 1.33:1

Number of discs: 1

Classification: Exempt

Studio: CLASSICAL

DVD Release Date: 1 July 2001

Run Time: 70 minutes

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“The Montreux Jazz Festival, the subject of the inspirational 1999 documentary The Montreux Dream, first took place in 1967. Since then, it has become a world-famous event, bringing together the finest musicians and singers in an annual celebration which transcends stuffy musical barriers.

The force behind Montreux is its founder Claude Nobs and the documentary is as much a tribute to his generous passion for music (jazz and blues in particular) as it is to the artists past and present who have taken part over the years. Archive footage of Aretha Franklin at the piano (and at her vocal peak), blues singer and guitarist BB King, Miles Davis, the obviously thrilled British soul singer Beverley Knight and REM, among many others, contribute to a riveting and moving story. Director Christopher Swann skilfully uses performance clips to link interviews with many of these stars and anecdotes from Nobs as he reveals what an important historical archive the Festival has generated, and how he has managed to persuade so many stars to give their services for often relatively modest fees. Exhilarating stuff.

On the DVD: Technically it might count as an extra, but the BB King Montreux Workshop 1999 commands equal billing with the main documentary. King's modest and engaging personality, the way he talks humbly about "rubbing shoulders with all these great people" and above all his eloquent, accessible dissection of the blues make this an invaluable 50 minutes for anyone who gives a fig for fine musicianship. The DVD cover claims that the main documentary is in 16:9 full-frame format, but it appears to be in 4:3 letterbox. This is fine, serving the sweeping vistas of Montreux and the modern performance footage well. The Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo sound quality is decent, but improves if you have a surround facility. Web links take you to the main Montreux Festival site and a site dedicated to BB King. --Piers Ford/ Amazon.co.uk

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