Geneva-Arabstoday
Prince will be playing 3 shows at this years event
Music fans can expect a host of big names at this year\'s edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, with three concerts by Prince as well as shows by Leonard Cohen,Sting and Joe Cocker
, organisers announced on Thursday.
\"Prince wanted to come, he even asked himself. We don\'t know what he\'s going to do, but by definition it will be great,\" said the festival\'s new director Mathieu Jaton.
The July 4-21 event on the shores of Lake Geneva is the 47th edition of the festival, which has retained its jazz label despite expanding its repertoire over the years.
It is the first event since iconic founder Claude Nobs, who was widely respected in the music business, died in a skiing accident in January aged 76.
A traditional magnet for international stars, the festival will also see an 80th birthday concert by Quincy Jones, who worked closely with Nobs from the beginning of the festival.
Others on the eclectic bill include Paolo Conte, Diana Krall, George Benson, Deep Purple, Kraftwerk, ZZ Top, Ben Harper, Brian May, Marcus Miller, Wyclef Jean, Randy Crawford, Cat Power, Green Day and Woodkid with Orchestra.
To accommodate the star-studded list, this year\'s 18-day edition is two days longer than usual.