MONTREUX VILLE CRÉATIVE: Miles Davis - Live at Montreux 1989

MONTREUX VILLE CRÉATIVE: Miles Davis – Live at Montreux 1989

Having lived on the Vaud Riviera for over twenty years, David Bowie had a deep connection with Montreux and Switzerland, where he found refuge, freedom, and inspiration. Far from the media frenzy that surrounded his global fame at the time, he led a more low-key life there while continuing his intense creative work.

This workshop explores the unique connections between Bowie, Mountain Studios, and the Montreux Jazz Festival. From his years spent in Blonay and later in Mont-sur-Lausanne to his collaborations with Queen, Nile Rodgers, and Brian Eno, Montreux emerges as a true artistic laboratory where several major albums and iconic tracks were conceived or recorded, including Let’s Dance, Under Pressure, Lodger, and 1. Outside.

The session also revisits the deep friendship between Bowie and Claude Nobs, their evenings spent listening to the Festival’s archives, the creation of the 1995 Montreux Jazz Festival poster, and the exceptional concert Bowie gave at the Stravinski Auditorium in 2002, which remains one of the most memorable moments in the Festival’s recent history.

Through archives, audiovisual clips, and testimonials, this workshop invites participants to rediscover how Montreux became, over several decades, one of the secret realms of Bowie’s creative output.