Stevie Wonder to top bill at Montreux Jazz Festival

GENEVA - Agence France-Presse

Stevie Wonder plays a medley in tribute to Nelson Mandela during the 45th NAACP Image Awards in Pasadena, California February 22, 2014. REUTERS Photo

Stevie Wonder will top the bill at this year's Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, with other headliners including Pharrell Williams, Damon Albarn and Massive Attack, organisers said on Thursday.
      
The festival team said that bringing soul icon Stevie Wonder to Montreux had been among the "most cherished dreams" of its founder "Funky" Claude Nobs, who died in a skiing accident in January 2013.
      
The July 4-19 event on the shores of Lake Geneva is the 48th edition of the festival, which has retained its jazz label despite expanding its repertoire over the years.
      
But fans of the original genre will not be disappointed, thanks to performances by stars including Herbie Hancock, who will team up with Wayne Shorter.
      
Montreux is a traditional magnet for big names of the music business and rising stars alike.
      
Others on this edition's eclectic bill include Buddy Guy, Robin Thicke, Alison Goldfrapp, Amy Macdonald, Chris Rea, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Outkast, Jamie Cullum, Van Morrison, Babyshambles, Morcheeba, and former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant with his new outfit the Sensational Space Shifters.