Rodriguez Opens Montreux Jazz

MONTREAUX, Switzerland (VIP-NEWS) — US singer-songwriter Sixto Rodriguez has opened the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.

The 70-year-old, who was the subject of the Oscar-winning film Searching for Sugar Man, performed at the Montreux Jazz Club, playing songs from his two albums that never made the charts.

Leonard Cohen and Londoner Lianne La Havas also played gigs at separate venues on Thursday.

The festival runs on the shores of Lake Geneva until 21 July.

The event – which began as a pure jazz festival, but now hosts acts of every musical genre – is known for bringing musical legends to the stage including Bob Dylan, BB King and Herbie Hancock.

This year's line-up sees Sting, Wyclef Jean, Green Day, ZZ Top, Jake Bugg and Kraftwerk among those set to perform.

Prince will also play for three nights at the festival, after first performing there in 2007.

It will culminate with an 80th birthday concert for US producer Quincy Jones, a former co-director of the festival, in tribute to founder Claude Nobs, who died earlier this year.

According to BBC