The Montreux Jazz Festival, which is now closing in on its 50^th year of existence, has announced that some big names will be included in the lineup this year, including Bob Dylan and Van Morrison.

The festival will be held this year from June 29 to July 14 at various venues around Montreux, Switzerland. All ticketed performances, however, will be held at the Stravinski Auditorium and the Miles Davis Hall.

Though billed as a jazz festival, the event features an extensive and extremely eclectic lineup. Other notable names in the lineup include Herbie Hancock, Erykah Badu, Lana Del Rey, Noel Gallaher, Bebe Winans, Alanis Morissette, Pitbull, Buddy Guy, Nada Surf, Janelle Monae, Tony Bennett and Mark Ronson. Many artists will be performing complete albums from their discography. Chris Cornell will play his 2011 solo album Songbook, and Jethro Tull member Ian Anderson will play his band’s 1972 concept album Thick As a Brick.

For the second year in a row, the lineup for the festival was released earlier than had been planned due to online leaks. The lineup was revealed two days before it was scheduled due to its revelation in a German daily publication. A post on the festival’s official website explains in further detail:

Following an indiscretion by a Swiss media, which published some information it received from one of its readers – despite an embargo imposed by the Montreux Jazz Festival – the programme for the 46^th edition was partially revealed on its German language site, two days before the official announcement.

The Montreux Jazz Festival was first held in 1967 and at the time featured almost exclusively jazz performers. Nina Simone, Bill Evans and Ella Fitzgerald were among the performs at the first version of the festival.

The festival began accepting a wider array of genres in the 1970s, adding rock, blues and soul artists to the lineup.

In November people spend their time having turkey dinners with their families and honoring the veterans of America.  Lesser known anniversaries include Mickey Mouse’s creation and Lincoln reading the Gettysburg Address.  For residents of Newport Beach, it’s time for honoring rocker Van Morrison, the Belfast Cowboy.

Keith Curry, Mayor of Newport Beach, is officially proclaiming November 21 to be “Van Morrison Day,” honoring the multi-instrument musician.  In August he turned 65.

Curry said Van Morrison is a music legend, Hall of Famer, and multi-Grammy winner who has been performing since the 1960s.  His music has helped to define our time.

Richard Kaplan from Muldoon’s Irish Pub led the effort to get the city to recognize “Van Morrison Day” in Newport.  Curry supported the effort.

Kaplan, special events director for the pub said, while Morrison’s body of work is significant clearly to his fans, with his six Grammy Awards as well as inductions into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the life of Morrison can be a role model for everyone.

“Van Morrison Day” will feature a free concert that will be performed by Shana, the daughter of Morrison, at Muldoon’s, where she frequently performs.

After playing at Muldoon’s exclusively for a decade we feel like we are part of Van Morrison’s family almost, said Kaplan.

According to Kaplan the concert will be a mixture of classics from Van Morrison along with Shana and  band’s original works.

All ages are welcome at the concert.  It will be held on the courtyard of the pub.  The address for Muldoon’s is 202 Newport Center Drive, which is close to Fashion Island.

Apart from the performances of Shana in Newport, there are no clear ties for Van Morrison with Newport Beach.

According to Kaplan, the Belfast, North Ireland born Van Morrison was no stranger when it came to adversity.  He was able to push through the entertainment industry’s struggles, becoming a self-made man in the process.

Kaplan said, I think the lesson here is, follow your muse.  What he shows us is not to let anything or anyone stop you.  He did this in a very impressive and bold way.  His music has turned into anthems for many people.

Van Morrison, the singer from Belfast, has won a court injunction to ban publication of an article in a newspaper regarding his private life.

In addition, Belfast’s High Court granted the singer’s application for stopping News of the World from printing photos of Van Morrison, his home and Gigi Lee.

The ruling from the judge stated that the photographs and articles went beyond appreciation or margin that a free press was allowed.

They were described as an intrusion that was unacceptable.

Mr. Justice Gillen, however, declined imposing a super injunction for the case because the plaintiffs terms that they applied for were too broad.

The article included details about the home of Mr. Morrison, it furnishings and layout, value and input regarding Gig Lee’s management.

In addition it referred to the staff that lives there, physically described a child connected to the case, as well as home visits.

Van Morrison in an affidavit that he submitted to a High Court private hearing on Friday in Belfast emphasized that he hadn’t given any authority to publish any photographs or information that the paper had obtained.

Van Morrison insisted that even though he is a public performer that he regards his personal relationships and private life as areas that are to be kept from public comment or scrutiny.

The singer stated that he had made a considerable effort to protect his private life.  He said, I have refused interviews about it and refused to publicly comment on it or authorize others to, except in extremely limited cases were the bare minimum information is need to minimize or prevent harm from others repeated attempts to publish allegations concerning my private life.

A reporter for News of the World during the hearing claimed the article didn’t provide any details regarding the intimate or private relationship particulars of the plaintiffs and said the level of intrusiveness was very low.

However Mr. Justice Gillen stated the photographs and article were an intrusion that was unacceptable into the plaintiffs private lives.

Gillen sated in his ruling that he had concluded that there was no legitimate interest by the public to know Ms. Lee and Mr. Morrison’s private affairs or how they behaved or where they lived in private, no mater how well known the two are.

Gillen stated, although a particular readership might have a prurient or otherwise interest into celebrities lives, it’s not the same thing as stating they are public interest matters.

According to the judge, the location of Morrison’s home, its value, the work being done at Ms Lee’s direction, the detailed descriptions of the decorations and furnishings, house guests, food delivery, and the state of Morrison’s marriage, all were classic intrusions into Morrison and Lee’s private lives.

Gillen also added that he would not grant any super injunction against unnamed persons that that the plaintiffs were seeking regarding the relationships or private lives of the plaintiffs because the ambit was too wide.

The judge did stress that context meant everything, with press rights needing to be guarded and looked into on an individual case basis.

In addition he acknowledged that circumstances that were more compelling could arise in the future when a court could possibly rule that the right for policy was outstripped by freedom of expression.

In early October Van Morrison will be taking on his latest short North American trek.  He will visit five cities on the West Coast, kicking of in Las Vegas, NV at The Joint on October 3.

Next the famous songwriter-singer will be visiting several cities in California.  He will be in Los Angeles at the Greek Theatre on October 5, in San Diego on October 6 at Civic Theatre, in San Francisco at Nob Hill Masonic Center on October 8, and in Santa Barbara at the Bowl on October 9.

Ticket will go on sale to the public for these West Coast concerts starting August 13-15.  Ticketmaster.com has details regarding each concert’s specific onsale dates.

Tickets to see Morrison, as usual, won’t be cheap.  In Santa Barbara prices start at only $45, however most of the other tour markets have low end tickets that cost more like $70 to $80.  Like most Morrison shows, face values on tickets can rise to up to $350 for several markets included in the October trek.

Recently Morrison finished up a Pacific Northwest trek in early August.  The short outing started in Edmonton, Albert where he performed at Edmonton Folk Festival on August 4 and wrapped up in Quincy, WA at Gorge Amphitheater on August 8.

The singer-songwriter from Northern Ireland started the year out with a similar short trek.  In late January Morrison had three shows in Texas.

“Find Me Beside You,” a story ballet/rock opera by Jessica Wallenfels, is the ambitious stage version of one of the all time great rock albums- “Astral Weeks” by Van Morrison.  The imagistic song cycle stylistically swings from classical guitar to blues to folk to jazz with stream of consciousness lyrics.

The story fashioned by Wallenfels around the elusive songs by Morrison abandons the free associative flow and instead tells a coming of age story, starting with Morrison’s hometown of Belfast and moving over to Dublin in The Troubles period.  The story takes place over a period of 12 years and narrates the live of three main characters: Aeden (played by Dave Cole) who is prone to excess and is impulsive; Bridget (played by Elizabeth Klinger) who is Dave’s childhood best friend; and Meagan (played by Emilee Yaakola) the doomed and innocent younger school girl sister of Bridget’s.

“Find Me Beside You” as musical theater derives tremendous benefit from the onstage band, which is comprised of four musicians (Sarah O’Mara, Eric Nordin, Eddy Dragonetti and Sam Densmore) who play ten instruments.  For Morrison fans, their tight commanding of his score definitely is a draw, although The Belfast Cowboy is absent.  Opening night on Thursday at Theater! Theatre! did suffer from spotty amplification on the head mics of the actors, especially Klinger’s, but the band and actors wrap themselves in the lyrics with gusty relish and believable pathos.

For an album which has eluded interpretation, attempting to yoke its wayward lyrics in and make a cohesive narrative is slippery.  “Find Me Beside You” runs around one hour without an intermission and covers lots of territory, both geographically and temporally.  The story begins in post-riot 1972 Belfast and shows the graffitied walls and huddled mourners.  Aeden and Bridget, over the course of the title track from the album, are shadowed by their own ten year old younger selves, revisiting the troubled childhood home of Aeden’s circa 1960 as well as the sisters’ happier milieu, wander the hillsides and streets before returning to the 1972 bomb ridden wreckage.  Caitlin Upshaw, Tracy Turner, Jeremy Soan and Teran play the multiple Greek chorus, intervening characters and bystanders roles, however their shifting personas make for a confusing and crowded stage at times.

From there locales, characters and flashbacks continue to cycle back.  Confusion over what year it is or location (Dublin or Belfast?) is a result of the action’s gestural and literal reliance on the album’s lyrics.  For example “Cyprus Avenue” requires the action to be in Dublin, where the stumbling drunken Aeden is seduced unconvincingly by the song’s barefoot virgin child of young Meagan before.  A squatter’s mansion, ruled over by Madame George the cross dressing medium, seems to be less important to the narrative flow of the story than the proper nouns of  Morrison’s.

The same goes for Meagan.  Her little ballerina, ranging from the ages of 6 to 14 to the young woman who is tragically rejected at the end of the play, from a choreographic sense still is a child and isn’t prepared to be the professional dancer called for in the script.  Aeden, by the time the final scene rolls around, has had three lovers and experienced redemption via his coming of age experience.  However due to the rapidly chaotic progression of the play, his character appears to be victim of the pushing tides (bombs, Madame George) or pulling tides (seductions from Meagan and Colleen).

“Find Me Beside You” if it would slow down and allow for some breathing room in between songs could potentially evolve into a story ballet that Wallenfels envisioned: the loss of innocence of a young man, set against the violence-torn Ireland backdrop.  For now the “Astral Weeks” songs of Morrison’s do receive a deep treatment.

After a 37 Year Absence, Van Morrison to Play San Diego October 6

For the first time in 37 years the enigmatic rock legend Van Morrison will be performing in San Diego.

On October 6, the singer-songwriter from Ireland along with his current band, will be performing in downtown San Diego at Civic Theatre.  It will be the first area appearance for Morrison since 1973 when he performed at San Diego’s Sports Arena.  Morrison over the years did receive lucrative offers for performing in San Diego, however until now the offers had been rejected.

On August 14 tickets will be going on sale for the gig at Civic Theatre at the box office as well as Ticketmaster’s phone line at 800-745-3000 and website at ticketmaster.com.  Prices for tickets will be $90-$350.  However according an AEG Live spokesman, concert promoter, there will be just 100 $350 tickets made available, with 500 seats being priced at $90.  The 1,882 majority of tickets will cost $125, 237 tickets will cost $200 and another 216 tickets will cost $250.

In 1993 Morrison became a member of Rock and Roll’s Hall of Fame.  The last time he had a performance in Southern California was in 2008.  He had back to back concerts at the Hollywood Bowl at almost 18,000 capacity.  Morrison’s music equally draws from Celtic, country, soul, rock, jazz and blues and frequently has an intense spiritual quality to it.

Some of Morrison’s better known songs are “Astral Weeks,” “Caravan,” “Tupelo Honey,” “Moondance” and “Brown Eyed Girl.”  However his nearly 40 albums are what have secured Morrison’s reputation of being a musical mystic.

Concert promoter Live Nation has announced that Van Morrison will be performing on Sunday, August 8 at the Gorge Amphitheater. The opening act has not been announced yet.

Concerts from Morrison are inconsistent and rare. The demeanor of the Irish singer can be passionate and possessed or surly and distant. Morrison last toured in winter 2008 as well as spring 2009. During the limited run, Morrison revisited “Astral Weeks,” his masterpiece from 1968, in its entirety. According to Live Nation Seattle office officials, the only other appearances Morrison has made in the northwest were in 2006 when he opened WaMu Amphitheater and a two night Gorge run in 1998 with Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan.

Tickets will go on sale on Monday June 28. Ticket prices will be $50-$200 and can be purchased via LiveNation.com or by calling 800-745-3000.

Long shots do come through once in awhile.

The Habs may not have made it into the finals of the Stanley Cup, however Van Morrison will be headlining the Folk Fest’s fundraiser at Gallagher Park on August 4.

Terry Wickham, festival producer said lat week at the news conference, getting his favorite artist and Northern Irish legend was definitely a long shot. Wickham had tried to no avail for years. Until now, that is.

On Monday afternoon Wickham said, for the festival and me this is a dream coming true. He is the highest profile performer that we have ever had. We are ready for that I think.

Three years ago Van Morrison performed at Rexall Place. He is known for his classic rock albums such as “Moondance” and “Astral Weeks.”

Fans buying four day festival passes for August 5-8 will be getting the first chance to buy Morrison tickets starting on Tuesday via Ticketmaster or through the Folk Fest office. Ticket prices are $40 for youth and $69 for adults.

Fans just wanting to see Morrison perform will need to wait until Friday for purchasing tickets. Adult tickets will cost $89 and youth tickets will cost $40.

The concert on Wednesday night, for the second year now, raises funds for the endowment fund of the festival.

Some of the Folk Fest’s other headliners on the other four nights of the festival are Sarah Harmer, Levon Helm, Ben Harper and Gord Downie.

Today it was announced by Red Mountain Entertainment that Van Morrison will be making his first appearance ever in Alabama. He will perform at the BJCC Concert Hall in Birmingham on May 3.

Tickets will be going on sale for the concert on March 26 via Ticketmaster, Prices of the tickets are $350, $250, $125, $85 and $55.

The 64 year old Morrison is an iconic rock musician, known for his fiery temper and catalog of influential music as well as passionate concert performances.

The songwriter and singer from Ireland over the years has not toured very widely or often in the U.S. In 2008 Morrison had only three dates in the U.S. To promote “Keep It Simple.” One of the three performances was at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, the closest Van Morrison has been to Birmingham.

In late 2008 as well as 2009, Morrison performed in the Hollywood Bowl along with other venues. The tour focused on “Astral Weeks,” his seminal album from 1968.

Morrison is a winner of six Grammy awards, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member and has produced over 40 albums. They include “Moondance” from 1970, “Tupelo Honey” released in 1971, “Wavelength” from 1978 as well as 1979′s “Into the Music.”

Some of the signature songs from Van Morrison include “Into the Mystic,” “Gloria,” “Tupelo Honey,” “Moondance,” “Domino,” “Crazy Love,” and “Brown Eyed Girl.”

Morrison has announced only one more date for this year’s schedule according to Pollstar. Van Morrison will perform at New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on May 2.

Earlier this year he had to cancel three late January dates set for Dallas, Forth Worth and Austin, Texas due to exhaustion.

Van Morrison’s official website is down for now since a hacker broke in in December to post a fake announcement. The internet hoax got picked up by the media. It claimed that Van Morrison and one of his tour staff members had a child together.

The management of Morrison’s moved quickly to state that wasn’t true and stated that his website had been hacked a couple of times during the last year.

Van Morrison has had to cancel three upcoming Texas concerts. According to the statement posted on the website for the Texas Performing Arts, Van Morrison is suffering from severe exhaustion.

The singer from Ireland had performances scheduled for January 23 at University of Texas at Austin in Bass Concert Hall, on January 24 in Fort Worth in Bass Performance Hall and January 25 in Dallas at Meyerson Symphony Center.

No plans so far have been made for rescheduling the shows. Refunds are available.