Van Morrison, Bob Dylan Sign On for 2012 Monteaux Jazz Festival

The Montreux Jazz Festival, which is now closing in on its 50th 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 46th 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.