MONTREUX, Switzerland, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The Montreux Jazz Festival, set for July in Switzerland, has revealed an eclectic lineup blending musical genres and fostering cultural connections between East and West.

Founded in 1967 by Claude Nobs and directed by Mathieu Jaton since 2013, the iconic festival will feature a mix of legendary and contemporary artists, including Santana, Alanis Morissette, Pulp, Chaka Khan, FKA twigs, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, RAYE, Noah Kahan, Sam Fender and J Balvin.

"The great opening on the Lake Stage will be with Chaka Khan celebrating 50 years of career and paying tribute to Quincy Jones who passed away this year," Jaton told Xinhua in an interview.

"There are so many incredible artists, and so we're very pleased and very honored to welcome all those beautiful musicians to Montreux," he added.

Jaton highlighted the festival's spirit of diversity, with a lineup spanning rock, folk, electronic music, jazz, soul, R&B and global hip-hop.

Held in Montreux, nestled between the Alps and Lake Geneva, the festival attracts around 250,000 visitors annually, offering stunning views, top-class acoustics and free stages. It has hosted icons like Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin and Elton John over the years.

Since late 1970s, Montreux has expanded globally to cities like Sao Paulo, Detroit, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro.

"The brand Montreux continues to expand around the world," Jaton said. "We're very proud and happy to now have Montreux Jazz Festival China, Montreux Jazz Festival Tokyo, Montreux Jazz Festival Brazil and Montreux Jazz Festival Miami."

"We also continue our expansion of the Montreux Jazz Cafes and just opened a Montreux Jazz Club in Lausanne in Switzerland," he added.

In 2021, the festival debuted in China, with the first edition held in Hangzhou under the theme "When West Meets East." The fourth edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival China, set to take place in Suzhou on Oct. 24-26, is expected to further connect international and Chinese musicians.

Jaton emphasized that building cultural bridges between China and the world remains a priority.

"The team in China has put in a lot of energy to bring the Montreux Jazz Festival to China. The last edition (also in Suzhou) in October was really brilliant. It shows also the potential of the brand's development in China," he said.

"I'm sure that the Montreux Jazz Festival China will expand and become a major event in China, which is definitely a very important market for us," he noted. Enditem

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