To celebrate its 60th edition, the Montreux jazz festival is releasing The Elegance of Time, a book featuring over 150 portraits by Anoush Abrar. The photographer has spent years capturing transcendent images of the festival's stars, from Quincy Jones to Sam Smith, Raye to Santana.
Marc Rebillet, 2024
Of this image, Abrar says: 'That night, I understood what artists mean when they say they want to die on stage. When you ask all those people to raise their hands and that wave of energy crashes back into your chest, it's stronger than a drug. It took me just one minute and 15 seconds on stage to grasp its full power.' The Elegance of Time is available from the Montreux jazz shop.
Quincy Jones, 2018
In 2019, the festival concluded with a major retrospective of Quincy Jones's career. At the end of the concert, musicians gathered around him for a group photo. Jones held a trumpet, the instrument that started it all, which opened doors to the Lionel Hampton Orchestra when he was barely 20. His instincts returned: fingers on valves, lips on mouthpiece. Abrar didn't know then, but that photograph would be Jones's last at the Montreux jazz festival.
Grace Jones, 2025
Through the door, Abrar could hear her shouting and singing at the top of her voice. He knew this portrait would be unlike any other: with Grace Jones, nothing ever plays out as expected. After refusing a photo on the night of her concert three days earlier, she granted Abrar an appointment outside her room at the Montreux Palace. The door opens. Jones appears dressed as a retro air pilot. 'I have to be at the airport in a few hours,' she explains. 'When I fly, I'm always dressed for the occasion.'
Janelle Monáe, 2025
Abrar became the festival's official portraitist, enjoying privileged backstage access. That night, he was told that Janelle would not be giving photos before her show – maybe after. Abrar pulled out all the stops: with the audience gone, he asked technicians to turn the spotlights back on. This time, Janelle said yes, the stage her kingdom.
Raye, 2024
As a jazz lover and devoted admirer of Nina Simone, Raye had always dreamed of performing at the Montreux jazz festival, and her Swiss roots made the concert even more special. That night, she sang for the first time in front of her grandfather, Hans, who travelled from Appenzell to see his granddaughter, now an international star.
Seal, 2023
Abrar decided to try his luck, setting up a table facing the stage exit with his photographs carefully laid out. He made sure one of his favourites was visible: a portrait of Jon Batiste. One exchanged glance later, Seal approaches him. 'We talked artist to artist,' says Abrar. 'I noticed his ring. When I asked him to place his hand on his face, he understood right away.'
Selah Sue, 2022
At Montreux, artists join a long line of musicians honouring a living heritage. Abrar's portraits capture this dialogue, played out each summer between the intensity of the present and the echoes of the festival's storied past.
Oxlade, 2022
Abrar: 'Montreux opens up a world of possibilities. I've watched managers arrive as tense as a guitar string, only to leave grinning from ear to ear. It's no wonder so many artists choose to take part. Of course, the festival's aura inspires them to leave their mark, but what really sets Montreux apart is the way people are made to feel at home here – a legacy of [founder] Claude Nobs, nurtured and carried forward through the years.'
Sam Smith, 2022
Different generations of musicians cross paths – from legendary figures to new friendships that have blossomed at the festival over the past decade. Sam Smith, Rag'n'Bone Man, Jacob Collier and Raye never knew Nobs, yet they immediately grasped the spirit of the festival: its singular sense of time and its rare space for creative freedom.
Chris Maas, Sting and Dominic Miller, 2024
Abrar: 'Just as I was starting to understand the inner workings of the festival, everything changed. In 2024, the main stages moved to the lake and the casino. I was told that the dressing rooms would be in temporary tents, and there would be no space for my setup. Undeterred, I decided that my studio would just have to become mobile.'
Santana, 2025
Abrar: 'From the very first night, I realised that this sense of freedom is exactly what I'd been dreaming of all along. Montreux itself became my natural backdrop. From the lake stage dressing rooms, I can whisk the artists down to the water's edge in no time, while the casino, with its vintage flair, is a wondrous playground of its own.'
Benson Boone, 2025
'Every evening, my assistant and I set off on a mad dash. Right in the middle of a concert, we slip behind the lake stage through a narrow secret passage, perched above the water. Once across, we still have to thread our way along the quays and climb a steep street up to the casino, all while hauling 20kg of kit in a wheeled case. By the time we arrive, I sometimes have only a few seconds to capture my portrait. Then the chase starts all over again.'
James Blake, 2025
'I feel privileged to be part of this remarkable family now. It feels as though I'm weaving myself into its history, preserving its memories. This festival is like a rift in time. Each summer, I leave with monstrous jet lag – some call it the "Montreux jazz blues", and that's exactly what it is. For 16 days, life follows a different rhythm, nights pass in a blur, and the outside world ceases to exist, as if it might tarnish the purity of our experience here.'
