The Montreux Jazz Residency returns to the Petit Palais

The festival does not live in July alone. From Tuesday 14 to Saturday 17 October 2026, the Montreux Jazz Artists Foundation (MJAF) gathers its Residency at the Petit Palais of the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace: four days and four nights of music, far from the big stages but as close as can be to the artists.

A springboard for talent

The Residency carries into the autumn the spirit Claude Nobs gave the Montreux Jazz Festival: bringing the generations together. Each day blends workshops, showcases and concerts, before nightly jam sessions where the musicians in residence meet their mentors again. Vincen Garcia’s workshop, “Groove Mechanics: slap & ghost notes”, and the house band built around Daisy George, Luke Bacchus and Zoe Pascal set the tone: here, as much is passed on as is played.

A first-rate line-up

Through the evenings come names from all over the world: the pianist and Gil Scott-Heron companion Brian Jackson, the Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara, the saxophonist Camilla George, the percussionist Mino Cinelu, the keyboardist Jean-Phi Dary and the bassist Vincen Garcia, alongside emerging talents such as Bella Nobre, Samson Philipps and Makeda Krish. Showcases at 7.15 pm, concerts at 8 pm and 9.15 pm, then the night belongs to the jams.

Meeting at the Petit Palais

The Petit Palais, the intimate setting of the Residency. © Inna Felker

Tucked inside the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace, the Petit Palais offers the hushed setting the Residency seeks: a rare closeness between audience and musicians, a few steps from the quays where, every summer, the Riviera’s great gathering plays out. The full programme is available on the Montreux Jazz Artists Foundation website.