Claude Nobs
When musicians say Claude Nobs knows how to cook, they mean it literally. Nobs was trained as a cook to follow in his father’s footsteps, who was a baker. Coming of age in the sixties, Nobs soon set his eyes on wider possibilities. While working as an accountant in the Montreux Switzerland tourist office, Nobs developed the idea of having a jazz festival to draw people to Montreux. The first festival, in 1967, lasted three days. Soon, under Nobs’ leadership, it would grow to twenty-three days. As the Montreux Jazz Festival grew, so did the scope of music it encompassed. Nobs seemed to have an innate sense of what music would work in each festival’s context, and his instincts were always good. Coming out of the Ertuguns’ office in New York, Nobs ran into Roberta Flack: she was given a deal on the spot. Nobs would give the shirt off his back to musicians – which is exactly what he did for Miles Davis, who admired Nobs' shirt just before going onstage to play. In addition to overseeing the festival, Nobs became the Swiss director of Atlantic, Elektra, and Warner Music. Amongst his many awards, Nobs’ connection to developing and nurturing musicians was recognized when he was made an honorary citizen of both Atlanta and New Orleans. And yes, Deep Purple trivia fans, Claude helped to save audience members at a Frank Zappa show when the club in Montreux caught fire. He became immortalized as the “funky Claude” in their “Smoke on the Water.” Word has it that he is still an amazing cook - for the festival and in the kitchen.
