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Live albums by Nina Simone and Etta James at Montreux Jazz Festival to be released

By 2021/04/20

Two new live albums by Nina Simone and Etta James are being released by the Montreux Jazz Festival and BMG.

The newly issued recordings are the first releases in a new series called The Montreux Years, which collects rare, previously unreleased performances from the festival’s 55-year history.

Nina Simone: The Montreux Years and Etta James: The Montreux Years will both be released on May 28.

The Nina Simone collection features recordings from her festival performances in 1968, 1976, 1981, 1987 and 1990, and the double-CD version includes the full 1968 performance for the first time. The Etta James album features her sets from 1977, 1978, 1989, 1990 and 1993, with the double-CD version including her first European appearance in 1975.

The albums were mastered by Tony Cousins at London’s Metropolis Studios, incorporating MQA audio to capture the original sound of the live performances. They’ll be available in multiple formats, including double-LP and two-disc CD editions.

Each collection will be accompanied by exclusive liner notes and previously unseen photography.

More titles in The Montreux Years series are still to come.

Find more information at montreuxjazzfestival.com.