1969
The erotic connotations of this year are illustrated by an androgynous nude, holding a trumpet and viewed from the rear. The details of the Festival programme are presented in similar proportions to the silhouette on the right, with decorative flourishes recalling vinyl records, and set out in the shape of a church nave. Was this a reference to Montreux Jazz Festival as the musical Holy of Holies? To nudity as a symbol of purity? Or to the invention of a new religion of music and liberated, seductive bodies? Whatever its meaning, the poster caused a scandal in some conservative quarters. The photograph was taken by Fritz van Swoll and the design was created by Eric Wondergem, who was working in the Netherlands designing jazz record sleeves for Philips when Claude Nobs commissioned him to produce this poster.
