Norah Jones and red guitar charm Montreux Jazz Festival

MONTREUX, Switzerland, (Reuters Life!) – Norah Jones  charmed the Montreux Jazz Festival, moving nimbly from guitar to  keyboard and piano, and blending new songs with crowd favourites  from her breakthrough album.

Striding on stage with her bright red electric guitar on  Saturday night, she opened with “I Wouldn’t Need You”, among  half a dozen tracks from her latest and fourth album “The Fall”.  Others included “Light as a Feather” and “Chasing Pirates”.

It was the American’s second appearance in three years at  the Auditorium Stravinski where Jones headlined the annual  festival being held on the shore of Lake Geneva until July 17.  Next door, The Dead Weather lit up the Miles Davis Hall with a  blistering performance of blues rock.

“It is so beautiful here, I can’t take it. I wish I could  live here, especially when I get stressed out,” the New  York-based Jones told the sell-out crowd.

The 31-year-old, who wore a strapless flounced dress with  black and white checks, set off by a red belt and red high  heels, is the daughter of legendary Indian sitarist and composer  Ravi Shankar. She is also half-sister of Anoushka Shankar.

She shot to fame with her 2002 debut album “Come Away with  Me”, which took eight Grammies, including Album of the Year and  Best New Artist. “Feels Like Home”, “Not Too Late”, and most  recently “The Fall” followed.

Jones, who grew up in Texas, departed from her own  repertoire to play a song by iconic American country singer  Willie Nelson, “What Do You Think of Her Now?”

But it was when she moved to the piano that she seemed to  connect best with the audience, winning her biggest applause for  “Sunrise”. At the end of a soulful rendition of “Waiting (for  You to Come Home)“, the lights went out, leaving only the red  lamp on her piano glowing like a beacon in the dark.

“Back to Manhattan”, “December” and “Man of the Hour” —  about her faithful dog — followed from her new album with dogs  on the CD cover. Vocalist Sasha Dobson joined in on banjo for a  lively “Sinkin’ Soon”.