Did Chaka find herself a badass guitar player for the road?

It was the opportunity of a lifetime when the legendary musician Chaka Khan — singer of I feel for you, Through the Fire, Ain’t Nobody and I’m Every Woman — was looking for a “youngish, cute-ish” guitarist to join her band on tour. 

When I clicked on the audition link (I just had to), I found out it was too late. Auditions have ended. But it’s not clear who came away from the trials as the best candidate for the job. 

Khan plays Montreux festival

We did find out that Chaka Khan will be performing at the Montreaux Jazz Festival this summer though. The artist will return to open the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 4, after performing there March 1, bringing her unforgettable vocal prowess and energy to one of the most prestigious music festivals in the world.

“I feel honored to be returning to open the Montreux Jazz Festival this year, joining so many world class artists. I’m equally proud to be bringing some special guests with me, to pay musical tribute to my friend Quincy Jones; one of the best friends music and Montreux ever had,” she wrote on social media. 

Quincy Jones co-produced the Montreux Jazz Festival

The late composer-conductor Quincy Jones was officially named co-producer of the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1991 for three years, but he continued to invite musicians from all genres and all generations to Scène du Lac in Geneva, Switzerland for impromptu jam sessions for 30 years after that.

Throughout the 2000s Jones organized large-scale events and parties, inviting guests like Phil Collins, Carlos Santana, Herbie Hancock, Simply Red, Petula Clark, Al Jarreau, Mos Def, Jon Batiste, Lenny Kravitz, and Chaka Khan.

But she looks so young!

Looking like she is years shy of 30, Chaka Khan is in 50-plus years of playing music professionally and will be dedicating this performance to another icon, the recently deceased Quincy Jones, a former collaborator who Khan admires dearly. 

The news about her appearance at Montreaux is so fresh that ticketing information hasn’t been released since her announcement a few days ago.

Khan was searching for a “rock … axe” player. Perhaps this will be the live gig where we find out who the lucky and certainly talented, “powerhouse guitarist” is, that she selected “to hit the road with” her.

The Queens

The GRAMMY-winning Hall of Famer has shows lined up from now through October and is in full tour mode, already selling out shows at the Sydney Opera House and other venues around the world.

For some of those dates, she performs with three other legends in the league of music royalty: Gladys Knight, Patti Labelle, and Stephanie Mills, dubbed The Queens. The first series of performances was so popular that they’ve added a second series of shows (Sept 19-Oct 5, 2025).

by Cherryl Bird – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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