Sting and orchestra bring magic to Montreux jazz fest

British musician Sting performs onstage during the 45th Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux July 11, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Valentin Flauraud

By Stephanie Nebehay

MONTREUX, Switzerland | Tue Jul 12, 2011 5:37am EDT

MONTREUX, Switzerland (Reuters) - Sting performed Police and solo hits including "Roxanne," "Every Breath You Take" and "Englishman in New York" in orchestral arrangement, bringing a sell-out audience at Montreux Jazz Festival to its feet.

The fit 59-year-old Briton and his "Symphonicity" tour delivered an energetic two-hour show on Monday night on the famed stage of the annual prestigious Swiss summer event.

"I'm very happy to be here with the Bochum Symphony Orchestra," Sting, speaking in French, told the crowd of 3,300 fans of all ages, some of whom paid more than $200 for a seat in Stravinski Auditorium.

Bathed in red light, he then sang "Roxanne," playing his acoustic guitar for The Police's 1978 hit that tells a tale of a man falling in love with a prostitute.

Sting, sporting a tight-fitting grey t-shirt, opened with "Everything Little Thing She Does is Magic," setting the tone for a high-energy evening marked by conductor Sarah Hicks dancing in high heels as she led the German orchestra.

The full force of its drums and horns came through on numbers including "Russians."

A white spotlight shone on first violinist Christine Fischer-Eisenbrand for her solo in "Whenever I Say Your Name." Sting was accompanied in the duet by Australian back-up vocalist Jo Lawry for the 2003 track he recorded with Mary J. Blige.

Sting joined in on harmonica for "Fields of Gold," with a tambourine for songs including "Straight to my Heart," then returned to his acoustic guitar for "(Moon Over) Bourbon Street." Dominic Miller and co-writer of some compositions including "Shape of my Heart" was on electric guitar throughout.

The Police frontman and winner of 16 Grammy Awards who has sold nearly 100 million records earned thunderous applause for "King of Pain." He then brought the crowd to its feet for the rest of the night with "Every Breath You Take" followed by encores of "Desert Rose," "She's Too Good for Me" and "Fragile."

Sting closed with "Message in a Bottle," the crowd joining in the refrain.

Last week the activist abruptly canceled a performance in the Astana Day Festival in Kazakhstan, voicing support for striking oil and gas workers in the former Soviet republic.

"Hunger strikes, imprisoned workers and tens of thousands on strike represents a virtual picket line which I have no intention of crossing," he said in a statement on his website.

Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin opened the two-week Montreux festival along Lake Geneva that closes on Saturday with Deep Purple. Rapper Doom is standing in for Mos Def on Thursday, organizers said in an overnight statement that gave no reason.

(Editing by Paul Casciato)

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Sting and orchestra bring magic to Montreux jazz fest

British musician Sting performs onstage during the 45th Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux July 11, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Valentin Flauraud

By Stephanie Nebehay

MONTREUX, Switzerland | Tue Jul 12, 2011 5:37am EDT

MONTREUX, Switzerland (Reuters) - Sting performed Police and solo hits including "Roxanne," "Every Breath You Take" and "Englishman in New York" in orchestral arrangement, bringing a sell-out audience at Montreux Jazz Festival to its feet.

The fit 59-year-old Briton and his "Symphonicity" tour delivered an energetic two-hour show on Monday night on the famed stage of the annual prestigious Swiss summer event.

"I'm very happy to be here with the Bochum Symphony Orchestra," Sting, speaking in French, told the crowd of 3,300 fans of all ages, some of whom paid more than $200 for a seat in Stravinski Auditorium.

Bathed in red light, he then sang "Roxanne," playing his acoustic guitar for The Police's 1978 hit that tells a tale of a man falling in love with a prostitute.

Sting, sporting a tight-fitting grey t-shirt, opened with "Everything Little Thing She Does is Magic," setting the tone for a high-energy evening marked by conductor Sarah Hicks dancing in high heels as she led the German orchestra.

The full force of its drums and horns came through on numbers including "Russians."

A white spotlight shone on first violinist Christine Fischer-Eisenbrand for her solo in "Whenever I Say Your Name." Sting was accompanied in the duet by Australian back-up vocalist Jo Lawry for the 2003 track he recorded with Mary J. Blige.

Sting joined in on harmonica for "Fields of Gold," with a tambourine for songs including "Straight to my Heart," then returned to his acoustic guitar for "(Moon Over) Bourbon Street." Dominic Miller and co-writer of some compositions including "Shape of my Heart" was on electric guitar throughout.

The Police frontman and winner of 16 Grammy Awards who has sold nearly 100 million records earned thunderous applause for "King of Pain." He then brought the crowd to its feet for the rest of the night with "Every Breath You Take" followed by encores of "Desert Rose," "She's Too Good for Me" and "Fragile."

Sting closed with "Message in a Bottle," the crowd joining in the refrain.

Last week the activist abruptly canceled a performance in the Astana Day Festival in Kazakhstan, voicing support for striking oil and gas workers in the former Soviet republic.

"Hunger strikes, imprisoned workers and tens of thousands on strike represents a virtual picket line which I have no intention of crossing," he said in a statement on his website.

Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin opened the two-week Montreux festival along Lake Geneva that closes on Saturday with Deep Purple. Rapper Doom is standing in for Mos Def on Thursday, organizers said in an overnight statement that gave no reason.

(Editing by Paul Casciato)

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Where the Magic Happens: How a Ford Mustang Boss 302 Becomes a 302S Race Car

Ford builds the Boss 302S race car a few feet from where it builds the Boss 302 street car.

For most of us, $79,000 is a lot of money. But in the world of racing, $79,000 for a turn-key race car is pretty darn cheap. That’s how much the Ford Mustang Boss 302S costs, and it’s ready to race in the SCCA World Challenge GTS class and NASA’s American Iron Series.  The bad news: It’s not street legal, and only 50 will be built. The good news: We have pictures for you.

The 302S starts as an empty Mustang shell that is sent out to Watson Engineering in Taylor, Michigan, where the roll cage is installed and body modifications (such as mounting holes for the rear wing) are carried out. Then the car goes back to the AutoAlliance International plant in Flat Rock (also home to the Mazda 6) to receive a factory paint job in orange or white. Regardless of color, all cars have a black roof.

From there, the 302S goes to a small corner of the Material Sequencing Center on the factory site for assembly. This area is normally used to learn and refine assembly procedures for new parts or processes, but it’s also home to special projects such as the 302S and the Cobra Jet. There are two lines, both of which roughly mimic the workstations and processes on the main Mustang assembly line.

One reason for the (relative) bargain price of the 302S is that it is very similar to the Mustang road car, taking many of its parts from the Ford Racing catalog. It also shares its engine and roll cage with its predecessor, the 302R. The engine is stock but for the addition of a Ford Racing oil pan and a special engine wiring harness;  specific engine tuning allows it to run Sunoco 260 GTX racing fuel. The transmission, clutch, and muffler are all from the Shelby GT500. Aside from its unique hood, front splitter, and rear spoiler, the bodywork is the same as the Boss 302 road car. The steering, which uses the same electrical assist as the road car, also gets a unique calibration. The shocks, springs, and anti-roll bars are all tuned to the 302S, and the bushings are replaced. The front brakes are upgraded to Brembos and have four-inch carbon-fiber cooling ducts that pull air from the front fascia.

You might also notice the giant black hood on the 302S. That is carbon fiber, as is the massive rear wing. We’re sure the hood is going to find its way on to more than one Boss road car, and the automotive world will be the better for it. Such a move, however, does come with risks: If a racing team needs some spare parts, the road-going Boss 302 has plenty to donate. So be sure to park your street car well away from any panicked-looking 302S crew chiefs.

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Back to '61: A bracing spring drive restores the magic of the Jaguar E-type's world premiere:

Our man Julian Rendell at the helm of 77RW, Chassis No. 3, retracing the route driven in 1961 at the Jaguar E-type's world premiere in Geneva. By JULIAN RENDELL on 5/17/2011

With an Alpine breeze tumbling down Mont Blanc, cooling Lake Geneva to an unusually low temperature, this is a ridiculously cold morning to be driving an open-top Jaguar E-type.

But this is not just any E-type; this is 77RW, Chassis No. 3, the star of the E-type launch at this same lakeside venue in 1961.

Back then, the Restaurant H?tel du Parc des Eaux-Vives in Geneva was the center of a major sales push aimed at well-heeled Swiss car lovers, and 77RW had sped overnight across the Continent to perform for potential buyers.

Mercedes-Benzes, Porsches, Ferraris and Jaguars, period exhausts blaring, were all gunned around the local lanes, speeds rising when someone decided to put an unofficial stopwatch on proceedings.

Modern-day driving is not for such heroics. The car we're driving is priceless, the living embodiment of the shagadelic, Swinging '60s. And 77RW, completely rebuilt after last year's Goodwood Festival of Speed, is about as close to a factory-fresh E-type as possible.

There's no denying that even 50 years on, the E-type's styling still looks sensational, its more than 14-foot-long body flowing seamlessly over an eight-foot wheelbase.

Getting into the cabin elegantly is a challenge, requiring recalibration of any preconceptions about ergonomics. With your knees splayed, the delicate wood-rim wheel sits low in your lap. The thimble-size starter button cranks the 3.8-liter straight-six into life with a bellow from the twin exhausts.

The agility of the chassis is instantly noticeable as the speed rises; the nonpower steering is alive and responsive like that in no modern car. The same goes for the fluid ride, much softer than that of any modern two-seater.

The brakes--one of the first applications of front discs--require a superhero effort to get any bite. But otherwise, the controls reward with that precise metal-to-metal contact long lost in today's refinement-focused cars.

Tiny throttle movements keep the engine and its triple SU carburetors ticking along. But crack the throttle open, and 77RW surges forward, an intense exhaust bellow overwhelming the cabin. The experience is all the more intense because the narrow windshield is a poor barrier against the freezing airflow.

The four-speed Moss gearbox is tight but beautifully positive. First and the dog-leg reverse are easily confused, requiring patience and precision in stop-and-start traffic. Original test driver Norman Dewis has the same problems, which is reassuring.

It takes just one morning's drive to grasp the significance and magic of the E-type, which show no sign of dimming after 50 years.

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