Music makers and players, connoisseurs and enthusiasts alike will be guests at the brilliant festival of improvised music!
When the starting signal is given for the 43rd edition of the Jazzfestival Saalfelden on 17 August, everyone knows that four days packed with musical highlights and discoveries lie ahead. On the six official stages spread throughout the town and with the "Mountain Tracks" also in the great outdoors, a programme awaits that will make connoisseurs and lovers of improvised music alike travel from all over the world.
The small town in the province of Salzburg is transformed into an international meeting place that attracts musicians and guests from all over the world to witness the professional but also convivial exchange about music. The artists in residence in particular are in the spotlight, each presenting three different projects, some of them brand new. In addition to vocal acrobat Andreas Schaerer from Switzerland, Japanese koto player Michiyo Yagi will be in Saalfelden for the first time, whose extraordinary career not only crossed paths with John Zorn, Bill Laswell and Billy Bang, but also had one of her first performances in Austria together with Peter Brötzmann. So she refers to him precisely when she says in her interview "Let me add that I am truly honoured to be named one of Jazzfestival Saalfelden's "artists in residence" this year. I promise to give the audience my 100%. And I hope Peter will be watching over me."
Michiyo's duo concert with drummer Hamid Drake, for example, joins a list of partly tried and tested, partly new constellations on the Mainstage and in the Otto-Gruber-Hall. Here, Hamid Drake also enters into a musical dialogue with compatriot Myra Melford on the piano. Melford, in turn, explores the intersection between concrete and abstract in an interplay with Allison Miller on percussion, saxophonist Dayna Stephens and bassist Scott Colley. "Regular guest" and award-winning musician Lukas König presents bass greats Farida Amadou, Luke Stewart, double bass clarinettist John McCowen and the voice of a Charmaine Lee as equal sparring partners under the title "Sound Hazard". The young tenor Zoh Amba from Tennessee is still considered an insider tip. She will be "in action" several times during the festival and will meet pianist Micah Thomas and free jazz punk drummer Chris Corsano on Sunday, among others. The German formation Malstrom already more than convinced the jury of the Young Musicians Award in Burghausen in 2015, and the established Argentinian pianist Leo Genovese brings together musical influences from Iran, Ethiopia, Gambia or Morocco to Rancheros or Bud Powell with his compatriot Demian Cabaud on bass and drummer Jeff Williams.
Meetings not only among the musicians are very important in Saalfelden, and so spontaneous "flash mobs" are also part of the festival. The multi-award-winning woodwind player Pepe Auer, for example, travels specially with his wood winds to provide musical surprises within the town.
And speaking of travel: Guests of the Jazzfestival Saalfelden can use various bus lines free of charge for their arrival and departure from 17-20 August.
This year a total of 176 artists from 14 countries and 5 continents will be performing. Thanks to our two car partners Porsche Saalfelden and Auto & Motorrad Holzmeister in Saalfelden, as well as the two hotels Ritzenhof - Hotel & Spa am See and Naturhotel Forsthofgut, who will lend us their hotel shuttles, more than 170 musicians can be shuttled safely. Without our loyal sponsors, supporters and shuttle partners, a festival of this size would not be possible.
