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38th International Jazzfestival Saalfelden

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By Enrico Bettinello
September 15, 2017
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International Jazzfestival of Saalfelden
Saalfelden, Austria
August 24-27, 2017

Once again, set against the amazing backdrop of the Austrian Alps, the International Jazzfestival of Saalfelden offered a unique perspective on the most adventurous jazz from around the world, as it does since its inception in the 1970s.

It is no coincidence that its rich programme (37 performances in 4 days), as well as the local warm hospitality, keep attracting promoters, critics and a very diverse audience that come from all over Europe.

The 2017 edition confirmed the increasing relevance of European artists (as I tried to sketch in a recent article) even at a festival which has traditionally focused on African-American avant heroes.

Austrian musicians were very well represented, with interesting young artists alongside well-established names like

Wolfgang Puschnig

woodwinds

" data-original-title="" title="">Wolfgang Puschnig or

Michael Riessler

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Riessler. Ranging from the fresh sounding clarinet quartet Woody Black 4 to the multiple influences of pianist

David Helbock

piano
b.1984

" data-original-title="" title="">David Helbock Quartett, from the virtuoso solo performance of double bassist

Manu Mayr

" data-original-title="" title="">Manu Mayr to the cinematic-pop atmospheres of

5K HD

" data-original-title="" title="">5K HD, the Austrian artists revealed a renewed verve and the aim of reaching new audiences, often mixing genres and approaches.

Experiencing a festival like Saalfelden's strengthened my opinion that "jazz" is whatever a community of listeners recognizes as such, rather than a set of pre-esetablished esthetical criteria. Every year this Festival's community becomes more close-knit and open to different languages. This year the quasi-mathematical frenzy of the Japanese duo Sax Ruins, with Ono Ryoko on sax doubling the hysterically-virtuosic drum lines by Yoshida Tatsuya, or the psych-noise attacks by the Norwegian quartet M?ster!, seamlessly fit a programme which also featured the swinging piano trio music composed by

John Zorn

saxophone, alto
b.1953

" data-original-title="" title="">John Zorn and gorgeously played by Brian Marsella (with

Trevor Dunn

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Trevor Dunn and

Kenny Wollesen

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenny Wollesen), the sweet minimalist wizardry of the outstanding Australian trio

The Necks

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">The Necks (one of the highlights of the Festival) and the piercing alto sax solo performance of

Briggan Krauss

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Briggan Krauss.

True, the set played by M?ster would not have been out of place at a punk venue, and The Necks deserve to be featured in the most renowned contemporary music festivals, but the very progressive audience of Saalfelden chooses to come to this festival in order to enjoy the connections and surprises that can only come from a programme that juxtaposes, often back to back, examples of very different musical grammars and styles.

Probably only a few among the hundreds of people in the Congress Hall could really understand the words rapped by HPrizm and Gaston Bandimic, the American and Senegalese rappers featured in

Steve Lehman

saxophone, alto

" data-original-title="" title="">Steve Lehman's S��l��b��yone, but everyone surely got the strong textural impact of their voices into Lehman's precise conception. Impressive.

The Scandinavian "wave" hit Saalfelden with the brilliant, Ornette-derived, energy of the

Cortex

band / ensemble / orchestra
b.2011

" data-original-title="" title="">Cortex Quartet, the ambient mood of

Sinnika Langeland

" data-original-title="" title="">Sinnika Langeland's "Magical Forest," the roaring

Mats Gustafsson

woodwinds
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Mats Gustafsson's NU Ensemble and the twisted funkiness of

Martin Kuchen

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Martin Kuchen Angles 9, in addition to the already mentioned M?ster!. Good vibes came from the Amok Amor quartet (Germany) and Trio DaDaDa (France/Italy) as well.

But the two most remarkable concerts of this edition were, in my opinion, those by "Miller's Tale" and

Eve Risser

piano
b.1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Eve Risser's White Desert Orchestra.

"Miller's Tale" is a quartet featuring

Sylvie Courvoisier

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Sylvie Courvoisier on piano,

Mark Feldman

violin

" data-original-title="" title="">Mark Feldman on violin,

Evan Parker

saxophone, soprano
b.1944

" data-original-title="" title="">Evan Parker on soprano sax and

Ikue Mori

electronics

" data-original-title="" title="">Ikue Mori on electronics. Their improvised music could shift from subtle, dusty, atmospheric, chamber-like passages to furious chases. It was improvised music at its best. The members of this band are among the greatest living improvisors, but with super-groups of this sort one can never be certain about the outcome: it can sound heavenly or boring as hell... "Miller's Tale" in Saalfelden was unique and magical, a dreamy flow of energy and ideas that truly moved the audience. You could have heard a pin drop, before the thunderous clapping and a generous encore that followed the hour-long concert.

Eve Risser' White Desert Orchestra blew the roof off Congress Hall. The original tentet shed new light to the beautiful scores of French pianist Eve Risser, with a telepathic humanity capable of evoking glittering soundscapes as convincingly as Zappaesque funkiness. Flutist Sylvaine Helary, guitarist

Julien Desprez

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Julien Desprez, brillian trumpet player

Eivind Lønning

trumpet
b.1983

" data-original-title="" title="">Eivind L?nning, poignant alto saxophone

Antonin-Tri Hoang

saxophone, alto

" data-original-title="" title="">Antonin-Tri Hoang, as well as elegant bassoon player

Sara Schoenbeck

bassoon

" data-original-title="" title="">Sara Schoenbeck, trombonist

Fidel Fourneyron

trombone

" data-original-title="" title="">Fidel Fourneyron, saxophonist Benjamin Dousteyssier and Eve Risser herself, literally danced on the scores, backed by the rhythm section composed of Luc Ex and

Yuko Oshima

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Yuko Oshima. They literally brought the 20th Century classical European tradition back to life, and with an unquestionably futuristic feeling. Dazzling!

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