Moers Festival
Moers, Germany
May 21-24, 2021

In a year that passed since the previous Moers Festival, the Covid 19 pandemic caused a lot of bad news regarding concert cancellations, closed venues, and further issues in the already challenging lives of professional musicians around the world. Thus, the success of this year's Moers event was a true cause of joy and a sigh of relief for performers, audiences, and the industry.

The four-day extravaganza was not the smoothest, most distinguished, or extraordinary program in the festival's history but the 50th Anniversary celebration held plenty of fine moments and some sets that could indeed be considered exceptional in any year. The Moers team deserves considerable credit for putting on a wide-ranging event that featured top jazz stars, eclectic talent from exotic locales and the usual mix of progressive experimentation.

A primary plus was another superb production job by the ARTE network that enhanced every show and provided first-rate streaming of the entire event, including interviews with performers and topical discussions that amounted to positive social action. A legislative decision was announced just before the weekend that allowed limited outdoor audiences, even though rain held attendance down. The on-site team that carried out over 1,400 mandatory Covid tests deserves huge accolades.

With the exception of a relatively gorgeous Sunday, overcast wet weather hampered much of the weekend. Still, there wasn't a single musician who looked or played like it bothered them a bit, probably through assurance of how the broadcast made everything look near flawless.

Opening highlights included a gathering of all fourteen previous "Improvisers in Residence" from a tradition established in 2008, and a beautiful solo set by pianist