200 artists from 16 nations at the 44th edition

Almost 200 musicians from 16 nations promise an eventful weekend full of musical discoveries and international encounters. Well-established events such as the already fully booked “We Hike Jazz” hike led by bassist Lukas Kranzelbinder or the spontaneous flash mobs - organized this year by saxophonist Yvonne Moriel - and the free “Citytracks” are just as much a part of the programme as the first-ever concert at the picturesque 17th century “Einsiedelei” just above Lichtenstein Castle, which can be reached on an easy hike on the Friday of the festival.

The Synesthetic Octet, otherMother and Purple Muscle Car are just some of the band names that prominently feature Austrian musicians, and the official opening concert at Congress Saalfelden will also be performed by an Austrian by choice: Together with her musical companions Dorian Concept (synth, electr), Manu Mayr (bass) and Lou Zon (visuals), Iranian clarinettist Mona Matbou Riahi enters a sound space of composition and improvisation with the premiere of her project “Nebulift”.

This year's artist in residence also comes from the local area: Musician, composer, artist, sound researcher, mechanical engineer and recording studio operator, the multi-talented Chris Janka will be thinking outside the musical box this year with a total of five projects - including the freshly released Blueblut album “Garden of Robotic Weeds” - and giving the Saalfelden Jazz Festival its very own touch with the interface of music via new media and sound art. “I'm trying to do something that I've never heard before,” says the artist and wants to use his impulses “to make people think, or at least take a closer look.”

Some old acquaintances and dear friends come to Saalfelden from overseas, but they always have new projects in their luggage. Sylvie Courvoisier, for example, brings together key musical personalities from the New York jazz scene such as Nasheet Waits (dr), Drew Gress (bass), Nate Wooley (tp) and Mexican-born Patricia Brennan (vib & perc) with the electro sound of Austrian guitarist Christian Fennesz in her latest formation Chimaera. Erik Friedlander's “The Throw” presents their brand new album “Dirty Boxing” as a captivating experience that explores the unexpected parallels between the disciplined artistry of music and the strategic combat of mixed martial arts. Also with a new album in the bag, saxophone titan James Brandon Lewis meets the trio Messthetics around guitarist Anthony Pirog, and cellist Tomeka Reid presents her suite “3+3” together with Jason Roebke on bass, Mary Halvorson on guitar and Tomas Fujiwara on percussion. Amirtha Kidambi's Elder Ones will be performing in Saalfelden for the first time. The formation around the extraordinary singer pushes the boundaries of jazz and electronic forms and in the same breath addresses “power, oppression, capitalism, colonialism, white supremacy, violence and the changing nature of truth”.

Those familiar with the Saalfelden Jazz Festival will also be familiar with our “regular guests” from European countries, and names such as Petter Eldh, the brothers Théo and Valentin Ceccaldi, Sofia Jernberg, Daniel Erdmann, Mats Gustafsson, Dan Nicholls and Oliver Steidle stand for musical curiosity, openness and a willingness to experiment. With their projects, they all bring artists to Saalfelden who will experience the unique atmosphere of the festival for the first time. Together with the multi-award-winning violinist, mandolinist and composer Clément Janinet and his formation “La Litanie Des Cimes” or the Brainteaser Orchestra around composer and bandleader Tijn Wybenga from the Netherlands, we invite you to become part of the musical family - on, in front of and behind the stage.

Tickets for the paid concerts can be ordered online at: https://tickets.jazzsaalfelden.com/ and our brand new voucher store is also just a click away.

Guests of the Saalfelden Jazz Festival can use various bus lines free of charge for their arrival and departure from August 22-25. Detailed information can be found here.  

Further information about the Saalfelden Jazz Festival can be found here: www.jazzsaalfelden.com