A Journey of Sound: Reflecting on the 44th Jazzfestival Saalfelden

After more than 60 concerts, both indoors and outdoors, in the city and the surrounding nature, on fixed stages and improvised venues, it's hard to believe, but the 44th edition once again flew by in no time. Countless musical discoveries and personal encounters made sleep a secondary concern for the attendees.

A successful start
The unofficial kickoff on Thursday was marked by the almost traditional "We Hike Jazz" with Lukas Kranzelbinder. Forty music and nature enthusiasts accompanied Kranzelbinder on his journey, with bass slung over his shoulder. The hike, interrupted by extraordinary musical interludes, led to the Lindlalm, situated at 1,500 meters above sea level, where they played the final concert in a picturesque setting with Leila Martial, Mats Gustafsson, and Théo Ceccaldi. In Saalfelden itself, the Berlin-based septet "Make A Move" set the first visitors in the festival park on a weekend program that had dance-loving music fans moving non-stop. And there were many of them, as never before had so many visitors taken advantage of this free offering at the central festival meeting point, confirming to Mario Steidl, Marco Pointner, and their team that these concerts are no longer a hidden gem.

Innovative sound experiences at Nexus and the Otto-Gruberhalle
Artist in Residence Chris Janka presented his Totally Mechanized MIDI Orchestra at Nexus. This human-mechanical sound adventure, peppered with interactive recordings from the city of Saalfelden itself, offered a playground of surprises for various musicians over the following festival days. The Franco-Belgian-Portuguese formation "Bonbon Flamme" led by Valentin Ceccaldi, Fulco Ottervanger, Luis Lopes, and Étienne Ziemniak, as well as "otherMother" with Arthur Fussy, Judith Schwarz, and Jul Dillier, exemplified that the concerts at Nexus defy musical categorization. The industrial charm of the Otto-Gruberhalle provided the perfect setting for the experimental improvisations of the Austrian formation Regenorchester XVII. Highly focused sound tinkerers, led by trumpeter Franz Hautzinger, turned the hall into a hauntingly beautiful sound experience.

Musical highlights on Festival-Friday
Early on Friday, the festival headed to the hermitage “Einsiedelei”. Still enveloped in morning fog upon arrival, the two brass players Eberle & Eberl provided the appropriate soundtrack with their musical devotion to the breakthrough of the sun. A birthday serenade for the current hermit, Alois Penninger, also gave the audience the momentum to either climb more heights or begin their return journey.

Back in the city, singer Laila Martial, together with cellist and electronic musician Valentin Ceccaldi, started the concert series at Nexus with their "Search for an Imaginary Folklore," and shortly thereafter, Ceccaldi's brother Théo, in a duo with Tomeka Reid, kicked off the musical encounters at the Fuchs bookbindery. The rest of the festival day became a whirlwind journey through musical worlds: whether the noise offensive of the trio Millà/Gustafsson/dieb13 challenged conventional listening habits, or Botticelli Baby played with seemingly unholy alliances between jazz, blues, Balkan, and punk, or the minimalist big beats of the Austrian trio "Radian" oscillated between acoustic identification and sonic distance.

Mainstage opening and international sounds
The Mainstage in Saalfelden, the festival's focal point, was officially opened by Mona Matbou Riahi with the premiere of her project "Nebulift." She transformed the hall into a constantly shifting sound space between composition and improvisation. The Canadian Kris Davis and her trio bridged the gap between tradition and modernity, while Daniel Erdmann and his "Thérapie de couple" connected France and Germany, with the bandleader’s humorous winks reflected in both the music and his announcements. The Friday night ended with the incredibly powerful vocals of Sofia Jernberg and her formation "The End," blending industrial grindcore free jazz with sing & noise hardcore folk aesthetics.

A festival to remember
Saturday and Sunday at the festival were equally diverse, with intimate musical encounters such as Sofia Jernberg with cellist Tomeka Reid or guitarist Mary Halvorson with drummer Tomas Fujiwara, while large ensembles like the Dutch Brainteaser Orchestra, the Synesthetic Octet, or the North East Ska*Jazz Orchestra with the Wicked Dub Division rocked both the Mainstage and the Stadtpark stage.

Many attendees considered the program highlights to include Erik Friedlander’s "The Throw," Amirtha Kidambi’s Elder Ones, Sylvie Courvoisier’s "Chimaera," and The Messthetics with saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, reflecting the audience's incredible openness this year. Their stamina was also remarkable, as many of the tireless festival-goers headed to Nexus after the main concerts to follow the late-night sessions in the art house bar until the end. Nevertheless, many of them ventured into nature the next morning to start the day again with music in Kollingwald forest, on the mountain huts, or by the Ritzensee lake.

"This year's edition will resonate particularly deeply with me, as experiencing my 20th anniversary at the Jazzfestival Saalfelden like this leaves me breathless," said Mario Steidl, the festival’s artistic director.

Marco Pointner, the festival’s organizer, added: "We look back on an extremely successful 44th Jazzfestival Saalfelden. With an impressive occupancy rate of 97%, we once again demonstrated that interest in this unique musical event remains strong. This year, there were over 28,000 concert visits. Particularly noteworthy is the diverse audience that gathered at various venues. We are especially pleased to see that the festival attracts younger and more international guests every year. This not only contributes to the lively atmosphere but also shows that we are reaching a broad, global audience. The increasing interest from locals is also reflected in the growing attendance. Another positive trend is the increasing number of overnight stays. More and more visitors are taking the opportunity to extend their stay in Saalfelden and the surrounding area, which strengthens the local tourism industry. The festival was organized with a total budget of around 870,000 euros, of which 180,000 euros were generated through ticket sales. These figures demonstrate that the Jazzfestival Saalfelden is not only a cultural highlight but also an important economic factor for the region. The festival’s economic impact is estimated at around 2.18 million euros, highlighting its positive economic effect on the local economy. We thank all visitors, artists, sponsors, and partners for their support and are already looking forward to next year!"

See you next year, when the 45th Jazzfestival Saalfelden will take music enthusiasts and connoisseurs on new musical journeys from August 21 to 24, 2025.