3 days of jazz - this was the name of the very first jazz festival in Saalfelden. Today, almost 40 years later, it has grown into a festival with 37 concerts - the Saalfelden International Jazz Festival, which takes place every year on the last weekend in August. To shorten the waiting time, a small jazz festival was born three years ago under the same name in winter. This year, from 19 to 21 January 2018, the "3 Days of Jazz Festival" took place in Saalfelden Leogang for the third time.
Four concerts at the Kunsthaus Nexus in Saalfelden, two at the Leogang Mining and Gothic Museum and a free concert at the Stöcklalm in Leogang not only offered a contrast in terms of venues, but also provided variety in terms of music.8
The festival was opened by Adam Baldych and the Helge Lien Trio at Kunsthaus Nexus. They thrilled the audience with their powerful and inspiring album "Brothers". Afterwards, the Austrian band "Edi Nulz" presented their brand new CD "El Perro Grande", which offered a great radio play with its carefree handling of styles and effects. On Saturday, a free concert was organised at the Stöcklalm in the Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn. The local band Crossroad brought plenty of rock to the mountain and created an exuberant atmosphere. The programme continued at 8.00 pm with the international ensemble Dickbauer Collective at Kunsthaus Nexus. The colourful soundscape of jazz, contemporary music and folklore captivated the audience. This was followed by the Michel Portal Quintet with special guests Nils Wogram and Lander Gyselinck. On Sunday, Georg Breinschmid and Bartolomey-Bittmann presented themselves in an almost intimate setting at the Leogang Mining and Gothic Museum. While bassist Breinschmid took the audience on a journey through various genres, Bartolomey and Bittmann delighted visitors with their violin sound. This duo moved between improvisation and composition and provided a worthy conclusion to the festival.
The festival was jointly organised by the Saalfelden Tourist Board and the Centre for Contemporary Music Association, with artistic director Mario Steidl responsible for the varied line-up.
