The 40th International Jazzfestival Saalfelden is taking place from August 22 to 25, 2019. Again, Austrian Music Export will invite jazz professionals and festival promoters from all over Europe to Saalfelden, turning the spotlight on the local jazz scene. On the occasion of its 40th anniversary, the International Jazzfestival will come up with many surprises, ranging from Artist in Residence programs and new stages to a DJ-line. Among the Artists in Residence are LUKAS KÖNIG and MAJA OSOJNIK, performing in new and vibrant formations. The bassist and composer MANU MAYR has the honour to open the 40th International Jazzfestival officially on Friday, 23 August.
Austrian Artists at the 40th International Jazzfestival Saalfelden
The main stage is the heart of the festival and the majority of performances takes place here, but there is so much more to discover. The festival will open on Thursday with concerts at the Citystage at the town square. The series “Short Cuts” takes place at Kunsthaus Nexus. The venue hosts smaller groups as well as improvisational and experimental projects, making it an absolute must for serious jazz fans. “City Tracks” includes two projects of the Artist in Residence program, whereas the famous “Alpconcerts” around Saalfelden take place at three different alpine pastures where one can find jazz music combined with marvellous panoramic views into the valley.
Friday, 23 August 2019
13:30 Lorenz Raab (trumpet) & Sylvie Courvoisier (piano), Short Cuts
Austrian trumpeter Lorenz Raab and Swiss jazz pianist Sylvie Courvoisier will perform as a duo at the 2019 Saalfelden Jazz Festival. Not avoiding the classical tensions inherent in the genre, their contemporary jazz oscillates between free improvisation and the clear structures of Courvoisier’s compositions.
17:00 Maja Osojnik: „You need me! Who else will you blame when I am gone.”, District Court
An old courthouse seems to be the perfect setting for a sound installation performed concertante and dedicated to the essential themes of “love, life, death and the communication that goes on in the interstices.” On Friday at 5pm, Maja Osojnik will set up the three-day installation in a performance. The artist will subsequently return to Open Space to modify light and sound settings in short performances.
19:00 Manu Mayr (bass) / Susanna Gartmayer (bass clarinet), Main Stage Congress Center
“The smaller the lineup, the more exciting the performance,” says bassist and composer Manu Mayr. Therefore, it seems only logical that Mayr breaks the unwritten law that the opening act at the festival includes a big lineup of musicians. Together with bass clarinetist Susanna Gartmayer, he faces the enormous challenge of performing an intimate composition situated “between clear structure and great freedom” on the big stage of the Congress building.
21:00 Lylit, Nexus+
Lylit is back! The singer-songwriter’s voice rings out loud and clear not only because of its virtuoso qualities but also because of its inward-looking vulnerability. At live concerts, listeners are in for an intense experience that makes them forget the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
With: Lylit – voice, keys / Benny Omerzell – keys / Chris Neuschmid – guitar, bass, sampler / Andreas Lettner – drums, vocals / Anja Obermayer – vocals / Ricarda Oberneder – vocals
Saturday, 24 August 2019
13:30 Mopcut „Accalerate Frames of Reference“ (AT, USA, F), Short Cuts
After many years of intensively engaging with jazz, groove, and hip hop, Lukas König created the noise-improvisation project Mopcut in the wake of the 2018 donaufestival in Krems. Starring König on drums, vocalist Audrey Chen, and guitarist Julien Desprez, the trio applies brute force to create what reviewers have described as an “ambient” and “noise” experience that exorcises evil spirits.
With: Audrey Chen – vocals, analog electronics / Julien Desprez – guitar/ Lukas König – drums, synth, vocals
16:00 Orjazztra Vienna, Mainstage
With his 18-member Orjazztra Vienna, Christian Muthspiel will create an increasingly rare musical experience in Saalfelden. In its world premiere, the newly founded and extremely young big band will showcase a very orchestral approach to contemporary jazz. In their sound production, the ensemble will leave ample space for free improvisation, but will also demonstrate what a thorough examination of dynamics, timbres, and phrasing entails.
With: Lisa Hofmaninger, Gerald Preinfalk, Astrid Wiesinger, Ilse Riedler, Robert Unterköfler, Florian Bauer – saxophones, clarinets / Gerhard Ornig, Lorenz Raab, Matthieu / Michel – trumpet, flugelhorn / Alois Eberl, Daniel Holzleitner – trombone / Tobias Ennemoser – tuba / Philipp Nykrin – piano / Judith Ferstl, Beate Wiesinger – bass / Judith Schwarz, Marton Juhasz – drums / Christian Muthspiel – compositions, leader
19:30 Golnar & Mahan (Iran / Austria), Short Cuts
Traditional doesn’t always have to sound old-fashioned or dusty. Golnar & Mahan proof that it can also be different. They dress the supposedly old in exciting modern garb and fill it with new life. In the music of Golnar Shahyar (vocals, guitar), Mahan Mirarab (fretless guitar, oud) and Amir Wahba (percussion), the traditional sounds of their homeland, Iran, are combined with western contemporary music, forming a universal language that draws its vocabulary from the music of the Middle East, jazz, folklore singer-songwriting and African rhythms. It is a music that develops an unbelievably warm and pulsing vibe of its own.
With: Golnar Shahyar – voice, guitar, keys / Mahan Mirarab – guitar, fretless guitar / Amir Wahba – percussion
21:00 Buntspecht (Austria), Nexus+
Buntspecht’s concerts can aptly be described as a musical stroke of luck. Neither head, belly, nor feet can escape the rousing energy of this young band from Vienna. Blending gypsy swing with indie pop and Viennese folk music, theirs is a music that celebrates life in all of its forms — the melancholic moments as well as the ecstatic ones.
With: Lukas Klein – vocals, guitar, piano / Florentin Scheicher – melodica, trumpet, vocals / Roman Gessler – saxophones, flute / Jakob Lang – bass, vocals / Lukas Chytka – cello / Florian Röthel – drums, percussion
23:59 „ZSAMM“, Nexus+
On her solo album Let them Grow, Maja Osojnik thematized the search for the song, “which in the end is never fixed, but always improvised.” Together with drummer Patrick Wurzwallner, she explores the power of newly arranged old songs this year. In the process, Osojnik focuses on the strange: dirty, lustful, and disturbing sound—phenomena of contemporary relationships.
With: Maja Osojnik – vocals, live sampling, dj-cd player and other lo-fi electronics / Patrick Wurzwallner – drums / Christina Bauer – sound engineering
Short Cuts / City Tracks / Alp Concerts / Nexus+
Wednesday, 21 August 2019
- 09:30 WE HIKE JAZZ! (Hike)
Lukas Kranzelbinder – double bass, leader / Christian Reiner – voice / Lorenz Raab – trumpet / TBA – saxophone / Jim Black – drums, percussion - 20:00 Sketchbook Quartet: „When was the last Time?“ (Ranch)
Leonhard Skorupa – saxophone, clarinet, synth, samples / Andi Tausch – guitar / Daniel Moser – bass clarinet, FX / Konstantin Kräutler – drums - 22:00 Wolfgang Puschnig (Austria, USA)
Wolfgang Puschnig – alto sax, flute / Rick Iannacone – guitar / Jon Sass – tuba / Reinhardt Winkler – drums
Thursday, August 22, 2019
- 19:00 Rdeča Raketa & Natascha Gangl: “WENDY PFERD TOD MEXICO” (Performance), Buchbinderei Fuchs/ Bookbindery Fuchs
Based on her novel “Wendy Goes to Mexico”, Natasha Gangl’s radio play WENDY PFERD TOD MEXICO garnered the main prize at the 2018 Berlin Radio Play Festival. But it is not only the radio play that will be performed live in Saalfelden, A comic strip/musical score hybrid will also be exhibited. Musicians will stage various interventions in the project on site. Book goes radio play goes comic goes concert – comprende? - 21:00 Studio Dan & Anthony Coleman: “New York – Wien #3“ (Austria, USA), Short Cuts
With “New York – Vienna #3” the nine-member formation has commissioned renowned New York composer and pianist Anthony Coleman to create an entire program which will feature the man himself performing with the band in Saalfelden. One can expect an extraordinarily lively and multi-faceted musical experience and – last but not least – another world premiere at the 2019 Saalfelden Jazz Festival.
Saturday, August 24, 2019
- 10:00 RaaDie: „Vast Potential“, District Court
Trumpet meets e-zither and electronics to perform without a safety net – this sums up Lorenz Raab’s and Christof Dienz’s attempts to travel the wide world of sound. In their search for innovative approaches, they strike out on new and unfamiliar terrain. Never afraid of unexpected encounters, they listen in and take risks. In the process, they cross borders and plunge into oceans of sounds of their own making. - 11:00 Schwing Jazz Band (Austria/Germany), Forsthofalm
Alp Concert with: Adam Taylor – guitar, vocals / Dillon Baiocchi – saxophone, vocals / Johannes Fend – bass, vocals / Richie Struck – drums, vocals - 15:00 Melting Pot , District Court (Austria, Belgium, Poland, Denmark, Norway)
With: Katharina Ernst – drums / Mia Dyberg – saxophone / Andreas Røysum – clarinet / Kobe Boon – bass / Zbigniew Kozera – bass
Sunday, August 25, 2019
- 10:00 Juetz (Austria, Switzerland), Museum Schloss Ritzen
Building their sound on Alpine dances and melodies, Juetz takes acoustic detours to unabashedly integrate their roots music into a soundscape that spellbinds all of their listeners’ senses. The result is a thrillingly beautiful experience of traditional Alpine music and boundless improvisation. - 11:00 Children concert: Groovetrotters, Educational Centre
Consisting of percussionist Claudio and body-drumming street-sweeper YoYo, this quirky virtuoso duo takes a comically groovy journey to understand themselves and each other better. Exuding joyful energy, the duo leads their audiences through a wide variety of musical worlds. - 12:00 König/Ismaily/Krauss (Austria, USA), District Court
The König-Ismaily-Krauss Trio was founded after one of Lukas König’s numerous sojourns in New York. Driven by drums, synthesizers, bass, saxophone, and electric guitar, the trio’s performance means pure improvisational bliss with a dash of madness. A well-known entity in the small clubs of Brooklyn and Manhattan, the ensemble stages an acoustic event in which musical conventions fall totally by the wayside. - 12:00 Buntspecht (Austria), Short Cuts
Buntspecht’s concerts can aptly be described as a musical stroke of luck. Neither head, belly, nor feet can escape the rousing energy of this young band from Vienna. Blending gypsy swing with indie pop and Viennese folk music, theirs is a music that celebrates life in all of its forms — the melancholic moments as well as the ecstatic ones. - 16:15 & 18:00 Marina & The Kats (Austria), Short Cuts
Marina Zettl – voice, snare / Thomas Mauerhofer – guitar, vocals / Peter Schönbauer – bass, bass drum, vocals / Harald Baumgartner – guitar, percussion, vocals / Herb Berger – saxophone, clarinet / Georg Schrattenholzer – trombone - 18:00 König Riegler (Austria), District Court
After taking a break from performing with each other for several years, Lukas König and Leo Riegler joined forces again in fall 2018. In order not to raise false hopes or revert to clichés, the duo now calls itself Koenig-Riegler. What listeners can expect are violent improvisation storms in which the two musicians bring to the fore all their enthusiasm for playing. This will lead to a subtle but smartly orchestrated clash of drums, electronic synthesizer, saxophone, trumpet, and Leo Riegler’s vocals. - 22:00 Spiritual Unity Session, Nexus+
Hosted by Lukas Kranzelbinder /
DJ Line
- Saturday, August 24, 2019
12:45 Amira (MONOPOL Verlag, derstandard, RRRIOT) (DJ Set)
15:00 Neon and the Deons (UK, USA, Austria)
15:30 Dynamite & Ivica Nastič (DJ Set )
17:00 Joja (FM4 / Austria) - Sunday, August 25, 2019
12:00 Zanshin (Affine Records / DJ Set)
14:30 Impro Session
15:15 & 17.00 H∆nn∆ (Dj Set)
16:15 Impro Session
18:00 Michael Weiler (Luv Shack Records/ DJ Set)