Jazzfestival Saalfelden 2025 (4/4)

2025-08-24 Saalfelden Day 4- Sunday

By Sarah Grosser  

 

Anna Tsombanis & Yvonne Moriel. Photo by Michael Geißler

As is now tradition, Saalfelden woke up early to line the impossibly picturesque mountain lake for the annual concert in a rowboat. This year an all female cast took to the water including a female captain joining Anna Tsombanis and Yvonne Moriel, both on saxophone. In contrast to last year’s chaotic, loud duck calls from Mats Gustafsson (sax) and Nate Wooley (trumpet), this year’s concert was a much more peaceful affair; the duo played a number of composed, slow pieces in harmony, as the little rowboat gently floated around the perimeter of the sea. The music was pretty quiet, so it was sometimes difficult to fully appreciate the grandiosity of the reverb effect created by blowing saxophones over the water, reflecting the sounds up into the mountains. The music itself was pleasant, but I couldn’t help feeling that the naturally echoey auditorium didn’t reach its maximum potential. Nevertheless, the spectacle of enjoying the cute boat and the atmosphere of hearing a concert outside in the gorgeous scenery was still very much worth the early rise. Some freaks were swimming. I don’t know what was wrong with them. 

Walking back to the hotel for breakfast we took a narrow, trodden path that led us over vast fields, surrounded by 360 degree panoramas of the Alps. No trip to Saalfelden Jazz Festival is truly complete without spending just a little time outside in nature; the silence of the giant hills perfectly recalibrates the head and heart, balancing out the busyness and the noise of avant-garde with a little exercise, and some fresh air in the lungs. For those who chose to camp for the fest, this is also a pathway from the well-populated campsite back into town. 

Camila Nebbia invites John Edwards
Brücklwirtshaus

Camila Nebbia – saxophone
John Edwards – bass

Camila Nebbia & JohnEdwards. Photo by Michael Geißler

Crammed into the second floor of a traditional restaurant, Camila on sax and John on bass are improv battling it out. John aggressively thumps his instrument, leaning right into it, producing exceptionally twangy hits. Camila scrunches her face for squonkier emphasis. Both are very emotive with their bodies as they play. Outside the sun is blazing through the back window. In here, all the lights are on, including a magenta uplight, illuminating the walls. Every seat is full in this low capacity venue. Some folks even line the stairwell.

Camila produces super high pitched harmonics, while John emulates a similarly high frequency with a bow. Some long tones remind of the single-note frequencies of a television test pattern. Having seen Camila performing shows of mostly loud dynamics this weekend, it's impressive to be able to also enjoy some of her more quiet bag of tricks.

John gets a sound out of the bass reminiscent of a sitar with a great "boing" to it. During some of the more intense moments, it sounds as if a third human voice is accompanying the session- it's John himself vocalizing along with the jam. There's something beautiful about getting to a place musically where one feels they must physically submit, almost like an ego death. John can make his double bass sound like a string quartet. A drop of sweat drips from his forehead onto his busy hands.

It's a really great pairing and I can't decide who I enjoy watching more. They just sound fantastic together. It's only a short show but the crowd are hungry for more and a small encore is coaxed out of the duo.

McDonald's Flashmob

McDonald Flashmob. Photo by Julian Gruber

It must be really annoying to go into McDonald's and have a flashmob appear out of nowhere to perform avant-garde. A group of around fifty festival-goers descend on the stinky restaurant. Most of the people eating don't seem to mind too much that a wild, crazy woman in a leotard is dancing and screaming with cow horns in her hair like a Flintstone character. Flashmob coordinator/drummer Valentin Schuster leads Siegmar Brecher on bass clarinet and Magdalena Hahnkamper doing vocals and performance, including rubber chicken, for the impromptu jam. Sometimes the comically dramatic Magdalena plays a small organ for even more drama. At one point, she selects a random customer to bump hips with her, from which the rubber chicken is dangling. With each hip-bump the chicken squeaks. Wildly entertaining. It is hot in here and smells of grease but the juxtaposition of the absurd with the corporate is a lot of fun. Many people are filming it on their phones, smiling and laughing – I am one of them. 

Nothing Causes Anything
Otto Gruber Halle

Yvonne Moriel – saxophone
Alex Kranabetter – trumpet, electronics
Vincent Pongracz – bass clarinet, electronics
Christian Lillinger – drums

Nothing Causes Anything. Photo by Julian Gruber

This quartet has a kind of moody overall vibe- I don't know if it's the additional effects on Alex's trumpet, the sub bass rumbling the shed walls, or the all black alternative attire of the two up front. Or maybe it's the reverberating breakdowns paired with dark bass clarinet and Lillinger's supersoft brushes that skitter around like dragonflies. In combination with a little fog machine and some deep, almost sad melodies, these pieces crescendo into pretty ethereal spaces. The streaky spotlights gently lower adding to the dreamlike effect. Maybe it's all the magical air blowing around from reed instruments and trumpet. It's hard not to watch Lillinger the whole time- his creative and expressive drumming is always a spectacle to behold, even as a sideman. To him, it seems there is no such thing as a straight swing: every hit is an event. Alex uses his effects appropriately on the trumpet, beat-repeating final bursts, delays, and echoes for extra detail. It's a cool embellishment and he is smart about not overusing these effects, allowing his ability on the instrument to shine through. It's all about atmosphere, and mood and this band surely achieves that.

Sun-Mi Hong Bida Orchestra
Congress Saalfelden

Jozef Dumoulin - piano, fender rhodes
John Edwards - bass 
Mette Rasmussen - alto saxophone
John Dikeman - bass & tenor saxophone
Alistair Payne - trumpet
Sun Mi Hong - drums

Sun Mi Hong. Photo by Michael Geißler

There is an unfeasibly large bass saxophone on the stage- the size of a small person. Once you get past this massive distraction, you can focus on the groovy, intergenerational ensemble beside it. Delicate is the name of the game during a supersoft ballad- with malleted drums, and a gentle trumpet solo. Sun-Mi’s song titles are abstract and based on her dreams: “Temple of 1000 Neon Leggings,” “Running Horse Candle,” “Invisible Rose.” John Edwards's bass solo is foreboding, accented with further unrest from Jozef's Fender Rhodes. When Mette joins in on the sax, the atmosphere could just about summon a weather god. The drums accompany the rising wave bringing the lightning into the rainstorm. After a huge crescendo, there is a pause in which nobody claps in anticipation, wondering if the piece is over. Some guy yells out “...aber Hallo??" (German: “...but hello?!”) to wake up the entranced crowd. Obviously, everyone cheers. A couple of standing ovations, well earned. 

It's hard to articulate just how creative John Edwards is. It's so much more than just speed and hitting the right notes. It's using the body of the bass as percussion, flicking the strings up top for harmonics, jamming the bow into the neck where it sticks, plucking or bowing, bending,... it's nuts. It's hard for a single individual to really stand out at a festival like this, no less a double bass player, but John leaves a lasting impression. 

Kalle Kalima’s Detour with Leo Genovese and Christian Lillinger
Congress Saalfelden

Kalle Kalima - guitar
Leo Genovese - keyboards
Christian Lillinger - drums

Kalle Kalima. Photo by Michael Geißler

"We rehearsed for seven hours the other day- FUSION!" says Lillinger about Detour. Expectations are high going in for some complicated shit. Bring it on…

Kalle describes his way to Saalfelden via planes from Helsinki to France, then Munich, and finally the shuttle to Saalfelden. He says that he needs a pilot (Leo) and a navigator (Christian), and that he "made a big map, but it was way too big- so I translated it into musical language." That "musical language" was evident in the form of around thirty pages of strategically organised sheet music per person. 

There is so much energy in this trio. Leo is bouncing around. From keys to Rhodes to synth, as if he has springs in the heels of his hi-tops. The freakouts between these three are totally contagious. Kalle asks if we are having fun, adding that "sometimes the musicians are allowed to have fun." It's novel to watch them play a ballad titled "Ghost." The piano glissandos while Christian lightly flits around the kit like a trapped moth. With each new chapter a musician will toss another fistful of sheets onto the floor. Someone in the audience's phone goes off in the break between songs. Leo motions in the direction of the caller and says, "We're busy!"

Kalle whips out a slide and he and Leo get a thing goin' with vibrant organ- long chords with a bunch of tremolo. A really fun surprise banger eventuates, complete with soaring solo from Kalle that carries it's way up into the Alps. It's raw, electric, and fun- it's so hard to tell what is going on and in which direction it's going, but this is apt for a performance about "detours."

Ancient To The Future
Congress Saalfelden

Ava Mendoza - guitar
Majid Bekkas - gimbri, oud, vocals
Xhosa Cole - saxophone, flute
Hamid Drake - drums

Ancient To The Future. Photo by Julian Gruber

A fitting contrast to Detour, Ancient To The Future is a groove driven project with drums, guitar, sax, and flute, but also gimbri, oud, and vocals. The mesmerizing loops allow great space for pretty guitar solos.

Hamid is the engine behind the beat, controlling the speed of the train. The "Flat 2, Sharp 4" Arabian scale on flute and gimbri in combination with traditional singing taps into the "ancient" element, married with contemporary instruments where the ancient “meets” the future. Songs gradually speed up, as Hanmid dictates and the guitars rock out over the uncomplicated riffs. Well, comparatively uncomplicated, compared to a lot of the programming at this festival. This feels like a kind of alternative rock show.

Hamid has a natural fluidity which seems to flow through him onto his drumkit. The whole band appears to be very comfortable and relaxed on stage, and I don't detect a huge aura of ego about them. When the faultist puts his instrument down and starts brushing his hands rapidly together, his fingers blur with motion as he claps. Some solos from this band earn their polite Austrian golf claps- that's no mean feat- you have to be impressive to get those around these parts.

The Bad Plus, Chris Potter & Craig Taborn
Congress Saalfelden

Chris Potter - saxophone
Craig Taborn - piano
Reid Anderson - bass
Dave King - drums

The Bad Plus. Photo by Julian Gruber

The final act of the night, preceded by a short speech from artistic director Mario Steidl and production manager Daniela Neumayer giving a shoutout to the wonderful attentive public and the staff who worked tirelessly for the last four days on site.

Host Götz Bühler introduces the band by saying they "saved the baddest for the last." It's two of the original members plus two worthy stand-ins: Craig Taborn and Chris Potter. And why not close the weekend with a raucous fast jam! The Bad Plus attacks the work of Keith Jarrett - one of the most iconaclastic figures in free jazz. Dave is as animated as ever- his neon beanie bounces around as sticks go flying every which way. Chris's solo earns a roused response from the audience- so similarly does Dave's, jumping up out of his drum stool. For the next track he whips out a set of red brushes- which are cool and easy to see from afar. Craig and Chris don't use any sheet music for reference. I'm astounded at the amount of memory space these guys are storing upstairs- the capacity for which they are able to remember so many projects and songs, riffs, themes, melodies, notes,... etc. Sure, a lot of this set is improvised, but with the two stand-in's basically leading the charge on the main melody, this still never fails to blow me away. During a more mellow moment, Craig is playing a very slow chordal progression with such tenderness, a hush falls over the auditorium. Each chord is more original and beautifully articulated than the last. The delicacy and intention with which he plays each note is so vulnerable. It catches me off guard, consuming me wholly, and I can feel the tears beginning to well up. No shade to anyone else on the stage that night, but if you have not seen Craig Taborn play the piano, I can absolutely recommend adding that item to your bucket list. 

Finishing the festival on this salty free jazz is a classic move. It’s time to go home and the visitors leave the Congress out the main entrance they have frequented for the last few days. This time a gauntlet of cheering staff, including the event organisers themselves, are arranged to applaud the festival attendees as they exit. It’s difficult not to feel the warm fuzzies as you get one last look at the faces of all the people involved in putting the weekend together for you. Here’s hoping we will see every one of them again in 2026.

See Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4