Jazzfestival Saalfelden 2025 (1/4)

By Sarah Grosser 

“The hills are alive with the sound of soundcheck” 

Once again for the 45th time, the "actually very medium-sized” Austrian town of Saalfelden is flooded with tourists and artists for its annual four-day jazz and avant-garde extravaganza. This year saw the arrival of 190 artists from twenty-six countries, and more than 28,500 concert visits from the thousands in attendance. This ain’t no boutique get-together – Saalfelden is "the big one."

For such a gigantic festival, it was a moment of pride to witness organisers Daniela Neumayer, Mario Steidl, and Wolfgang Hartl accepting the European Jazz Network (EJN) Award for Adventurous Programming. There was no question that many of the mainstage acts were indeed wonderfully niche, but more detail on those over the following reports.

Traditions returned such as the various Jazz Hikes through the mountains with musicians, giving performances at various spots along the routes. These started as early as 9am on Thursday, and repeated again on Saturday to sellout crowds. Meeting drummer Valentin Schuster in the hotel entrance, he personally encouraged everyone to activate “the only push notification you will ever need to turn on!” on their Saalfelden app. He was in charge of the numerous spontaneous Flash Mobs appearing at random locations around the town, where jazz musicians on the lineup played for the public in absurd and fun juxtapositions. 

I was delighted to see again this year that almost every concert was introduced by the returning host, Götz Bühler. Götz displays such a commitment to the correct pronunciation of the names of each individual musician, and with so many musicians attending the festival, this is no mean feat. Along with his good banter, he is just about as impressive as the artists he is presenting. 

Sir Waldo Weathers & Henry Carpaneto Trio. Photo by Michael Geißler

 Due to the huge amount of programming, it would have been impossible for one person to cover every aspect of the festival. Some sacrifices had to be made in order to see preferred shows, for example: legendarily wild, late-night jams were forgone in favour of waking up early for a relaxing, dawn rowboat show. But even for those who didn’t have a ticket to the mainstage or for the smaller Short Cuts stage down the road, there was plenty of free, family-oriented entertainment available around the town: the Stadtpark stage located in the city park was covered by a massive white canopy tent, allowing for public party-time whatever the weather. Even during the pouring rain on the very first day, the elated crowd could be heard from the streets, cheering for Sir Waldo Weathers & Henry Carpaneto Trio. We opted instead to try for some of the inside shows to kick off our very first day. 

2025-08-21 Saalfelden Day 1- Thursday

Teis Semey invites Kirke Karja
Buchbinderei Fuchs

Teis Semey - guitar
Kirke Karja - keys

Teis Semey Invites Kirke Karja. Photo by Michael Geißler

Much like every window in Saalfelden, the Fuchs Book Bindery overlooks a jaw droppingly picturesque view of treetops, steeples, and today, a white mist of raindrops. Most punters were smart enough to bring an umbrella, as the venue capacity of 100 people is quickly filled. Robert Landfermann runs down the stairs and is instantly soaked while he packs his car – sadly, due to maximum capacity, we missed his duet with drummer Lukas König, but fortunately we just manage to scrape in for the following show before the door person says, "Two more!" The joint is crammed with framed prints, old printing presses, rubber stamps, literal chests, endless drawers and cabinets, and loose leaf prints on every surface. An assortment of random chairs fills the remaining floor space, and the second concert begins.

Teis Semey is one of the festival’s artists in residence, so this is the first of a number of performances in which we will see him perform this weekend. The other two shows will be on a much larger stage, so this one is most intimate. Kirke's deep piano waltz provides a rich, intense platform for Teis's meandering, bright guitar. The pitter-pattering that evolves from this matches serendipitously with the grey outside. It's so gentle. She delicately and effortlessly glides softly, arpeggiating so fast, making way for Teis to emerge with an equally quick and heartfelt solo. Kirke sways as Teis plays, smiling. It's cozy and warm here. An impressively tight phrase in unison sees a couple viewers gasp in admiration, as both suddenly make an unexpected break.

Teis’s socially awkward, straightforward stage banter is adorable: "I've seen this place on Instagram. I'd never thought I'd play here. Maybe in ten years? And I couldn't do it alone - I would shit my pants."

There are enormously sensitive moments and memorable melodies. At one point Teis remarks that one piece was written for a choir, but is impressed to add that: "Kirke sounds like a choir."

Eyes to the Sun
Kunsthaus Nexus

Leo Genovese - piano, clarinet
Camila Nebbia - saxophone
Alfred Vogel - drums 

Eyes To The Sun. Photo by Michael Geißler

First things first - The lighting display in Short Cuts this year is certainly one for the books. A series of free-standing jazzy lamps: three stick figures with lampshades for heads, each wearing a neon sign around its neck, which itself is lit. Then further illuminated by a blue upward facing LED lamp. It's a trifecta of trifectæ and I for one am here for it.

The little theatre is packed with guests below and press/VIPs up top lining the balcony with other musicians. If you miss getting a spot on the railing it's difficult to get a view of the stage. I am stuck behind bean pole drummer Leif Berger. Fortunately the wonderfully busy and dynamic performance is loud and wild enough to ignite the imagination, (and Leif does eventually crouch down so I can see!) Occasional peeks allow for flashes of Leo springing vibrantly across the full spectrum of keys on his piano, a glimpse at Camila rocking the hell out of her sax, and Alfred deeply entranced, floating around the kit, with speed and grace. This crazy, atonal freak-out is dark and challenging in the best, most satisfying way. Leo's fast keys together with Camila's speedy trills are frenzied and fit neatly in amongst each other.

Crescendos are emphasized fittingly on Alfred's three cymbals; he also explores a number of different percussion articulations including bongos, rubber mallets, and small objects during the quieter moments. 

Alfred shares with us that in 2023 he had been diagnosed with acute Leukemia, and that during this time, the band which had only just recorded, decided to release their album no matter what. Track names like "Glint" and "Glow" remind us of the disorientation associated with staring at the sun.

It appears, as Alfred says, that the universe wants him to "come back." This is met with loud applause. Leo busts out a clarinet and it's full ball into round two. Duelling reeds, and a super speedy groove from Alfred, it's rapid and crisp drumming with flittering, stuttering sax and clarinet. There's no letting up with this group, and nobody seems to realize it’s 11:30 pm in the Austrian Alps, and not some dingy little basement in New York.