The festive Sunday jazz extravaganza began at noon with a lively performance on the lawn under the bright sun by Tyreek McDole, a 24-year-old American singer of Haitian descent from sunny Florida. In November 2023, Tyreek won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. The rising star combined post-bop and contemporary jazz with elements of his Afro-Caribbean heritage with his warm baritone voice. His band, consisting of Dylan Band on saxophone, Karim Blal on piano, Dan Finn on bass, and Gary Jones III on drums, perfectly accompanied his first performance in Austria. The likeable young man expertly opened the program on the last day of the festival.
French guitarist, composer, and poet Thierry „Titi“ Robin performed on the main stage in a trio with bassist Chris Jennings and Indian flutist Rishab Prasan. It was a pity that saxophonist Renaud-Gabriel Pion did not arrive, as this would have completed their „Quatuor Le sable et l’ecume.“ Nevertheless, the unusual world music trio from the latest project „Quartet Sand and Foam“ made a cohesive, mature impression and delighted the receptive audience to the fullest. Perhaps the last two compositions/improvisations from the concert in the video clip will convince you of this.
The respite from the relentless sun in the pleasant shade of the barn was greatly enhanced by the spontaneous performance of Jumping Jungle with guests, notably singer Blair Clark from Saturday’s midnight POWERHOUSE BAND and then the young British band Vortex London Whirlpool. Their completely spontaneous performance, with Swedish singer Rebecka Edlund particularly thrilling the packed barn, together with Mena Plankensteiner, recalled Carole King’s legendary Tapestry (1971) with the beautiful You’ve Got a Friend, which I recommend listening to in the video clip.
The most interesting discovery on Sunday was, I believe, not only for me, the charming and virtuoso Italian pianist Francesca Tandoi with her long-time bandmates (Stefano Senni – bass, Giovanni Campanella – drums). Her unprecedented piano technique and incredible sense of swing evoked memories of Oscar Peterson, and her singing also brought to mind Diana Krall. Many pianists would envy the ingenuity, speed, and precision of her captivating improvisations, gently propelled forward by the bass and drums. Try the beautiful final blues from 06:49 in the video clip, but for your enjoyment, I recommend watching the whole video from the beginning!
The penultimate concert on the main stage belonged to Yaron Herman and his latest project, Radio Paradise, in which he was accompanied by the unassuming María Grand on tenor sax, Haggai Cohen-Milo on bass, and the highly experienced Ziv Ravitz on drums. María Grand in particular caught our attention with the intense power and inventiveness of her saxophone playing. The jazz highlight of Sunday’s program on the main stage, one of the TOP 5 concerts of this year’s festival.
The closing performance by Trinidadian singer Anthony Joseph and bassist/producer Dave Okuma brought „dynamic Afrofuturism with an aesthetic that knows no boundaries“ to INNtöne thanks to their latest project, Rowing Up River to Give our Names Back. They were assisted in their efforts by renowned saxophonist Chelsea Carmichael, keyboardist Renato Paris, and drummer Leo Taylor. The resulting original combination of soul, funk, afrobeat, and, in part, free jazz captivated part of the audience, but it didn’t grab us. It’s a shame that the popular Chelsea didn’t get to perform her usual thrilling improvisations, as everything was subordinated to the dominant singer, who often seemed to be reciting rather than singing.
The Clemens Salesny & Mario Rom Quintet brought us a significant improvement and great pleasure at the end of the evening at St. Pigs Pub, a former pigsty with two bars. The excellent Mario Rom on trumpet, Clemens Salesny on alto sax and bass clarinet, seasoned keyboardist Carlton Holmes, bassist Wolfram Derschmidt, and energetic drummer Dusan Novakov convincingly transported us into the music of the beloved Eric Dolphy. His unforgettable hits from the albums Out There (1960), Outward Bound (1960), and Out to Lunch (1961) were interpreted superbly by experienced musicians with maximum energy. The midnight enthusiasm of the persistent listeners was endless, a wonderful culmination of the festival marathon!
This year’s INNtöne festival once again thrilled me with its extraordinary variety of jazz styles, top-notch concerts by Heidi Vogel, Scott Robinson, Francesca Tandoi, Yaron Herman, and the closing quintet Clemens Salesny & Mario Rom, as well as the very friendly atmosphere at the farm and its surroundings. A big THANK YOU goes to the main organizer Paul Zauner and his 160 colleagues for another unforgettable musical experience!
For those interested in next year’s festival, the new dates are August 14-16, 2026, and the intention is to organize the main concerts only in the barn, thus eliminating the grueling sun on the Open-Air Stage…