Our Sunday began with a metal blast at the Otto Gruber Halle and culminated once again in the congress hall, which on the final day seemed rather sparsely filled, particularly for the early concerts.
Wobble8
The metal noise delivered by Wobble8 – comprising Sofia Salvo (baritone saxophone), Sebastian Pfeifer (synths), Dan Peter Sundland (BassIV, vocals) and Valentin Schuster (drums) – certainly suited the Otto Gruber Halle perfectly, but it was quite a strong brew and, surprisingly for my taste, far too much noise. It was an interesting performance, though; had it not been the first one I’d seen that day, I might have stuck it out for longer. As it was, I preferred to listen to the second half from the distant terrace of the conference hall, where the sound of this intense performance carried over from the Otto Gruber Halle without any trouble.
Industriesalon
The trio comprising Marina Džukljev (piano), Christian Weber (double bass) and Michael Griener (drums) was given a slot on the festival’s main stage. From the description and the narrative of an unknown story in the festival programme, I was actually quite apprehensive, but in the end, I enjoyed it and survived the whole 45 minutes of this free-form performance unscathed.
Ye Olde 2
The line-up for the Ye Olde 2 project – featuring trombonist and bandleader Jacob Garchik alongside two male guitarists and one female guitarist – Brandon Seabrook, Mary Halvorson and Jonathan Goldberger (guitar, baritone guitar) – rounded off by drummer Vinnie Sperrazza – looked incredibly intriguing even on paper. Although, judging by the fact that the hall was barely two-thirds full, it looked a bit like a wind-down day, we were ultimately treated to some of the festival’s most memorable moments.
They treated us to brilliant music from their new album At the End of Time and took us on an incredible journey – and it didn’t matter in the slightest where or how. The marvellous harmony and fierce dissonance of all three guitars made the performance the highlight of the festival so far. Jacob’s introductions to the tracks were also a treat, as he described his inspiration drawn from journeys into space and various scientific and pseudoscientific theories. The main focus, however, was the music, which conveyed a profound meaning and was ingeniously composed.
Giotis Damianidis & August Pirodda
The Thousand Leaves project was originally due to perform, but due to the advanced age (85) of its leader, pianist Masahiko Satoh, and his inability to travel, there was a last-minute change to the programme. August Pirodda stepped in at short notice to replace Masahiko, whilst Giotis Damianidis (who is also the bassist in the band Don Kapot).
At first, the piano served mainly as a percussive instrument, and the two musicians created an interesting dialogue together. This drew me in, and I listened to their musical conversation with great enthusiasm at the start. They were able to create a dramatic atmosphere and incredible tension, even though, in the end, there probably wasn’t much more to it than that.
Yeah No
The celebration of the 30th anniversary of the band Yeah No, led by tenor saxophonist and clarinettist Chris Speed and accompanied by trumpeter Cuong Vu, bassist Skúli Sverrisson and drummer Jim Black, was the perfect finale to the 46th edition of the festival. Is it actually possible that they’ve known each other for thirty years?
This was a brilliant finale to the whole festival and only served to confirm my view that Sunday was definitely the strongest day. Yeah No didn’t venture into anything overly avant-garde; they offered melodic and easily accessible pieces, but above all, they were in perfect sync. You could tell that it really made sense for them to be playing together again, a sentiment that Chris Speed himself expressed with emotion before the final track.
This year’s festival once again offered us an incredibly diverse showcase of music – for me, often verging on the limits of what I could take in or understand – but even that is part of the challenge and the whole experience! At the exit from the hall, just like last year, there was a double row of organisers who thanked the departing audience with well-deserved applause for another successful edition of the Saalfelden Jazz Festival.
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