Ibrahim And Helbock Impress At Austria's INNtöne

He owns the family farm in Austrian countryside not far from the German border, where the river Inn (which gives this festival its name) divides the two countries. He is also a musician (he plays trombone) who has performed professionally around the world. His greatest passion, however, is undoubtedly the creation of this unique festival hosted in his own backyard – literally!

A huge barn, with a pig sty turned into ‘St Pig's Pub', is the main venue (the only ticketed part of the festival), while a wine/coffee bar hosts live music throughout the day and a stable is reborn as a blues club. Camping is available on the site for free. The food and drink concessions would shame most festivals, down to Zauner’s insistence on high-quality at reasonable prices. No surprise that the organic pork is sourced from his farm and the trout is from just up the road.

So, to the music itself – an eclectic mix of all forms of jazz. Zauner is a master programmer and his understanding of how to present a festival in an exciting, challenging and complementary way is enviable. There were 18 gigs over the three days, by artists from across the globe. This year there were several UK-based artists – Calum Gourlay’s excellent Thelonius project with Martin Speake, Steve Cardenas and Hans Koller (above); Jean Toussaint’s all-star sextet with Andrew McCormack, Byron Wallen and Dennis Rollins, and Joe Armon-Jones, featuring Nubya Garcia and Chelsea Carmichael, while tubist Theon Cross made a huge impact with his trio on the final day. Featuring Moses Boyd on drums and Chelsea Carmichael on sax (pictured below), the trio wowed the crowd within the first few minutes. Boyd’s metronomic beat and Cross’s inventive soloing set a pattern over which Carmichael either trilled or got into the groove. Cross’ clever use of electronics and Boyd’s brilliant drumming kept the attention throughout a superb gig.

Abdullah Ibrahim (pictured top), who played solo on the opening night, was in reflective mood. On his music stand a well-worn notebook was opened to a double-page filled with handwritten song titles. These tunes spanned decades – 'Tsakwe', 'Shrimp Boats', 'Eleventh Hour', 'Chisa', 'Kippie', 'How Deep is the Ocean', 'Robben Island' – a career of work from which he dipped in and out. It was like a monologue of memories – sometimes a brief anecdote, at others a longer, more sober story. He often returned to the opening phrases from ‘Salaam Peace’ and ‘The Wedding’ in the way that Mussorgsky uses ‘Promenade’ in ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’. He ended his performance with a South African chant leading into the spiritual ‘Wade in the Water’ – both beautiful and moving.

While pianist Florian Weber’s quartet with special guest Ralph Alessi was outstanding – the pianist’s fiery style complimented Alessi’s more clinical playing perfectly, as Nasheet Waits (drums) and Michel Benita (bass) just killed – it was David Helbock's final concert of the festival which particularly impressd. His Random/Control’s project (above) Tour d’Horizon, featuring multi-instrumentalists Andreas Broger and Johannes Bär, provided an eclectic mix of covers, with tunes ranging from Dave Brubeck’s ‘Take 5’ and EST’s ‘Seven Days of Falling’, via Keith Jarret’s ‘My Song’. Bär was by far the busiest musician, playing brass, percussion and beatboxing, often at the same time, while Helbock mostly played delicate piano, but also a synth with his right foot. The musicality of the concert matched the musicians' onstage performance. These brilliant interpretations of well-known songs will leave you surprised, smiling and completely in awe.

– Tim Dickeson