Written by Recently I visited Switzerland’s oldest, and rather beautiful, city just for the sole reason – jazz! Even though the two world-famous spa towns of Davos and St. Moritz are just round the corner, and well-known ski resorts, not to mention Italy, are nearby.
The JazzChur association brings music to local stages with over 100 events throughout the year, runs several podcasts and operates a jazz school for up-and-coming musicians. So, with that in mind, it was only natural that, on the final morning of the seventh JazzChurFestival, the programme featured a participatory concert for children for the very first time.
Once again this year, the festival focused on Swiss and European jazz, and there were some unusual acts to be heard. Take, for example, the solo project ‘Pink Dawn’ by the Ticino-based percussionist Sheldon Suter. Using percussion, two zithers, a turntable and sound objects, and with the aid of loops and sounds, Suter created calm, dreamy soundscapes, many of which had a meditative quality. I found a wonderful musician working in idiosyncratic soundscapes rather than loud, decibel-heavy storms of sound, soundscapes that invited me on imaginary journeys of my own. Immediately afterwards, Nicolas Masson continued to enchant the audience with his long-standing quartet. I’d say, without a shadow of a doubt, the interplay between the Geneva-based saxophonist and pianist Colin Vallon, bassist Patrice Moret and drummer Lionel Friedli was dreamlike. His beautiful, darkly melodic compositions – straddling the line between freedom and jazz tradition – served as the starting point for an impressive, collective creative force, evoking moods ranging from delicate and fragile to powerful and rousing. It was, quite simply, a fantastic concert.
Sheldon Suter | Photo credit: mediamarc GmbH
What also makes this still relatively new festival so appealing to me is the cosy atmosphere at the venue, the Postremise – a historic building in the heart of Chur that was once both a riding hall and a theatre, and later served as a depot, first for post coaches and then for post buses. The concert hall is just the right size for intimate concert experiences. You’re close to the artists and can meet them for a quick chat at the bar in the foyer after their performances in a relaxed atmosphere. Take, for example, the charming Iranian (bass) clarinettist Shabnam Parvaresh, whom I caught with her Sheen Trio – featuring electric guitar (Ula Martyn-Ellis) and drums (Philipp Buck) – bridging the gap between rugged post-rock, avant-garde and Middle Eastern folklore, lyrical tenderness one moment and raw energy the next. The Pilgrim quintet, led by Swiss saxophonist Christoph Irniger, moved just as skilfully across musical extremes, swinging from tight composition to open improvisation, from outbursts to fragility.
I found the JazzChurFestival certainly challenges its audience with its programme. A band such as the Trio Enemy, led by the British pianist Kit Downes, with its rhythmic shifts in complex, multi-layered compositions that often break with the jazz tradition, is certainly not exactly ‘easy listening’, but it is fascinating from start to finish. By contrast, the trio led by German bassist Nils Kugelmann (which, like Trio Enemy, features a line-up of piano, double bass and drums), is, with its highly melodic and accessible pieces, a band that can certainly be described as a crowd-pleaser. A piano trio led by a bassist which, like several other piano trios currently on the scene, perfectly understands how to combine technical brilliance with catchiness and pop appeal – and, with this formula, also reaches people who wouldn’t necessarily describe themselves as jazz fans.
Helene Glüxam | Photo credit: mediamarc GmbH
I thought the solo concert by the Viennese double bassist Helene Glüxam – who was awarded the Austrian Jazz Prize for Best Newcomer last year – was yet another performance that required the audience to engage fully and listen intently. With vocals – more of a high-pitched hum than actual singing, and not particularly varied – the musician, who is in her early thirties, accompanies herself as she plays her acoustic double bass in a variety of ways: sometimes pizzicato, sometimes arco, and sometimes using various mallets. Her compositions sound mystical, at times dark and sombre; they are interspersed with improvisations and oscillate between avant-garde and beautiful melodies. An artist well worth discovering.
This is another thing the JazzChur association stands for, as it is keen to provide a platform for young artists. The festival isn’t concerned with big names, but rather with taking musical risks and offering something different. I caught the young Swiss trombonist Gloria Ryter on the very opening night of the festival, given the chance to introduce herself with her new project, Glo, and to play her first proper concert in this quartet line-up. Her music and playing still sound a little restrained. But I think it’s commendable that this festival – well worth a visit with its distinctive profile – is already providing the next generation with a big stage.
Featured Header Image: Christoph Irniger, Pilgrim | Photo credit: mediamarc GmbH
Last modified: September 14, 2026
