Written by This festival in Schwaz, Tyrol is different.
The Rolling Stones in a jazz guise? Yes, why not! Especially when they know how to perform with such wit, as the Hungarian Kálmán Oláh Trio does. A classic jazz piano trio that demonstrates its versatility across the broad spectrum of modern mainstream jazz with original compositions by bandleader and pianist Kálmán Oláh or a track by US bassist Steve Swallow at the SZentrum in the ‘Silver City’ of Schwaz. Then, in the second set, US saxophonist Tim Ries joins the trio, and the four musicians continue to delight the audience. And they surprise. For the theme of John Coltrane’s ‘Giant Steps’ serves as a unifying thread, bringing together Coltrane-esque sounds with Bach and flamenco. What a combination – and one that works wonderfully well, too. Set number three: Festival founder and trumpeter Franz Hackl now joins in too. And the band, which has now expanded to a quintet, tackles the Stones’ track ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ and turns it into a cool jazz track. It’s actually no surprise that a piece like this is being played, given that Tim Ries has played on two albums and toured with the Rolling Stones on several occasions.
Kálmán láh Trio with Tiem Ries | photo by Reter Meisel
Anyone wondering why each band is playing three sets at the Outreach Music Festival in Tyrol needs to understand the festival’s concept, which – with workshops and, more recently, links to the arts – aims to be more than just a concert event. During the Covid-19 pandemic, at times only one concert per evening was permitted. So, at the SZentrum, they simply put all three bands of the evening on the large, wide stage at the festival’s main venue. And they had them play 20-minute sets one after the other in a continuous rotation. And that’s how it’s stayed. It’s an interesting, exciting concert format that also forces the musicians to rethink their approach, as they’re used to playing sets of around 45 minutes.
The small town of Schwaz, with a population of just under 15,000 and situated 30 km east of Innsbruck, was once a mining hub thanks to its silver deposits; it is now a true city of culture, as the town’s cultural affairs officer noted in her speech at the festival’s opening. There are plenty of festivals here. And for 34 years now, there has also been Outreach. The Tyrolean trumpeter Franz Hackl hails from Schwaz; although he has long been based in New York, he has never forgotten his homeland. And with his interdisciplinary festival – in which the bassist Clemens Rofner, also from Tyrol, serves as co-director at his side – he has created something truly magnificent.
Franz Hackl | photo by Reter Meisel
Franz Hackl’s Outreach Orchestra, the festival’s resident ensemble, has now been in existence for three decades. This wind-dominated ensemble always manages to perform in an entertaining manner, striking a balance between styles that is both sophisticated and entirely unique. Guest performer Heidi Vogel, a British singer, demonstrated with her dark, powerful voice why she is currently making a name for herself across the UK. The Munich Composer Collective (MCC) also performed in Schwaz – another large ensemble founded and led by violinist Gregor Hübner, comprising current and former students from the Jazz Institute and the Classical Department of the Munich University of Music. Winds, strings and rhythm section. Also featured was the former student, the German singer, musician and big band conductor Monika Roscher. Roscher alone, with the magnificent sonic textures in her compositions, was a pure delight. But above all, the MCC proved itself to be a wonderfully resonant, entirely independent ensemble straddling the worlds of jazz and contemporary classical music.
And there were so many other wonderful musicians to be heard at this year’s Outreach. Take, for example, the British saxophonist Iain Bellamy, performing in a quartet with the fantastic guitarist Rob Luft by his side. These two in particular harmonised magically with one another. With his trio, the German bassist (and clarinettist) Nils Kugelmann demonstrated, through his melodic, compositional style and his accessible, rhythmically refined and versatile pieces, why listening to him is such a real pleasure – on both his instruments! The Tyrolean saxophonist and flautist Yvonne Moriel and her quartet Sweetlife shone with their open-minded approach, far removed from stylistic categories. At times dub, at times electronic elements blend into the dense dialogues between the four musicians, driven by the drums and, above all, by the fantastic Stephanie Weninger on Moog and keyboards. A very refreshing quartet indeed!
Vadim Neselovskyi | photo by Reter Meisel
Hearing the Ukrainian pianist Vadim Neselovskyi perform his suite ‘Perseverantia’ in Schwaz, accompanied by a string trio, turned out to be an emotional journey into the war that Russia instigated against Ukraine in 2022 and which shows no sign of ending. Neselovskyi has translated all his feelings on this subject, in all its facets – including the Ukrainians’ perseverance and resistance – into sounds ranging from jazz and neoclassical to Eastern European folklore, chamber music and metal. It was music that moved the listener at every moment and inevitably got under one’s skin.
Another key aspect of Outreach is the fact that the festival supports musicians on their journeys. The young violinist Leonie Grössl from Schwaz used to come to the festival with her father as a child to listen to the music. She is now studying jazz violin in Linz and was given the opportunity to play her first concert on the festival’s second, smaller stage with her trio, Earth Shelters My Precious Self. Stories like this one are important to festival founder Franz Hackl, as he wants his festival to be more than just a place where musicians pop in briefly for a gig.
Featured Image: Heidi-Vogel | photo by Reter Meisel
Last modified: August 31, 2026
