In May, Schaffhausen becomes the capital of contemporary Swiss jazz for the 28th time. Highlights from the regional scenes were carefully selected and put into a current context. From 10th to 13th May 2017, the festival will present an exciting snapshot of Swiss jazz. Also, debates on jazz are being held, namely on the "14th Schaffhaus Jazz Talks" under the direction of the young Basel saxophonist and big band leader Sarah Chaksad.
Opening in the city theatre: in collaboration with the «Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra», the Schaffhauser Jazzfestival presents Andreas Schaerer's «The Big Wig»: the result of the commission for the Symphony Orchestra founded by Pierre Boulez in 2004. 66 musicians that have never been together at a Jazzfestival stage. In contrast, one could see the Bern rhythm magician Julian Sartorius, who opens the evening in the smallest and most concentrated concert form. Sartorius stands in the well-known Swiss percussion and drum tradition. He surprises the listeners through his rhythm and sound landscapes.
Sartorius is there also with the Colin Valon Trio on Thursday. Valon is described as a pianist with lyric depth. The ECM leader Manfred Eicher discovered the Romandy player exactly eight years ago in Schaffhausen. Like Sartorius, Fredy Studer is one of the most important drummers in Switzerland and has been at the forefront of exciting new jazz for 40 years. Still, Studer has never played solo on a larger scale. He wants to change this and is preparing a three-part solo cycle. In 2016, Switzerland was a guest at «jazzahead! Bremen», the largest and most important jazz fair trade in Europe. Both Lucas Siseras "Roofer" and Christoph Irniger left a mark. The two bands play on Friday. Also the first time in Schaffhausen is the Geneva pianist Florian Favre. Favre is classical and jazz trained but he also succeeded in dancefloor.
More info: http://www.jazzfestival.ch/
