Jazz Baltica is an intimate jazz festival held each summer in Schloss Salzau (Salzau Palace) close to Kiel, Germany, and the coast of the Baltic Sea. It differs from most other festivals in its intimacy and the access that visitors have to the musicians. Despite its relatively small size, the festival features a large number of the world's top jazz musicians, who play side by side with musicians from Northern Germany, Scandinavia and the Baltic countries.[1][2]
Since 2002, Jazz Baltica has been conducted as part of the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival.[3] The festival's founder and musical director is Rainer Haarmann.[4] The festival takes place around the first weekend of July. The dates for 2011 are 1 to 3 July,[5] and the theme is "piano, piano – remembering Esbjörn".
Due to government funding cuts, in 2011 the festival scaled down its activities somewhat. Most noticeably, instead of having simultaneous concerts in two halls, there are fewer acts and they all appear in the main concert barn (Konzertscheune).
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What makes this festival so unique is its intimate nature due to the relatively small concert venues, which limits the number of attendees to several thousand on any given day. This gives attendees unusually close-up access to world-renowned jazz artists; it is an autograph collector's dream. This list of musicians who have made appearances (see highlights) is astounding considering the size of the festival. This is also thanks to the unusual and intimate atmosphere, which the musicians appear to enjoy very much as a change of pace. Where else can they sit outdoors in palace grounds in the sun, next to a small lake, and enjoy a meal? A large number of the musicians stay on the festival grounds rather than at a hotel, which lends to them hanging around with each other more than they might otherwise do.[6]
The festival begins on Friday afternoon and runs through Sunday night. It concentrates on music from the time periods of bebop through to contemporary jazz with a smattering of world music; there is no Dixieland, and unlike so-called jazz festivals such as Montreux, there is no rock, no hip-hop and no rap. True to its name, Jazz Baltica is devoted only to jazz.
Besides the concerts that require tickets, there are also free midday concerts by young local musicians and free late-night jam sessions in the main palace building starting about 11 p.m. and often going on until dawn. On occasion, some of the biggest stars also join in the jam sessions.
For the last several years, the festival has had a specific focus: 2011: "piano, piano – remembering Esbjörn" 2010: "With Friends"[7][8] 2009: "Big Band Battle" [9][10][11] 2008: "on sax" 2007: "trumpet and vibes" 2006: "on piano" 2005: "on drums"
The festival takes place at the Schloss Salzau,[12] a small palace-like compound located in the northern German state of Schleswig Holstein about 20 km east of Kiel and 10 km south of the Baltic Sea.
Because of the festival grounds' semi-remote location, there are no hotels in the immediate vicinity, which means that many musicians take advantage of overnight accommodations directly on the festival grounds. For the most part, concert goers are locals who drive home after the concerts, and a large number stay overnight in camper vans or tents. It is not unusual to see world-famous musicians casually walking along the festival grounds, and they are very approachable for conversation or autographs. The stage entrances to the two concert halls are also easily accessible to the public, and the jazz stars are generally willing to take a few moments to sign autographs or have their picture taken.[13]
In 2011, all paid concerts are held in the Konzertscheune (Concert Barn, seating for approximately 1400). There is no reserved seating, which means that anyone attending has an opportunity to get great seats, although VIPs are given entry to the hall a few minutes before general admission. By standing in line for an hour or so (the queue for the Concert Barn has a covered area to protect against rain), it is possible to get excellent seats in the first few rows; getting in line is recommended because the Concert Barn is somewhat narrow but deep, approximately 30 seats across.
Tickets for the most-popular acts sell out very quickly on the day sales open up. The same typically goes for Festival Tickets, which are good for all concerts from Friday through Sunday. For out-of-towners, persistent calling to the ticket hotline (using the redial button) starting as soon as the telephone lines open up on the first day of sales is generally successful.
Public transportation to the Salzau compound is extremely limited with only one or two scheduled buses each day. Those few visitors fly in from out of town almost always rent a car. It is best to fly into Hamburg; the drive to Salzau is roughly 90 minutes. Finding the grounds is not easy for the first-timer. Salzau is located just north of the village of Fargau. Coming north from Hamburg, take the Autobahn to Kiel; from there, go east on Route 76; in Raisdorf pick up Route 202, and after 4 km turn north towards Schlesen; then drive east towards Fargau.
There is ample parking in nearby farm fields at no charge. Cars are not allowed on the festival grounds except to let campers move their gear on and off the campsites.
A few people stay at hotels in the general area. The closest reasonably large hotel, where the TV staff who record the concerts for later broadcast, often stay at Witt's Gasthof in Krummbek, which is roughly 12 km north of Salzau. There are also many hotels in Kiel, and an alternative is to rent a cottage at the seaside resorts near Schoenberg. Getting a taxi from Salzau back to these locations late at night is possible, but expect to wait half an hour or more for the taxi to arrive for a pickup. The vast majority of people who do not drive home prefer to stay overnight in tents or vans without the worry of drinking and driving when extremely tired upon leaving the late-night jam sessions (which are free).
Camping on the festival grounds is free in designated areas and is well organized. The first campers arrive on Thursday afternoon to take the choice spots with most people arriving on Friday afternoon/evening. Out-of-town campers would be well advised to stop at a supermarket on their drive from Hamburg for basic supplies (water, alcoholic/nonalcoholic beverages, snacks) given that there are no stores in the nearby vicinity of the festival grounds. Although some people set up a small grill, plenty of food and beverages are available from vendor stands on the grounds even until late hours. In the mornings, a breakfast buffet open to the public is set up in the main palace building.
The organizers provide portable showers for campers' use at no charge. In addition, on nice days, some people walk 10 minutes to the nearby lake (Selenter See) and take a short swim; to get there, follow the dirt road heading south from behind and away from the palace's own pond, cross the street and walk down the boat ramp into the water. If you forget a swimsuit, don't worry—people have simply taken off their clothes and walked into the water.