Kit Downes with Norma Winstone, Tord Gustavsen and more fire up Sparks & Visions festival in Bavaria

A 219-year-old, beautiful theatre with an interior reminiscent of Milan's La Scala - not every festival has a venue like this at its disposal. Sparks & Visions, which took place for the second time on a cold winter weekend in Regensburg, Bavaria's fourth largest city, with its historic old town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has such a venue. That alone is a dream, the city, the theatre. But the festival is also something to be seen and heard.

Last year, Anastasia Wolkenstein ventured into new territory with the premiere of Sparks & Visions. Wolkenstein has actually been running a successful jazz booking agency for a decade and a half, where singer and musician Ganna Gryniva is also under contract. The Ukrainian opened this year´s festival with a solo performance in which she completely reinterpreted old Ukrainian folk songs. With looped vocals, sampled sounds, beats and other effects. Sometimes all that remains of a song is the original text, and Ganna rebuilds everything else around it. This sounds very interesting at times in Regensburg but is certainly more of a programme for a small, intimate space.

Tord Gustavsen – Photo by Peter Hundert

This could also be said of the duo concert by the two Brits, pianist Kit Downes and singer Norma Winstone. The 82-year-old Grande Dame of European jazz singing would have been better experienced in this reduced constellation in a small club or bar with her quiet, timeless song cycle consisting of compositions by Downes and songs by Ralph Towner or John Taylor. Nevertheless, even on the big theatre stage, this duo spoiled the audience with sensitivity, timing and creative power.

The festival offered eight concerts over three days, ending with a matinee on Sunday morning and a perfect finale with the Tord Gustavsen Trio. The Norwegian pianist and his two compatriots Steinar Raknes on double bass and Jarle Vespestad on drums play exactly the right music at this rather unusual time for jazz. Meditative, hymnic. How these three sense sounds in the atmosphere, how they weave fine electronic ingredients into their delicate acoustic jazz, how they shape music from Bach or Nordic folk songs into emotional jazz, how they stage 20-minute pieces as a journey full of emotions and high points, how economy paired with warmth leads to moments that simply make you happy - this magical trio shows all this in Regensburg. And were greeted with thunderous applause.

Kadri Voorand – Photo by Peter Hundert

Festival organiser Anastasia Wolkenstein can generally count herself lucky to have such an enthusiastic, open audience in Regensburg. Incidentally, there were even more of them this year than at the premiere. A good trend for her festival, although not everything was brilliant. The minimalist chamber jazz of the actually ambitious project ‘Ruins and Remains’ by Dutch pianist Wolfert Brederode, performed together with percussionist Joost Lijbaart and the four string players from the Matangi Quartet - rather soporific.

The Estonian duo of Kadri Voorand on keys, violin, loop machine and vocals and compatriot and bassist Mihkel Mälgand were expressive as ever, with rousing, highly entertaining moments, but sometimes also a little over the top. And British keyboardist Alfa Mist and his quintet delivered a performance that was by no means bad, but surprisingly conventional and not necessarily highly inspired.