The Jazzgalerie was launched by Hans Falb in Nickelsdorf on 11. 11. 1976 (with Fatty George playing). Many people know the name of the village from traffic warnings on the radio (pre-EU customs border to Hungary). For true jazz fans, however, the place became a Mecca for improvised music. Starting with gigs of Austrian avant-garde musicians at the club downstairs, the programme soon shifted to Black American Free Jazz, has followed the new paths of European improv, featured electronic music, has always been open to hip-hop, punk ... etc. The Konfrontationen festival started in 1980. It's a small, almost intimate event, taking place in the courtyard of the restaurant and offering deep listening, musical experiments, communication, good food (Hans is also a cook), a wide landscape, different venues, ... For 30 years it has showcased the great names of the jazz/improv scene, and the secret heroes working at the cutting edge of experimental music. The organisation work is done by the IMPRO 2000 group, which is subsidized by the Austrian state, the province (Burgenland), the village of Nickelsdorf, and smaller institutions. However, subsidies have always been very low, too low, so part of the budget for the festival and the club gigs came from Hans and the restaurant. This led to the bankruptcy of the restaurant, which had to be closed at the beginning of 2008. In 2008, more people became active for IMPRO 2000 and joined forces in a big effort to save the Jazzgalerie. Furthermore, musicians offered to play fund-raising concerts all over Europe, artist and festival visitors from all over the world sent emails to Austrian politicans, etc. IMPRO 2000 managed to get the subsidies flowing again (although, still, not enough to create jobs for cultural work, everyone does what he or she can do in their spare time). And so the Konfrontationen festival continued in 2008. As to the restaurant, people living in Nickelsdorf helped to renovate the place, which eventually was bought back from the bank by a group of friends and re-opened in the fall of 2008. There's still a lot of work that has to be done (for instance, the club has to be made sound-proof, etc.). Nevertheless, we will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the festival this summer (and hope to see you there). As to the future, everything depends on Austria's cultural policy in critical economic times, the energy of Hans and the IMPRO 2000 group, and an audience interested in non-mainstream music. Let the music speak for itself! (Text: Friederike Kulcsar)