BB Blues Fest started to the rhythm of New Orleans

The 10th edition of the BB Blues Fest started yesterday, Friday, and in the anniversary year it couldn’t have started better, the festival started by The Dixieland Group of the Armada Band, who with their music and sympathy, animated the night at José Manuel Figueiredo Cultural Forum.

The night really started with a gift from artists who have already been through the BB Blues Fest, Nico Guedes, Vítor Bacalhau, Gito Lima, Fast Eddie Nelson, Danny del Toro, Budda Guedes, Miguel Lima and Julian Burdock, who sing “It’s the BB Blues Fest” to celebrate the 10th edition.

The Dixieland Group of the Armada Band, as the name implies, is dedicated to interpreting music originating in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America, jazz & blues, from the beginning of the 20th century.

The group took the audience on a journey through the sounds of New Orleans, where so many talented musicians and jazz groups were born and flourished, with their upbeat, rhythmic and danceable music, animated from the very first theme the audience present, which has not yet risen. from the chair, but he really wanted to.

Tracks like “Avalon“, “Royal Garden Blues”, “All of Me“, “Sheik of Araby“, “Sweet Georgia Brown“, “Tie Me To Your Apron Strings Again“, “St. Louis Blues“, “Tiger Rag” and “When The Saints Go Marching In” were some of the songs they interpreted, but they also framed, with a bit of the history of each song, authors and performers that made the songs unforgettable.

It was with “Mardi Gras“, a song that is never lacking in the New Orleans carnival, that the Band Dixieland said goodbye to the Festival, but we will still have two days of Festival, which due to the pandemic, will be outdoors in Moita, today and Saturday, the traditional picnic was postponed to Sunday, October 3rd, due to the local elections that are being disputed this Sunday.

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Day 24 – STAGE ON AVENIDA MARGINAL, MOITA
9:30 pm – TAIL DRAGGER (USA)

Tail Dragger is a Chicago Blues legend. One of the living symbols of the true Chicago Blues, and one that still brings this original spirit to every concert that takes place in the various corners of the world.

Considered the successor of Howlin’ Wolf for his voice tone and way of singing, he doesn’t leave anyone indifferent to each performance: complicity, interaction with the audience, all this with a real and deep feeling at all times. Tail was born James Yancy Jones in September 1940 in Arkansas. He was a fan of Howlin ’Wolf and for 20 years I followed him everywhere. Wolf himself baptized him as Tail Dragger, referring to one of his songs. From that moment on, they became disciples and teachers. Tail began performing at Wolf’s concerts. Later, Tail began performing with his own show in clubs on the West and South Side of Chicago, earning his place with merit. As he himself says, Lowdown Blues is the style he likes the most “it’s what I feel, I sing every time I feel and I feel every time I sing I go into a kind of trance and forget everything else”.

With his European support band: José Luís Pardo on guitar, Tota Blues on harmonica, David Salvador on bass and Pascual Monge on drums, it is the sure promise of celebrating the roots of the Blues.

22:45 – RICHARD RAY FARRELL & LEISURE MAN (USA)

Richard Ray Farrel was nominated this year 2021 for the Blues Music Awards, for the best acoustic album with Three Pints ​​Of Gin. In acoustic, with his guitar and harmonica, Richard is emotional.

He does perform at BB Blues Fest, however, with his recent blues and rock ‘n’ roll lineup. The quartet is an energetic stage powerhouse that turns even the most sceptical into blues enthusiasts. Richard has played, recorded and toured with many of the biggest blues names over the past 45 years (Jerry Portnoy, RL Burnside, Louisiana Red, Big jack Johnson, among others).

He joins this project with the fabulous Troy Nahumko on guitar. Troy graduated from the blues alongside the likes of Jimmy Rogers, Willy “Big Eyes” Smith, Luther “Junior Guitar” Johnson, Pinetop Perkins, James Cotton and Paul Oscher. His dynamism and creativity is the perfect match for Richard’s voice, guitar and harmonica. The rhythm section is one of the hottest and most respected of the moment, the brothers Sérgio and Pablo Barez from Madrid. Altogether they are a sure promise of a great blues show.

Day 25 – STAGE ON AVENIDA MARGINAL, MOITA

9:30 pm – RICK ESTRIN & THE NIGHTCATS (USA)

In celebration of its tenth edition, the BB Blues Fest receives the super band Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, in an absolute debut in Portugal. Led by the multifaceted and true showman Rick Estrin, the Nightcats are pure pleasure mixing humour and fun with genuine blues.

Multi-award winning over the past decade, they won the 2018 Blues Award for Band of the Year. An explosive combination of the talent of harmonica virtuoso and vocalist entertainer Rick, master guitarist Kid Andersen, wizard keyboardist Lorenzo Ferrel and creative drummer Derrick Martin.

With the label of Alligator Records, they come to present their fourth album Contemporary. Influenced and respecting the classics they played with (Muddy Waters, Lowell Fulson, Z.Z. Hill, Eddie Taylor, Little Charlie Baty) make, however, their inventive style and original songs their trademark.

On stage, your predisposition for the unexpected, unpredictable, is unparalleled. That’s what modern blues sounds like

22:45 – THE BLACK MAMBA (PORTUGAL)

The band of the moment. Much cherished by the BB Blues Fest audience, where they had a memorable performance in 2017, they return four years later with many kilometres and deserved recognition.

About Black Mamba, everything has already been written. The Black Mamba is the code name of the meeting between Pedro Tatanka (guitar and voice) and Miguel Casais (drums), whose result is a repertoire of songs in English and Portuguese with a unique visual concept.

Since their last stint at BB Blues Fest, they have released the third album of originals The Mamba King (2018) which has joined the already established ones: The Black Mamba (2012) and Dirty Little Brother (2014), this one with guest appearances by Áurea and António Zambujo, between others. 2019 marked the beginning of the Good Times Tour, commemorating the band’s tenth anniversary.

And of course, this year 2021 is marked by a brilliant victory at the Festival ca Canção da RTP and a magnificent performance in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest, where they were acclaimed by critics and international audiences. Loaded with a sound of soul and all black music, the

The Black Mamba take to the BB Blues Fest stage in a long-awaited concert, confessing their passion for the blues.

Day 3 – BLUES PICNIC – JOSÉ AFONSO PARK

14:00 – STONEBONES & BAD SPAGHETTI (PORTUGAL)

Most likely the only Portuguese bluegrass band. They are distinguished by the incredible energy of their music and their enthusiastic stage performance. Live, they present original songs, composed in the style of Bluegrass, sung in Portuguese, and also a large collection of traditional music.

The Portuguese Mediterranean influence is strongly present, resulting in a unique band, where there is no ocean separating both cultures. Already known to the BB Blues Fest audience, they return to celebrate the Festival’s tenth edition.

15:00 – MOJO HAND (PORTUGAL)

Joe Mac is an American singer and songwriter living in Portugal. His musical career began in the late ’80s, playing Blues Rock on several stages in the Americas and Europe.

Together with the Dutchman Gerrit Ekelenkamp, a harmonicist and vocalist, also living in Portugal, they formed this duo Mojo Hand. This singular combination forms a project that goes to the root of the blues looking for the most original sounds.

They play at the Blues pic-nic, a virtual recreation of a porch session, with a breeze from the West… Portuguese.

16:00 – CATMAN & THE BLUES DOOZERS (PORTUGAL)

Formed in 2005, the project Catman and The Blues Doozers was born in the old space Catacumbas Jazz Bar in Bairro Alto in Lisbon, the result of Manuel Pais (Catman) passion for the Blues. Until its closure (2013), the band was a regular presence at Catacumbas, having started at that time to be present at Alface Hall (also in Bairro Alto), a bar where it remains a regular band to this day. After some entries and exits of various elements, the band stabilized about 6 years ago: Catman-Voz, Teclas and Harmonica; Mr.Bo-Clarinete, José Luís Ferreira-Guitarra; Luís Varatojo-Bateria.

This type of formation, something “sui generis”, provides the possibility for the band to present, through personalized arrangements, a repertoire of Blues truly influenced by both Swing and Jazz. Thus, in addition to originals, Catman and The Blues Doozers feature themes by authors ranging from Louis Jordan to Fats Waller, passing through classics such as Willie Dixon or Albert King.

Regressam ao BB Blues Fest, depois de terem participado no warm-up em 2014.

17:00 – BBBF ALL-STARS (PORTUGAL)

The afternoon of the Blues pic-nic ends in a festive atmosphere with another performance by BBBF All-Stars, under the baton of Fast Eddie Nelson, another open meeting in a celebration of the Blues and the spirit of the BB Blues Fest.

BB Blues Fest is the result of a partnership between the BB Blues Portugal Association, the Municipality of Moita and the Union of Parishes of Baixa da Banheira and Vale da Amoreira and has brought the best names in national and international blues to the town of Baixa da Banheira.

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