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| SKOPJE BLUES
& SOUL FESTIVAL 2006
Skopje, MK
03. and 06.07.2006. |
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Vasja Ivanovski (MK) - Opening of the festival |
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Skopje Blues & Soul Festival 2006
Blues fans from Macedonia had a nice chance to enjoy 10th Anniversary
of celebrated festival that took place in Skopje on July 3rd and 6th. Participants
from USA, Great Britain, France and Serbia gave inspired performances and proved
their status on contemporary blues scene. The organizers used the premises of
an ancient inn, Kurshumli An for the festival, stage, lightning and sound were
first class which was recognized by all artists and public as well.
Weather was not in the favor of the blues on the opening night,
rain stopped only half of hour before the start, so the expected attendance
was not fulfilled, but those who came (real blues fans) were in for a treat
of great blues!
Point
Blank from Serbia, one of the longest blues playing bands in former Yugoslavia
and one of the best, I would say, opened the festivities with their usual set
combined with the songs from their latest CD. They are one of the chosen few
who set blues roots in this part of Europe. The band play mostly their original
(!) material and years of playing presented the band in full flight. Strong
rhythm section was just the right vehicle for their leader, guitarist Dragoljub
Crncevic who played with authority , leading the band through energetic set
that was greeted by the audience. 
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Point Blank (Serbia) on stage |
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Point Blank (Serbia) on stage
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Point Blank (Serbia) D. Crncevic - Baki on stage
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Point Blank promoted their DVD ("Zivot u zatvoru")
which deserves a mention on its behalf, beside excellent performance by the
band, it was recorded live in Serbia’s toughest State Penitentiary, Sremska
Mitrovica, in front of the convicts!! As far as I know, nobody in Europe did
anything like that. We know that has been done in the USA (B. B. King, Johnny
Cash, John Lee Hooker, Little Milton...), but nothing like it in good old Europe
until Point Blank! This band can really play their blues with rock overtones,
they are regulars at many festivals and countless clubs and were good opening
act for the main event, Jimmy D. Lane & The Blue Earth.
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Jimmy D. Lane & The Blue Earth (USA) on stage |
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Jimmy D. Lane (USA) on stage
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Jimmy D. Lane (USA) on stage |
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Jimmy D. Lane (USA) & Vasja Ivanovski
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Jimmy D. Lane (USA) on stage |
The biggest blues name of this Anniversary festival was undoubtedly
Jimmy D. Lane with
his backing band The Blue Earth. One of the biggest crowd drawers on contemporary
blues scene, Jimmy D. Lane, is a hard act to follow. His father, Jimmy Rogers,
played guitar for Muddy Waters. All Chicago greats were regular guests at his
house, no wonder Jimmy got the blues! He played and recorded with most of today’s
hot shots including Eric Clapton, Taj Mahal, Jeff Healey, Mick Jagger and Keith
Richards, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Hubert Sumlin and many more. So, when a bluesman
of that caliber comes by, you go and listen! And what did Jimmy deliver! He
played for two hours and gave one of the best performances we had a chance to
witness within all festivals so far! He played with verve and passion that only
true bluesman can, only few can touch Jimmy when it comes to blues. His blues
is firmly rooted in the past, days of 50’s Chicago blues are evident, but also
spirit of Jimi Hendrix
and his close friend Stevie Ray Vaughan. Beside his original material, he played
a couple of their songs to delighted audience. He even did excellent renditions
of Robert Johnson’s "Crossroads" and Cream’s "White Room".
Jimmy is obviously a passionate blues singer, songwriter and guitarist with
deep respect for all those cats who were there. We can only hope to have Jimmy
back in Skopje as soon as possible!
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Jean-Jacques Milteau Band (F) on stage |
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Jean-Jacques Milteau Band (F) on stage |
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Jean-Jacques Milteau Band (F) on stage
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Jean-Jacques Milteau Band (F) on stage |
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Jean-Jacques Milteau Band (F) on stage |
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July 6th 2006 was the night of British and French music combination
that happened to be a real treat for music fans in Skopje! Contemporary French
blues scene is one of the strongest in Europe regarding quality and variety
of artists, so it was not surprise that Jean-Jacques Milteau performed a great
set of acoustic blues. Leading his trio through some classic blues material,
mixed with his original songs, Milteau immediately bonded with audience who
delighted with beautiful music. On occasions he showed effectively his virtuosity
and command of his instrument which delighted everybody present. Throughout
his career, J. J. Milteau recorded or shared the stage with people like B. B.
King, Mighty Sam McClain, Little Milton and many more which speaks for itself.
He can play with different formats with horns, keyboards or small quartet, but
in all cases he presents first class blues. He also played few songs from his
latest CD, "Fragile", where Michelle Shocked performs among other
guests. All in all, J. J. Milteau confirmed his status of top French bluesman.
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Dennis Rollins' Badbone & Co. (UK) on stage |
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Dennis Rollins' Badbone & Co. (UK) on stage |
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Dennis Rollins' Badbone & Co. (UK) on stage
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Dennis Rollins' Badbone & Co. (UK) on stage
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Icing on the cake of the evening was undoubtedly Dennis
Rollins' Badbone & Co.. Dennis is one of the brightest stars of British
music scene and he confirmed every bit we read about him and his band prior
to this gig in Skopje. He was nominated for the best jazz band in BBC Music
Awards recently. Music of the band is based on different song structures which
combined did miracles with the crowd! Blues, rock, hip-hop, R&B, funk and
soul spiced the rest of the evening! From the very first note everybody was
literally dancing around the stage and nobody was willing to go home. Dennis
Rollins is an excellent trombone player with range control, ideas and at the
same time, showman of highest caliber. His band of youngsters played cohesively
behind him and proved their collective talents in every tune they did. beside
their own material, they did a couple of covers of whom Tracey Chapman's "Fast
Car" was excellent. He could have played all night if the audience were
asked, but after solid two hours and encores, band had to retire. Excellent
ending of the festival which is growing every year and regarding its tight budget,
does miracles regarding top names that perform here. We hope that soon, festival
would expand to three-four nights at least in the future.
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Vasja Ivanovski & Jack Bruce
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Garo Tavitjan, Jan Akkerman & Vasja Ivanovski
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