Autumn plus Copenhagen equals Copenhagen Blues Festival. And so it is again this year – our 14th festival season. From Sept. 24th to 28th once again the Blues will sound all over Copenhagen, and we invite all blues fans to visit our many clubs and venues for 5 days of world class international blues, and also some very good homegrown blues.
The Blues is many things… it’s not only tradition, but also innovation and evolution. The festival is famous for its presentation of The Blues in a fine balance between tradition and new expressions. Our musical ambition is to cover all styles of blues and to present a program of the highest possible international level.
So, as always, you’ll find the seasoned blues veterans performing alongside some very talented young artists, who’ll carry the torch into the future.
This year’s festival program offers 55 blues concerts at 18 venues all over town. The time schedule offers fine opportunities to attend two or three exiting acts per day.
Most of the international acts can be found downtown at the central venues: Mojo, Huset, and in the afternoon, at Roedovre Centrum and some smaller clubs. At Huset-KBH we present great Chicago Blues with John Primer & Copenhagen Slim, Larry McCray Band, the former harmonica player with Muddy Waters for several years, Paul Oscher, who performs several concerts at the festival. Funk and soul blues with Bag Of Blues, Janice Harrington’s new band with Danish top act Kenn Lending, and the excellent folk-blues musician Cary Morin from Colorado.
Mojo presents super Texas blues with the young, very talented Hamilton Loomis, the Danish-Swedish band, Kokomo Kings, and a host of great Danish blues acts. Obediah Parker, somewhat of a folk-blues cult icon, performs at Pilegaarden, and later in the week Pilegaarden holds a history night about Lead Belly, who wrote some of the greatest and most covered songs of folk and blues music. The festival closes Sunday night with one of the world’s best, absolutely rockin’ slide guitar players, Rick Vito & the Lucky Devils. Don’t miss that!
As usual, the city is crawling with Danish blues acts in all styles, forms, shapes and sizes: Delta Blues Band & Miriam Mandipira, Thorbjoern Risager & the Black Tornado, Mama’s Blues Joint, The Deepers, Waitin’ for Janis, René Evald Band, Hans Knudsen, Frank Lauridsen, Paul Banks, H.P. Lange, Mik Schack, Peter Nande, Poorboy Paul and many more.
Again this year the festival’s annual Blues Award Night presents two awards, “Danish Blues Musician of the Year” and “Best Blues Album of the Year.” Last years Danish Blues Artist award went to the guitarist Ronni Busack-Boysen, and the Danish Blues release award went to Thorbjoern Risager. (See the videos from last year’s award ceremony on the festival’s Facebook page.)
The festival’s collaboration with the city’s biggest shopping center, Roedovre Centrum, runs in its 9th year with eight short, afternoon blues concerts at the big main stage, “Festpladsen.” Admittance is free!
Special events
Brunch & Blues – Saturday the community house Prismen offers a blues festival lunch. This time René Evald and his band deliver the musical spices.
Church Blues – on Sunday afternoon at 2 PM, Grundtvig’s Church holds their traditional Blues sermon with a bluesy theme and a matching concert.
See full program with artist articles and photos for each concert and venue and ticket info at: www.copenhagenbluesfestival.dk (English version)
info@copenhagenbluesfestival.dk
www.copenhagenbluesfestival.dk
