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| First Record Weekend for the Tremblant International Blues Festival The first weekend was a record one for the Tremblant International Blues Festival, which opened last Friday. Thanks to a variety-filled program and excellent weather, the grounds were jam-packed with blues lovers who found everything they could hope for during the first three days of the event. The festival kicked off on Friday as Andrée Dupré launched the 13th edition, accompanied by guitarist Jean Millaire. Bob Walsh, in better shape than ever, took the stage by storm, along with his band, with a crowd-thrilling performance. The shows presented in the bars later in the evening were also extremely successful, and Riot and his Rythm' Devils were without a doubt a great discovery for music lovers who had the opportunity to hear this exceptional guitarist. On Saturday, record audiences attended the various shows, which included a number of premiers. Monster Mike Welch and Tom Hambridge were at the Festival for the first time, as was legendary James Cotton. The 71-year-old bluesman's extraordinary performance and great generosity won over his fans, who truly appreciated how lucky they were to hear this legend play. Finally on Sunday, young, up-and-coming musicians treated blues lovers to a great variety of sounds. Performing on the Kids Blues stage, the aspiring artists impressed the crowd with their talent and repertoire, and Ricky Paquette blew the audience away! The 15-year-old guitar virtuoso set the stage on fire with an absolutely electrifying performance that drew an impressive crowd on Place Saint-Bernard. After a truly successful weekend, Tremblant is now preparing to welcome some of the biggest names in blues, starting with Gregg Rolie, Santana's original voice, who will be accompanied by the group's original musicians for his show tonight. Rolie will perform Santana's early hits, such as "Oyé Como Va" and "Black Magic Woman." Thursday, Canadian bluesman Colin James will be on the Volkswagen stage to present his Pure Blues show as well as some songs from his most recent album Lime Light. We can expect more traditional blues, interspersed with a few swing pieces, from this Saskatchewan-born artist. Finally on Friday night, be sure not to miss John Lee Hooker Jr., a true showman and child of Blues and legendary guitarist Jeff Healy. Princess of rockin' gospel blues Sharrie Williams will rock the beach, on Saturday night. The 13th edition of the Tremblant International Blues Festival will wrap-up on Sunday night with the traditional Jam Session, which is sure to be an explosive show, with some artists, including Ricky Paquette, Jim Zeller, Carl Tremblay and Nic Payne, together on stage. The Tremblant International Blues Festival continues until July 16th. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |