The twenty-second edition of the Blues nad Bobrem Festival will take place from 6 to 15 August. The event will be held in Bolesławiec and at Kliczków Castle. The festival programme includes music workshops led by masters, concerts and a review of blues bands.

Registration for the workshops and the review is already underway. This year, several changes have been made to the organisation of the workshops. A new feature is accommodation in a newly commissioned building—the former farmstead belonging to Kliczków Castle, located just 200 metres from the main building. Of course, it will still be possible to stay at the Castle itself.

Classes will be held under the direction of: Krystyna Prońko, Aleksandra Sozańska-Kut, Jacek Siciarek (vocals), Leszek Cichoński, Jacek Jaguś, Jacek Królik, Artur Lesicki, Katarzyna Maliszewska, Marek Napiórkowski, Krzysztof “Puma” Piasecki, Marek Raduli (guitar), Roman Puchowski (acoustic guitar), Wojciech Pilichowski, Tomasz Grabowy (bass), Zbigniew Lewandowski, Mich Maass (drums), Bartosz Łęczycki, Roman Badeński (harmonica), Paweł Serafiński (keyboards) and Grzegorz Sidorowicz (photography).

There are two additional workshop classes this year, led by Magda Piskorczyk and the phenomenal Jan Błędowski (string instruments). Magda Piskorczyk’s class is intended for people who already have technical skills and musical experience, can play a solo or prepare a piece by ear. Its aims include jointly preparing concert material and learning to work as part of a band.

At this year’s festival, consultations will be offered, alongside its Masters, by invited stars: Jarosław Śmietana (electric guitar), Wojciech Karolak (keyboards), and Keith Dunn (vocals and harmonica).

In addition to the workshops, the organisers have prepared many other interesting events. On 10 August at 7:00 p.m., the Mistrzowie Warsztatów Blues nad Bobrem concert will take place at the Old Theatre in Bolesławiec. The following day (11 August) at 5:00 p.m., the Tadeusz Nalepa Blues Band Review will begin at Kliczków Castle. The event will be enhanced by a concert by SOUL RE VISION as part of the GIRL POWER project (this year’s Raw Blues winner) and the evening’s star, Magda Piskorczyk, nominated for the 2012 Fryderyk Award in the Blues Album of the Year category for the albums “Mahalia” and “Afro Groove”.

On 12 August at 7:00 p.m., a blues service prepared by Aleksandra Sozańska-Kut will be held at the Parish of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Bolesławiec. On 14 August at 7:00 p.m., the final concert will take place at Kliczków Castle, featuring Jarosław Śmietana together with Wojciech Karolak and Bill Neal in an outstanding blues programme from the album “I Love the Blues”; the always energetic and dynamic HooDoo Band; the excellent G. Wolf (Wojciech Garwoliński) and Keith Dunn; and Cotton Wings—the winner of last year’s Blues Band Review. The concert promises to be very interesting.

Jarek Śmietana’s performance will undoubtedly be an event: he was a versatile musician and composer of both jazz and blues music, and also created music for ballet, film and theatre. During his rich career, he worked with major stars such as Art Farmer, Freddie Hubbard, Eddie Henderson, Gary Bartz, Vinc Mendoza, John Abercrombie, Idris Muhammad and Lee Konitz. He released 41 albums under his own name, recorded, among other places, in prestigious New York studios. In 1998, he received Poland’s most important music award—the Fryderyk—for the album “Jarek Śmietana – Songs and Other Ballads”. He will be joined by Bill Neal, who, among other achievements, took part in a year-long tour with The Royal English Opera Company, performed at Covent Garden Opera House in London and appeared in a film with Sophia Loren and Richard Burton. In 2010, Jarek Śmietana invited Neal to join the blues project and album “I Love the Blues”, which also features the outstanding Wojciech Karolak.

The organisers invite you to register for the music workshops. More information and updates are available on www.bluesnadbobrem.pl and on the Blues fan page on Facebook.

Festival programme:

  • 6–14 August – Wojtek Seweryn Music Workshops in Kliczków
  • 10 August, 7:00 p.m., Old Theatre in Bolesławiec – Mistrzowie Warsztatów Blues nad Bobrem concert
  • 11 August, 5:00 p.m., Kliczków Castle – Blues Band Review named after Tadeusz Nalepa; SOUL RE VISION concert as part of the GIRL POWER project and Magda Piskorczyk
  • 12 August, 7:00 p.m., Parish of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Bolesławiec – blues service, prepared by Aleksandra Sozańska-Kut
  • 14 August, 7:00 p.m., Kliczków Castle – final concert, featuring: Jarek Śmietana’s band, with Wojciech Karolak and Bill Neal performing an outstanding blues programme from the album “I Love The Blues”; HooDoo Band; G. Wolf (Wojciech Garwoliński); Keith Dunn and Cotton Wing.

(information: Ewa Ołenicz-Bernacka/ii)