(Frutland
Jackson)
What would September in Durban be without the
ever popular Durban International Blues Festival? This growing event takes
place from September 24 to 29 at Wilson’s Wharf, just off Durban's Esplanade.
Nine years on, this successful and biggest
blues festival in South Africa has made its mark as was intended by Festival Director,
Themi Venturas and is now recognized nationally and internationally as a sought-after
festival on the international blues circuit.
With the undoubted knowledge and skill of
the event's co ordinators and directors, the festival has attracted a number of
top calibre blues artists both international and national and, as intended, The
Durban International Blues Festival fills a gap in the South African music market -
much like the Cape Town Jazz Festival and other established festivals which
align with towns and cities throughout the country. Although the event has had
to struggle against sponsorship odds at times, it is nearly a decade old next
year and one can proudly say the Durban International Blues Festival is here to
stay!
"It is rewarding to see that, along
with sponsors such as the City of Durban, the Department of Arts and Culture,
ABSA ,Concord Printing andThe Mercury, other credible corporate names are vying
to be associated now," adds publicity director Tanya van Agthoven Marais.
This year plays host to an extraordinary
program of local, national and international artists which has been carefully
selected by programme director Will Wallace: Every
Woman's Blues (featuring The Reals and a line-up of amazing female blues
artists), The Baby Blues (on Saturday
afternoon features young up and coming students of blues and school blues bands).
Throughout the week, bands featured include Handmade Blues Band, Soul Sistas,
Sea Level, Zwarte Piet, East Coast Blues Band, the annual Fender Blues Show,
Raoul and Black Friday...
Proudly SA
Electric Blues features The Pinkie Mtshali Blues Band from Durban,
Johannesburg's Red Hand Blues Band and, back by demand, headline act Dan
Patlansky who has performed in the DIBF every year since its inception!
Blues
Unplugged features Seelo (Dbn), Frutland Jackson (USA),Donna
Herula (USA) and the Acoustic Blues Jam.
The
Blues Summit, the festival's final and popular
Sunday evening, features The Sir Walrus Band, and Pat Savage, the headline act
from Canada who returns to the Durban International Blues Festival stage after
many years. Of course, the Summit would not be the same without the jam which
features the best of the festival and more!
In addition, a Blues Master Class will run daily
from September 23 to 27 where education on the blues as a genre will be focused
on and delivered by Will Wallace/Frutland Jackson (History of Blues), Sebastian
Goldswain (Working with a band), Richard Haslop (Slide Guitar and Blues
Mandolin), Donna Herula (Resophonic Guitar and some blues history) and Raoul
Roux (Phrases and scales).Visit the website for more information for the booking
procedures for these theory and practical sessions.
Tickets R120 booked via the Durban
International Blues Festival Office on 031 305 688 9031, 305 6889/6886.
Shows from September 24 to 26 are free on
the Deck downstairs but tickets to see The Reals upstairs at The Catalina
Theatre are R50 pp. For more show information, contact Tanya
van Agthoven Marais 082 747 9738 or email: tva_pr@global.co.za
or visit www.durbanbluesfestival.co.za
or read The Mercury (official print media sponsor)
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