American guitarist and singer Devon Allman or blues singer Eric Bibb will be the stars of this year’s Blues Alive festival. Albert Castiglia and Chuck Prophet will also arrive.
The largest Central European show focused on blues and related genres will take place from November 14 to 16, three-day tickets for the price of 2,700 crowns are still available. According to festival director Vladimír Rybička, visitors can look forward to first-class experiences. “And it should be added that it is also very varied, not only purely blues, but transcending genres in the direction of alternative country, rock or rockabilly,” says Rybička. “We are still a blues festival, but we try to open up new horizons for visitors,” adds dramaturg Ondřej Bezr.
The main star will be guitarist and singer Devon Allman, the 52-year-old son of Gregg Allman, associated with the southern band The Allman Brothers Band. But he grew up with only his mother in Texas, Tennessee or Missouri, and he started playing even before he met his father in his teens.
Allman first caught the eye in the 1990s when he founded his first bands, The Dark Horses and Honeytribe. Later, he went through the Royal Southern Brotherhood or The Allman Betts Band projects, but above all, he has already released four solo albums, including this year’s Miami Moon, which features renowned instrumentalists such as New Orleans bassist George Porter Jr. or keyboardist Ivan Neville.
In Šumperk, Allman will be accompanied by another guitarist, a bass player, a Hammond organ player and two drummers. “The band’s repertoire includes both classic Allman Brothers songs and original compositions by Devon Allman, and as a surprise, they also promise some surprising cover versions,” the organizers announce.
Another performer this year, Eric Bibb, will perform for the third time at Blues Alive. The 73-year-old singer-songwriter has been living in Europe since the 1970s. In the early 1990s, he spearheaded the revival of the so-called country blues. He received the first of three Grammy nominations at the end of the millennium for the album Shakin’ a Tailfeather, which opened the way for him to the world, among other things, he preceded Ray Charles on tour.
Singer-songwriter Eric Bibb will perform in Šumperk for the third time. | Photo: Michael Wall
Since then, he has mixed elements of folk, R&B, gospel or soul into his music, and stars such as guitarist Bonnie Raitt, Rolling Stones drummer Steve Jordan or jazz double bassist Ron Carter have performed on his recordings. “The variability of Bibb’s work is famous, his albums are very diverse without losing even an inch of the quality set by the high bar,” say the organizers of the festival, at which Bibb has performed once with Malian guitarist Habib Koite and the second time solo. This year he will come with a band.
Visitors to Blues Alive can also look forward to Alberto Castiglia. In his solo projects, the fifty-five-year-old guitarist from Miami, USA, included both the classic approach of Chicago electric blues and the modern blues-rock expression. He drew attention to himself as an accompanist for the now deceased harmonica player Junior Wells. He currently has 13 albums under his belt, with the latest one called I Got Love winning him two Blues Music Awards.
The prominent American singer and rock songwriter Chuck Prophet, who became famous in the 80s of the last century with the band Green on Red, will perform in Šumperk, ranging from psychedelic rock to alternative country. “He has a distinctive author’s style, he is a very active composer, whose songs have been sung by dozens of singers, among them such stars as Bruce Springsteen or Solomon Burke,” mentions playwright Bezr.
Other confirmed performers include American singer and guitarist Duwayne Burnside, duo Hugo Race and Michelangelo Russo, Italian lap steel guitarist Marco Bartoccioni oscillating between blues, southern rock and soul, or American multi-instrumentalist Luke Winslow King. “In Šumperk, the phenomenal Tuscan resophonic slide guitar player Roberto Luti will also perform with him,” add the organizers.
The Scottish player of the same instrument Dave Arcari, the band Three for Silver with frontman Lucas Warford or the discovery of Dan Auerbach from the duo The Black Keys, the Alabama singer-songwriter Early James, will also arrive.
The program of the 28th year includes over 30 performers on three stages and accompanying events from jam sessions to film screenings and listening programs to the celebration of jazz singer Jana Koubková’s eighties. “In addition to the brilliantly played Jan Koubková Quartet, the birthday girl will sing with a trio of her longtime friends and colleagues, pianist Martin Kratochvíl, guitarist Tony Ackerman and saxophonist Joe Kučera, with whom she recorded the album Znění a snění. This program will be performed live for the very first time,” adds Ondřej Bezr.