Blues ‘n Jazz Rallye 2009
18/19 July | Clausen, Grund | Jazz, Blues, Soul
Behold, the long night of Blues ‘n Jazz is upon us. If you find yourself down in Clausen or the Grund on Saturday night/Sunday morning and long, very long guitar and harmonica solos are not your thing, well it’s going to be a very l-o-n-g night for you.
Just kidding. Actually there’s enough variety and originality on a simply enormous bill to keep everybody happy.
The Blues ‘n Jazz Rallye is celebrating it’s fourteenth birthday this year having started life in 1995, the brainchild of the Luxembourg City Tourist Office, when it formed part of the then European Capital of Culture celebrations. Since then, it has gone from strength to strength and this year’s event will play host to an estimated 25,000 people who will be able to choose from over sixty gigs, taking place on twelve outdoor stages and at least twenty five indoor venues. If all that wasn’t enough, we are promised five marching bands parading around the streets to keep us company as we shuffle from gig to gig.
Given the sheer volume of acts, it’s impossible for us to go into any detail here about who you might want to check out, so we’ve just picked out a few which caught our eye:
JazzBreeze are from Germany and play traditional swing, 30’s era Jazz. 21h30 - Bernard Massard Bus Stop Corner (rue de la Tour Jacob).
David Laborier Trio are from Luxembourg. Labourier is probably this country’s foremost jazz guitarist, well worth a look. - 22h Melusina Music Hall.
Kalima are also from Luxembourg and play what they call World and Chamber Jazz. - 22h Le Sud.
State of Monc (pictured above) are from Holland and combine electronic dance sounds with traditional acoustic jazz. Could be interesting. - 20h Dexia New Generation Jazz Stage (Rive gauche).
Leana Sealy is also from Luxembourg, plays sax and sings soulfully and that’s a good enough reason to check her out in my book. - 20h Melusina Music Hall.
Barakarock are the world’s coolest head of state’s old backing band… Eh, well no actually, they’re a rock, jazz, funk and blues combo from France and win today’s prize for coolest band name.
Voodoo Boogie hail from Belgium and play what they describe as ‘Psychedelic boogiematic roots’. - 23h Blues-Train Station (rue de la Tour Jacob).
So, you see, something for everyone, and that’s only scraping the surface.
The first show is due to start at 19h and the last outdoor gig must be over by 01h, however indoor events will continue until at least 03h.
Full details of everything that’s happening can be found on the B’n J website (details below), including the all important map to help you find your way around, and free bus timetables to make sure you get home in one piece and don’t end up walking up the hill.
Starts 19h - FREE
More info www.bluesjazzrallye.lu
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