From 19 to 22 July, Narcao Blues returns to the heart of the Sulcis, the longest-running blues festival in Sardinia, one of the most awaited events of the island's musical summer; an appointment that right from the name recalls the strong link with Narcao, the town (sixty kilometers from Cagliari and sixteen from Carbonia) where it has been at home since the first edition, dated 1989, and where the Progetto Evoluzione cultural association is based organize and promote.
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Program Wednesday 19 July 2023
9.30 pm - Ben Poole
The burden and the honor of inaugurating the thirty-third edition of the festival will go to the English guitarist and singer Ben Poole, a young star of the international blues firmament. Poole immediately made himself known for his electrifying live shows, which earned him the mention of the specialized magazine Total Guitar, which included him among the guitarists "to watch" in 2010. Two years later he participated in the European Blues Challenge in Berlin, placing third. From then on his career gradually took off, leading him to win the recognition of "Best Newcomer" of Blues Matters! magazine, followed by the recording of his debut album, Let's Go Upstairs, produced by Grammy winner Isaac Nossel.
11.00 pm - Vanessa Collier
Spotlight on American saxophonist and singer Vanessa Collier. A multifaceted and irrepressible artist, after earning a double degree at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, she has collected numerous awards, including nine nominations at the Blues Music Awards, the Grammy of the Blues, the conquest of the BMA in 2019 and 2020 as "Best Horn Player of The Year" (Best musician for a wind instrument), and in 2022, again at the BMA, the "Best Contemporary Blues Female Artist" award. Acclaimed by the public and appreciated by the press, capable of giving life to enthralling live performances in which she weaves funk, rock, and blues, with her soulful voice and the energy of her saxophone, Vanessa Collier represents the new face of the blues scene American.
Program Thursday 20 July 2023
9.30 pm - GA-20
The GA-20 is a trio capable of digging up to the roots of the blues, finding a very personal synthesis that embraces country and rock'n'roll with taste and originality. Leader Matt Stubbs (vocals and guitar) accompanied bluesman Charlie Musselwhite for years, having the privilege of sharing the stage with blues stars such as James Cotton and John Hammond. The GA-20 project was born in Boston when he met Pat Faherty (vocals and guitar) and their common passion for the sound of traditional blues and rock'n'roll convinced them of the need to create a movement that brought back the sound of the blues again in the center of the spotlight. With them, drummer Tim Carman completes the line-up of the band that the Boston Herald defines as a "magical blues trio".
11.00 pm - Sugaray Rayford
One of the most important soul blues voices on the US music scene: Sugaray Rayford, an artist with a career studded with awards, including a Grammy nomination for "Somebody Save Me", his 2020 album with which he won two of the most important accolades at the Blues Music Awards, those of B.B. King Entertainer and Soul Blues Artist of The Year (the latter achieved two years in a row). In Sardinia, he will present the songs from his latest album, "In Too Deep", produced by Eric Corne (former producer of the legendary John Mayhall), who last May was elected soul blues album of the year at the forty-fourth edition of the annual Blues Music Awards.
Program Friday 21 July 2023
9.30 pm - Joanna Connor
The Stars and stripes blues will still be the protagonist: the first to tread the stage will be the talented guitarist and singer Joanna Connor, standard-bearer of the Chicago blues, the city in which she studied, sharing the stage with John Littlejohn and becoming a stable member of 43rd St Bluesband playing at Buddy Guy's Checkerboard Lounge. Throughout her career, Joanna Connor has shared the scene with Buddy Guy himself, Otis Rush, B.B. King, Jimmy Page, Robert Cray, ZZ Top, Robben Ford, Joe Cocker, Pinetop Perkins, Junior Wells, Koko Taylor, and many more. Her incredible talent and her recognizable slide solos have rightfully placed her among the great interpreters of contemporary blues, as well as making her a true institution in Chicago.
11.00 pm - Nikki Hill
Another artist with extraordinary musical energy will be able to involve the audience of Piazza Europa in the second concert in the lineup: open microphones for Nikki Hill, a singer gifted with a musical culture that has led her to study, deepen and experiment with various languages, such as R&B, soul, pop, going as far as Hip-Hop. Growing up, she developed a strong passion for garage rock, rock and roll, and blues and roots. All these influences that Nikki Hill sublimates in a unique style, find in her voice the undisputed star of her. After self-released her debut album, the singer originally from North Carolina began collaborating with an increasing number of artists, achieving international success with the second album, "Heavy Hearts Hard Fists", accompanied by a world tour with performances in more than thirty festivals, including the Montreux Jazz Festival and the Byron Bay Blues Festival. Joining Narcao will be Matt Hill and Laura Chavez on guitars, Nick Gaitan on bass, and Marty Dodson on drums.
Program Saturday 22 July 2023
9.30 pm - Lehmanns Brothers
The last day of the festival will open with the explosive and pyrotechnic blues of the Lehmanns Brothers, a formation that owes its name to Avenue Lehmann, the street in the French city of Angoulême where, in 2012, a group of high school students met in a small garage to share a common passion for African-American music. Influenced by artists such as Prince, Ghost-Note, and D'Angelo, these French guys revisit the jazz-funk of the 70s in their own way, instilling variations from hip-hop, house, and new soul. With three EPs to their credit, they bring only original songs to their shows, composed by the band's founding members, keyboardist and vocalist Julien Anglade, guitarist Alvin Amaizo and bassist Clement Jourdan. Accompanying them are Dorris Biayenda on drums and percussion, Jordan Soivin on trombone, and Jonas Muel on tenor sax.
11.00 pm - Carolyn Wonderland
Piazza Europa will be illuminated by Carolyn Wonderland, star in the international blues firmament, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist originally from Houston, Texas. Her career takes off very soon, and there are twelve studio albums produced with her band and as a soloist. It is 2018 when one of the greatest recognitions arrives for her: the legendary John Mayall chooses her as the lead guitarist of his Bluesbreakers, the first and only woman to fill that role that in the past had been authentic sacred monsters of the caliber of Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor, Peter Green, Coco Montoya, and Walter Trout. Many of her important collaborations that enrich her professional baggage, from Buddy Guy to Johnny Winter, passed through James Cotton and Los Lobos. Carolyn Wonderland has spent the last few years touring with John Mayall and recently joined as the first female guitar hero with the historic label Alligator Records, under which she composed her latest album, Tempting Fate, released in October of 2021.
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