ZIZURKIL Blues Night
February 28|7:00 pm-11:30 pm
Zizurkil Blues Gaua, the festival held in the Basque town, reaches its 23rd edition this year. After a few editions that had to be held outdoors, it has returned to its original format: indoors, in bars.
Following the success of previous editions, and despite the current challenges of sustaining many projects, the town council has decided to continue organizing the event. Thus, in February, we will have the opportunity to hear different musical offerings of the genre, showcasing the best of their repertoire in both acoustic and electric formats. Free admission, of course.
Genuine Blues spirit made on this side of the Atlantic. The old-fashioned way.
EL OSO Y SUS SABANDIJAS (Granada)
El Oso de Benalúa y Sus Sabandijas is a Chicago blues band from Granada. It’s fronted by Toni Travé, “El Oso de Benalúa,” a bluesman with a completely unique style. He’s accompanied by a band of experienced and accomplished musicians: Tony Molina on guitar, Dani Lévy on electric bass, and Giggs Nother on drums. All of them are well-known figures in the local scene and have played with bluesmen of the caliber of Fernando Beiztegui, Chino Swingslide, Richard Ray Farrell, Mingo Balaguer, Ñaco Goñi, and others.
The band’s sound ranges from the furious Chicago sound of Otis Rush and Muddy Waters to the West Coast sound of T Bone Walker and the swing and boogie-woogie style of Louis Jordan and Fats Domino.
They have performed throughout much of the state, including the Blues en Ruta series in Castile, the legendary blues venue La Coquette (Madrid), Antequera Blues Festival, Blues Cazorla, Córdoba Blues Festival, Frank Rock and Blues Fest, Reus Blues Festival, etc.
After releasing their album “Magic Hooker Rush,” a tribute to Magic Sam, Earl Hooker, and Otis Rush, they are currently presenting their latest work. “Be Careful” is an invitation to a captivating journey through the blues. A palette of colors that depicts almost fifty years of musical history, bringing to mind artists like the great Slim Harpo, revitalizing essential figures like Willie Dixon, and reclaiming the legacy of Little Walter. “Be Careful” is born from the most visceral intuition to fulfill the yearnings of the soul, old-school music seemingly simple in form but profound and mysterious at its core. A work made from the depths of one’s being with that passion reserved exclusively for certain bands.
THE 44 DEALERS (Madrid)
The 44 Dealers originated in Madrid in mid-2008 as a side project to Special 20 and after several lineup changes, the band became the main excuse to keep doing their thing, consolidating in the last year as one of the most solid and firm proposals within the circuit, with the hope of taking up the mantle of the old masters, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Freddy King, Magic Sam, Elmore James, Junior Wells, Howlin’ Wolf, Robert Nighthawk, Otis Rush, Jimmy Rogers.
The 44 Dealers embody the entire blues tradition. From their rural origins, through the undeniable influence of Chicago blues and the West Coast sound, to their forays into the R&B of the 1950s, they have crafted a repertoire brimming with great songs as their hallmark, and above all, backed by a devastating live performance. Since their formation in Madrid, they have released three albums, “Welcome To The Big Greasy Blues Sound” (2009), “Got a Better Deal?” (2013), and “A Little Cookin’ from the Big Chief” (2016), and performed hundreds of shows across the Iberian Peninsula. They are currently preparing an ambitious project. The band has collaborated and shared the stage with a large number of artists such as Bob Margolin, Greg Izor, Tail Dragger, Tonky de la Peña, Ñaco Goñi, Víctor Puertas, Kirk Fletcher, RJ Mischo, Sax Gordon, Nico Wayne Toussaint, among others, becoming over time one of the most important bands in the state blues scene and, as a consequence, an essential reference for many other artists of the genre.
The 44 Dealers consists of: Juanma Montero (vocals and guitar), Fernando Jiménez (harmonica), Román Mateo (guitar), Diego de la Torre (bass), Pascu Monge (drums)
