- Phoenix Magazin

For three years in succession Mostar has been host to an international festival of blues which inscribed this town on the world list of blues festival towns. To the delight of the organizers, this singular musical event in Bosnia and Herzegovina arrested the interest of both the festival contributors and the public. The organizers had in store an attention-grabbing festival program with the participation of guests from BiH and abroad. In the course of three festival days (14-16.07.05) Mostar public had the opportunity to listen to a variety of local and international performers and enjoy the very special setting that only good old blues can create. Mike del Ferro and Guests from America opened this year's festival. Their brilliant performance was outstandingly well received by the blues aficionados filling up the atrium of the Music Centre Pavarotti. The sizzling Mostar night didn't play down the towering atmosphere and the visiting USA band gave the audience a two-hour long reason for fantastic feel. The decision to have authors from the blues country open the festival proved to be the right one as the performance of old blues standards brought about a burst of emotions. Here we also need to point out the stunning choreography of Woodstock dance performance introducing the opening night in the rendition of Inga Krpo, a member of dance studio "Flash". The premier live performance in Mostar of a famous Croatian band Goran Bare i placenici brought ovations from the audience on the second festival night. Their fans, particularly among the younger generation enjoyed the music which was rendered in the band's familiar style. The second festival night passed in tribute to the legendary guitarist Steve Ray Vaughan whose complex cuts were played by Triple Trouble Blues Band from Mostar. The closing festival day began with the appearance of composer-singer Lejla Catovic from Sarajevo. Perfect blending of the acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies comprise a unanimous verdict for this young musician. A trio gathered especially for the MBF Herzegowina Blues Project demonstrated first-rate blues. The synthesis of rock and rhythm and blues made up the author repertoire of No Rules from Tuzla. Chicken Shack Blues Band, a blues quintet from Split performed the standards of one of the greatest authors of this music genre Muddy Waters. Very good music arrangements with dominant mouth organ and an excellent vocalist made Chicken Shack Blues Band the find of this year's Mostar Blues Festival. The final festival night closed with a three-hour long piece which once again confirmed the status this already traditional happening enjoys. Like in the past two years, the festival took place at the Pavarotti Music Centre. Full proceeds from the tickets again went for humanitarian purposes. The Festival board decided to donate the profits to the Association of Parents and Friends of People with Special Needs "Sunce" in Mostar. Let us conclude by saying that one of the most significant cultural happenings of the season Mostar Blues Festival was proclaimed the cultural event of the month in BiH already in its first year. Performance oriented, the festival was launched on the initiative of young Mostar musicians who believe that electronic music expansion leaves little room for classic music forms. The idea fell on fertile ground and right on target. To ensure continuity, a number of institutions sponsored the festival, in the first place the City of Mostar, the American Embassy to BiH, Music Centre Pavarotti, BH Telecom, Coca-Cola... The event was covered by a number of local and national radio and TV stations. And while we are taking stock of the Third International Blues Festival Mostar, for the organizers the breather is not to follow. Their small, but industrious team is already working hard so that the fourth blues festival could meet the highly set standards of previous festival years
Phoenix Magazin

- Max Magazin

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