Blues coming to town this weekend

It has been on the road for more than three weeks now, but the Efes Pilsen Blues Festival has not missed a beat as it rolls into Istanbul this weekend.

The 19th edition of Turkey’s longest running music festival is touring the country, performing its 15th show in Bursa tonight at Suare, and holding weekend performances at Refresh The Venue, in Maslak, Istanbul.

As at previous concerts, Friday and Saturday shows will be headlined by John Lee Hooker Jr., the son of the great John Lee Hooker.

Touring alongside his legendary father throughout his teens, Hooker Jr. had performed in prestigious venues by the time he was 16, and his voice could be heard on John Lee Hooker's album, "Live at Soledad Prison," recorded when he was 18. However, the world had to wait 32 years for Hooker Jr.’s first record on his own, his debut, "Blues With A Vengeance," in 2004.

The record was worth the wait. It earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album and the Bay Area Blues Society presented him with the 2004 Comeback Artist of the Year award. Throughout his long career he has played alongside some of music’s greats, Jimmy Reed, BB King, Bo Diddley, Lenny Kravitz, Taj Mahal, Koko Taylor, Charlie Musslewhite and Etta James. He has also faced bouts of extreme hardship, almost finding himself on the streets due to drugs and alcohol from time to time.

Happily, he is on a roll now, his second album, "Cold As Ice" was released two years after his debut, and he is currently recording, "All Odds Against Me," due out early next year. However, Hooker Jr. is best experienced live, proven at concerts of the Efes Pilsen Blues Festival’s concerts so far.

A blues man with a puşi
One festival performance by Hooker Jr. that stood out was when he performed wearing a "puşi," the traditional Kurdish scarf, wrapped around his head.

But, the Blues Festival’s bill is not limited to Hooker Jr., Sharrie Williams and Watermelon Slim will also take to the stage.

Sharrie Williams, who cites Koko Taylor, Etta James, Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin and Billie Holiday as her main influences, will play after Watermelon Slim.

The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are priced from YTL 22.50 to YTL 33.50 and are available at Biletix (www.biletix.com).

Photo: AA