All star line up set for blues

American Grammy winner Stephanie Mills will headline this year’s annual Blues Festival which takes place here in the next three weeks.

The event scheduled for March 9th and 10th, will see a number of firsts in its seven years of existence.

It will now be called the Blues and Rhythms Festival in an effort to vary the genre of music offered to patrons.{{more}}

The date itself is new for the event, shifting from its late January schedule.

Minister of Tourism, Youth and Sports Glen Beache said this change was made to coincide with the upcoming Cricket World Cup warm up matches taking place here, and also in an effort not to compete with Trinidad and Tobago’s carnival and other festivals taking place around that time.

Another first is the new venue, The Emerald Valley Casino and Resort, instead of Buccama On The Bay, which is now part of the Buccament Bay Hotel project under construction.

Mills will headline a cast of international, regional and local artistes, the likes of Marva Wright and her band also out of the United States, Kassav from France, Barbadian Arturo Tappin and Trinidad and Tobago’s Ella Andell.

The local artistes feature Kyron Baptiste, Ashley Kirby, Skarpyon, Bomani, The Honky tonics and Access.

According to Beache, contract problems prevented the 16 member band Kool and the Gang from being at the festival this time, but he hoped that they will be attending in the near future.

He said that this year’s event promises be the best ever and is encouraging foreigners and locals alike to turn out in their numbers.