When? Sat 06/09/2008
Where? Baljuwhuis Toon mij een kaart
After we covered part of the Belt by car, the Belt is a traditional cycling and walking route around Brussels better known by it’s Flemish name de Gordel, we arrived in the small village Galmaarden where the eleventh edition of Pajotblues took place. On our way over there I once again was overwhelmed with the beauty of our country. Just outside the grey city of Brussels you can enjoy the country and rural roads which Pajottenland has to offer.
Eventually the ‘The Pine Box Boys’ where the festival openers but for whatever reason, this didn’t happen. The organization thought that the Belgium Funkbooster & The Bluesateers where excellent replacements. Quite a turnaround so to speak, from heavy country blues to more funky blues with Latino influences. The band opened with a long instrumental piece and gave some members the opportunity to prove themselves with an individual solo on saxophone, piano and guitar. Knowing that some of the musicians in this band are active members of other projects as well we hear first class performers. During the second song, I don’t know the title, a sixth member came on stage. He had a Latino appearance and did nothing more than shout some empty slogans through the microphone and tried to get some rap through his throat. Add some Latino dance steps to this and I think I’m on a Antillean party. Sorry, but this guy didn’t add anything to the band. And a lot of spectators shared my opinion.
Luckily they opened a box with blues musicians starting off with Karen Caroll (U.S.A). This was a intimate show because she shared the stage with nothing more than her acoustic guitar and a pianoplayer. That’s all you need for a small hour of delta blues. She played some beautiful songs with some classics like ‘My Babe’ and ‘Sweet Home Chicago’. The song that still remains is ‘Pittsburgh Blues’ a soberly and sensitive slow blues and is played by Karen and her family for more than five generations. Karen vocally as well as instrumentally played the audience and Jan Fischer had his chance to please the spectators on his piano. But like on so many festivals the intimacy of such an act loses it from the buzzing in the audience.
They were probably waiting for guitar virtuoso Jimmy Thackery. Because already during the sound check the people where going from the small tent to the hall. This man didn’t need no introduction and wanted to fire away immediately after ‘Bullfrog Blues’, the song they used as a sound check. Immediately from the beginning I noticed that bass player Mark “Bumpy” Rhodes had to lead drummer Russ Wilson. Later I understood that Russ joined the band again after being away for eighteen years. We all know that Jimmy Thackery prefers to play his guitar instead of singing, so the microphone only stands on stage for announcements. Fortunately the drummer can sing, and he proved it with ‘She Moves Me’. The majority of the show is a lot of guitar of course and most of it is not traditional blues. Tracks like ‘No Particular Place To Go’ and the age old ‘Apache’ from The Shadows say enough. Suddenly I think I hear a tear-jerker, at least the guitar riff sounds like one, more pop than blues. Than somebody in the front rows shouts …“Play The Blues”… through the microphone but Jimmy ignores it and keeps on playing his own way with elan. He closed his performance with the American anthem in a Jimmy Hendrix style and must have thought, that’s all folks.
On a smaller stage besides the main stage the Belgium band Scent Of A Woman had the honour of showing their quality between the main acts. I expected a lot from this band, mainly vocally because the front lady is Ann Van Canegem. A prizewinning lady. She moved around a lot using some sort of a pelvis move but vocally she didn’t give me any Goosebumps. They came when the female bass player sang ‘The Blues Is Allright’. On bass guitar this beautiful blond girl had my intension any way as did her partner in crime on the drums. Gunther Callewaert regularly showed his ability on a Hammond and clavier while guitar player Chris van Haeverbeke stretched his guitar strings to the limit, using a dozen pedals creating his sound. Some songs that stick with me for now are ‘Summertime’ and ‘People Of Sixteen. But keep on practicing ladies and gentlemen.
Last year the celebrated their tenth anniversary and this year’s edition still stands in the shadows of last year’s. It wasn’t sold out, but this year’s playbill was not so obvious and showed a lot of guts from the organizers to invite a lot of different names than most of the festivals do. So I would say “Keep Up The Good Work”.
Translation by: Bluesboy
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