"The City of New Orleans is honored that you have chosen its rich heritage and culture as the centerpieces of your tenth annual Liri Blues Festival" ^[1]

— Marc. H. Morial, ex-mayor of New Orleans, thanking the then mayor of Isola del Liri after the twinning between the two towns - January 31st, 1997

The Liri Blues Festival is one of the most important Italian blues festivals. It takes place every year in July in Isola del Liri (near Rome), a little town twinned with the city of New Orleans ^[1].

The Festival

'Liri Blues' has been taking place since 1988 in Isola del Liri, a small Italian town famous for its waterfall, which is 28 metres high and situated in the centre ^[2]. The festival is a free, annual event and usually occurs during the month of July. Concerts are held in the main square (Piazza Boncompagni), in the streets and jam sessions happen late at night.

Following its initial success in the first few years, the Liri Blues Festival was shared with neighbouring towns in Ciociaria, however, since the early years of this century, Isola del Liri is once again the central location for the festival. Boncompagni Square plays host to the main events just as it did for the very first gig in 1988.

A winter edition of the festival was briefly introduced in the early part of the century (“Liri Blues Winter”) and saw famous italian bluesmen like Roberto Ciotti, Fabio Treves and Paolo Bonfanti perform.

The festival, organised by Duke & Bird, has always counted on the very important help of volunteers and blues connoisseurs like Mario Insenga (Blue Stuff), who has been a supporter of Liri Blues ever since the first edition.

History

First years

When the first edition of the festival took place in 1988, Isola del Liri was seeing its paper mills close one after the other. For more than 100 years these factiories had provided work for the local population. The first three evenings of this festival symbolised an attempt to overcome years of deep industrial crisis.

The festival was created thanks to Luciano Duro, who managed to bring big international bluesmen to a small town in central Italy.

In the first editions, organized by the jazz club Big Mama, important bluesmen like Albert King, Pinetop Perkins and Buddy Guy performed at Liri Blues.

In the 90's the festival gradually opened to different genres and influences. Musicians such as Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane, Canned Heat, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Pentangle, Fairport Convention, Elliott Murphy, and The Fleshtones played in Isola del Liri. The latter, after the concert had finished, gave another encore from their hotel room just behind the stage!

Liri Blues, however, remained distinctly a blues festival, with artists like Luther Allison, Son Seals and Jimmy Rogers. Blue Stuff played neapolitan blues in dialect together with James Cotton and Rockin' Dopsie. The festival was organized by Jazz'n'Arts 'til the tenth edition, then the management changed over to Duke & Bird.

The festival grew and more dates in neighbouring towns were added, such as Ferentino for jazz concerts ( Mike Stern, Yellowjackets) and Veroli for gospel and soul ( Shemekia Copeland, The Soul Stirrers). Isola del Liri, however, remained the heart of Liri Blues, with artists the likes of Bo Diddley, R. L. Burnside and Honeyboy Edwards performing in the main square.

By the end of the century the festival covered a period of eleven days throughout the province.

The tenth year and the twinning with New Orleans

On January 7th 1997, for the tenth annual Liri Blues, the then mayor of Isola del Liri and the initiator of the festival went to Louisiana to sign the twinning between the two towns ^[1] and to receive the freedom of the city of New Orleans.

The celebrations of the twinning continued in Isola del Liri, where the clarinettist Alvin Batiste, who once taught Branford Marsalis, gave a concert involving musicians from Isola and New Orleans.

Batiste performed, among others, a jazz song called Isola del Liri, conceived for the occasion, he later included it in the album Songs, Words and Messages, Connections ^[3].

As a token of their strong relationship over the years, Liri Blues was instrumental in helping the musicians of New Orleans following the devestation caused by hurricane Katrina in August 2005. On November 9th a charity concert (the "New Orleans Day") was organized. Corey Harris (protagonist of Scorsese's Feel Like Going Home) and a few other groups performed ^[4].

The return to Isola del Liri

With the 2001 edition, in which there was a memorable performance by John Mayall, Isola del Liri went back to being the central location for the festival. In the following three years the location changed to SS. Triade Square and then came back to the original Boncompagni Square.

In 2002 Rai Radio 1, the main italian public radio station, started to follow the whole festival. They transmitted live recordings (such as the concert of Robben Ford ^[5]) and interviews with Roy Rogers and others, through their programme Radioscrigno. The collaboration with RAI has continued ever since ^{[6] [7] [8]}.

In 2007 the festival celebrated 20 years of concerts and 10 years of twinning with New Orleans. In a courageous project, Piccola Orchestra La Viola and Dr.Sunflower, an orchestra of squeeze boxes and a jug band, played traditional blues from Louisiana. The CD Tribute to New Orleans ^[9], recorded live at Liri Blues 2006, was presented. Willy DeVille ^[10] and Charlie Musselwhite performed in this edition.

Dr. John, the legendary musician from New Orleans, closed the 2010 festival, cementing the permanent link between the small italian town and the capital of Louisiana.

The music

Liri Blues and Isola del Liri have become very attached to Louisiana and in particular to the twin city New Orleans. Various artists who have performed at the festival, like Dr. John, Alvin Batiste, Rockin' Dopsie, C. J. Chenier and Zachary Richard ^[11] with his typical zydeco style, have been and still are ambassadors of the music of Louisiana throughout the world.

As a rule, however, the bluesmen from the U.S. were the main protagonists, with leading figures like Dr. John, Jimmy Smith, Charlie Musselwhite and more modern artists like Scott Henderson, Robben Ford and Eric Bibb.

European musicians have also been prominent especially English performers like Paul Lamb ^[12] and Robin Trower. British Blues in general has been represented by the likes of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Mick Taylor and Eric Burdon ^[13]and The Animals.

Among italians, apart from those already mentioned, noteworthy artists have been Rudy Rotta, Alex Britti, Tolo Marton, Robi Zonca, Guido Toffoletti.

In the more recent editions there have been traditional bluesmen like Al Kooper ^[14]and Taj Mahal, original characters like Otis Taylor, Maceo Parker, Colosseum and skillful guitarists like Sonny Landreth, Derek Trucks and Albert Lee.

Performances

Here is a selection, in alphabetical order, of some of the most important artists who have performed at Liri Blues since 1988. The editions are in brackets.

Discography

Albums recorded at the festival

• 2007 - Omaggio a New Orleans (Live at Liri Blues 2006), Dr. Sunflower e Piccola Orchestra La Viola (Liri Blues Festival e Terre in Moto, TIM011)

Photo gallery

Portraits

• Dr. John
  Dr. John
• Ruthie Foster
  Ruthie Foster
• Otis Taylor
  Otis Taylor
• Anne Harris (Otis Taylor Band)
  Anne Harris (Otis Taylor Band)
• Robin Trower
  Robin Trower
• Rusty Wright
  Rusty Wright
• Willy DeVille
  Willy DeVille
• Mario Insenga e Lino Muoio
  Mario Insenga e Lino Muoio

References

See also

External links