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| Monday, 17 September 2007 | |
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Tuesday 2 OctoberFeaturing:
Tickets $15/$10 PBC Members
Leszek Cichonski started playing guitar at twelve years old on a battered acoustic. He progressed from standards such as House of the Rising Sun to spending years focusing on BB King and, in particular, Jimi Hendrix. For more than 10 years, Leszek has been and is considered the best Polish blues-rock guitar player. He was the first in Poland to prepare modern, blues and rock based instructional materials with audio tapes for guitar players. He hosted a guitar instruction series on Polish national television which continues to be rebroadcast. He is the publisher of his own and other education products. His instructional projects and workshops together with MIDI-MAX - his publishing house - were awarded with the Bronze Medal at the International Music Fair INTERMEDIA '94 in Wroclaw. In 1989, Leszek played on Tadeusz Nalepa's (the "Polish father of the blues") album. He performed extensively with Nalepa which included international touring and his first visit to the United States. Since 1991, he has led his own group GUITAR WORKSHOP that has employed top Polish musicians as well as being a blues promoter for Poland. Leszek Cichonski is a laureate of the Maria Jurkowska Award, which is granted each year by the Polish National Radio for his "propagation of the blues and musical education among young people". According to Gitara i Bass and Two-j Blues magazines' readers' and critics' polls, he is the best Polish blues-rock guitarist of 2001, 2004 and 2003 (voted "Best Blues Guitar Player" in polls for 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 and "Best Rock Guitar Player" 2001.) Over the last ten years, he has organized and played well in excess of 200 concerts in Poland and the Czech Republic with Chicago's greats, Carlos Johnson, Sammy Fender, Pistol Pete came to Poland and played with his band, "Guitar Workshop". The largest guitar band lead by Leszek is the ensemble he coordinates to play in the centre of the gorgeous Polish city, Wroclaw. This has occurred every year since 2003. During the "Thanks Jimi Festival" he attempts- with a little help from his friends - to set the new Guinness Record in for most guitar players simultaneously playing the same song. He selected Jimi Hendrix's hit "Hey Joe". The Guinness jury has officially confirmed 1581 guitarist taking part in this unique event in 2006, which is the standing world record. His most recent CD, Come Together - Live issued in May 2005, was recorded with Mississippi born bluesman John "Broadway" Tucker and has received warm reviews and international radio airplay. As a result of this recording Leszek was officially invited by the Directors of the Monterey Bay Blues Festival to perform with John "Broadway" Tucker at the 2006 Monterey Bay Blues Festival (on the same stage as the legendary 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.) Onstage 9.10pm.
Playing with Leszek on the night is one of Australia’s finest blues outfits, the Nervous Investors. The names Karski, Follington and Daniel resonate a class you would not argue with. Their brand of Blues is solid, intelligent and impassioned. Their performances feature R&B ballads, scorching guitar driven blues classics, and some rather animated covers, executed in the unique investors way. They've performed nationally as Johnny Johnson's band, playing the Narooma and East Coast Blues festivals. They were Chris Cain's band at the Narooma festival two years running, and Kenny 'Blues Boss' Wayne's backing band. These guys have been around and done the miles. A classic three piece at its raw best!
Originally from Perth, gravel-voiced singer and piano player Pugsley Buzzard performs both solo and with his band, drawing from a rich vein of piano based music from Harlem stride, New Orleans Funk, Jazz, Barrelhouse Blues, Boogie Woogie to Modern Improvisation. Pugsley's sound has been compared with Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Tom Waits and Captain Beefheart. His piano stylings draw on influences as diverse as Thelonious Monk, Fats Waller, Chico Marx and Professor Longhair. Pugsley is an engaging performer with extensive experience performing in pubs, jazz clubs, theatres and at festivals around Australia and Europe. His shows are exciting and entertaining and delivered with a vaudevillian nuance and humour. Since leaving Western Australia, Pugsley has lived and performed in Melbourne, Sydney, Rome, Helsinki and Lisbon. He initially learnt the stride style of piano playing from his grandmother (a musician on the local scene in the 1930s & '40s) and later developed it while studying with teachers including Russell Holmes of the West Australian Conservatorium of Music. Pugsley is also a multi-instrumentalist, having performed in many bands, ensembles and orchestras in the '90s as a bass player, guitarist and on flute and brass. He has also composed soundtracks for film and theatre, and directed and composed for the Gadzooks Music Factory Orchestra. Onstage at 8.15pm Coming soon:
For all media enquiries, please contact:
Annie Johnsson Publicity |
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