Polish Day of Blues: Smooth Gentlemen / J.J. BAND and guests

Białystok Cultural Centre and M.I.A.S.T.O. Foundation have the pleasure of inviting you to celebrate the Polish Day of Blues!

September 16th, 2018
6 PM  – plaque reveal on the Blues Alley // Blues Alley’s 10th anniversary
6:30 PM – concert: Smooth Gentlemen / J.J. BAND and guests – Fama club, 5 Legionowa Street, tickets: 25 PLN (presale), 30 PLN (on the day of the event) – available at the Forum cinema’s box office and on bilety.bok.bialystok.pl

Blues Alley 10th anniversary
The idea first brought about in autumn 2007 was implemented during the event known as celebration of the Year of Blues in Białystok. The event was organised to celebrate the 30th birthday of Kasa Chorych and to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Skibiński’s tragic death. The capital of Podlachia was the first Polish city to recognise and honour the genre this way.

Białystok is the site of the oldest blues festival in Poland and at the same time it may be considered a centre for musical activities of Kasa Chorych, Devil Blues, Bracia i Siostry, 48 Godzin, Formacja Fru or The Hardworkers. The alley and regular blues events in Białystok are the most important symbols of the city’s blues tradition.

Establishing Blues Alley was aimed at reminding of the blues achievements of Białystok citizens, promoting the genre and familiarising everyone with this category of artistic musical expression. Blues is not only the musicians though. In Białystok context blues encompasses a wide group of blues promoters who dedicated their lives to “infect others” with their love for music.

Smooth Gentlemen
Bartek Szopiński (Boogie Boys) – piano
Piotr Bienkiewicz (Outsider Blues) – guitara
Miłosz Szulkowski (Szulerzy) – drums

J.J. Band
One of the main Polish blues bands that in Poland. The winner of several collective and individual blues awards in Poland. The band played hundreds of concerts at the biggest Polish festivals, such as: Rawa Blues, Jimiway, Bluestracje, Torun Blues Meeting, Torun Harmonica Bridge, Blues nad Odra, Sopot Blues Festival, Olsztyn Blues Nights Festival of Rysiek Riedel, Autumn of Blues, Galicia Blues Festival, Blues nad Bobrem. The band also toured abroad in: Germany, Czech Republic, Belgium, Slovakia, Hungary.
Jacek ”Jogi” Jaguś – guitar, vocals
Bartek „Boruta” Łęczycki – harmonica
Piotr Michalaj – piano, Hammond organ
Andrzej „Stagracz” Stagraczyński – bass
Bartek „Mr Shuffle” Niebielecki – drums

Polish Day of Blues
September 16th, the birthday anniversary of B.B. King, is celebrated in Poland as the Day of Blues at the initiative of the Polish Blues Association. Around this date, different kinds of blues events are organized  throughout the country: concerts, festivals, art exhibitions, radio music shows, and music lovers’ meetings.