It’s the sixth year of the now famous Mahindra Blues Festival  which had its fair share of regulars and new listeners who are coming into the fold . Held over two days ,13^th and 14^th Feb at  Mehboob Studios, Bandra , the excitement and expectation levels were high . Curiosity too abounded with regard  to the artistes as only Soulmate, the Indian blues duo from the northeast was a familiar act ,who had performed previously at the festival, this being their fifth appearance.

"Have you heard Joss Stone  before? Keb Mo is a three time Grammy award winning blues musician....have you heard his stuff? Who is King King?" were some of the refrains from fans.  The central area which had  the smoky, deliciously aroma-ed food court and  well stocked bar was set up even better than all the previous years with beautiful trellis and garden seating as well as warm, tasteful lighting. If you didn’t want to be part of the crowd in the studios, you could watch the live acts seated outside projected onto the massive screen.

The main studio was creatively named the Polka Dot Parlour after the legendary Buddy Guy who has performed here on three occassions and was tremendously popular. His trademark guitars were famous for their polka dot patterns. Hence the name. In the garden aream besides a small stage and a watering hole and snack bar, there was a speciality Vinyl store that sold some well known to rare vinyls. Pilak Bhatt the man behind it has been a regular since the last three years..

Day 1-13th February

Brian Tellis came back as the host for this year’s edition as well. The opening act,  India’s best loved blues band from Shillong, Soulmate comprising vocalist Tipriti ‘Tips’ Kharbangar and guitarist Rudi Wallang gave a spellbinding performance. The duo have been together for more than  a decade and are also very popular with the audience. Tipriti's lively, powerpacked vocals combined with Rudi's melodic lines where he exhibits control over his phrasing and tone, gives one an idea as to why they are a crowd favourite.

Next up was a rare band the likes of which the audience had never before seen at the previous year’s festivals. They embodied the soul of blues like no other, carrying the audience back in time to the roots, the real meaning and the evolution of blues and early jazz. Heritage Blues Orchestra draws its sound from field hollers, work songs, spirituals, soaring gospel voices and the hard-driving rhythms of the deep blues from the delta and the hill country of northern Mississippi. They are powered  by three unique voices, two guitars, drums/percussion, harmonica and a  four piece horn section (tuba, 2 trumpets, trombone, saxophone). Chaney Sims gave a powerful, soul searing  rendition of their hit "C-line woman" amongst others and Vincent  Bucher, the French harmonica player transfixed the audience with his superb solos.

In the open air garden venue, we had the winners of the Mahindra Blues Band Hunt from Bhopal, who call themselves Lal and the People who certianly captivated the audience with  their Texas style blues.

Finally, to wrap up the night was three time Grammy winner Kevin Roosevelt Moore popularly known as Keb Mo. A prolific singer, songwriter and guitarist, Keb Mo' draws heavily on the old-fashioned country blues style of Robert Johnson, while keeping his sound contemporary with touches of soul and folksy storytelling. A skilled frontman as well as an accomplished sideman, he writes much of his own material and has applied his acoustic, electric, and slide guitar skills to jazz- and rock-oriented bands. The audience was enthralled with his smooth, classy singing style and tasty slide work.

Day 2-14th February

The second day began with band that has been touted as "the hottest draw in British blues-rock". The Glasgow band with with a tight line up of Alan Nimmo (vocals/guitar), Lindsay Coulson (bass), Wayne Proctor (drums) and Bob Fridzema (keys), has been making waves. Their soulful rendition of the classic Old Love (also a gem by Eric Clapton) with kilt-wearing Nimmo's light touch and drawn out guitar licks was superb. Jealousy also showcased the bands ability to bring raw emotion to their playing.

Malina Moye a left hand guitarist (for those who didn’t know, a right handed guitar swung over to the left so the strings from top to bottom are from thinnest to thickest gauge) and singer - songwriter fuses rock and soul. She is heavily influenced by Jimi Hendrix's style and tone and it is evident in her playing.

Lal and the People were bacak on stage oncea again, espeically those who did not hear them the day before, they invited vocalist Kanchan Daniel from Kanchan Daniel and the Beards to sing with them and deliver some powerhouse Texas blues in the open air garden venue.

Headlining act Joss Stone (full name Joscelyn Eve Stoker) covers a whole range of genres, from soul, R&B, blues, jazz, funk, reggae, and has not restricted herself to any particular one. She rose to fame with her multi-platinum debut album "The Soul Sessions". She has collaborated with many a famous name in the music world. Being the big ticket draw at  the Mahindra Blues festival, her enchanting stage presence and rapport with the audience gives one an idea why her popularity is so pervasive and why she is a performer who is much in demand. Backed by a crack band, her guitarist Steve being a standout, she easily switched from blues to reggae to soul effortlessly, keeping the audience guessing as to what she would spring next.

Finally, to close the show as per tradition was the All Star Jam where all the artistes of both days jammed and displayed some guitar heroics to round off and bring to a close, a not so memorable different kind of Mahindra Blues Festival.   

By Savio Miranda