The Caraquet en Bleu festival will be held from 9 to 12 september 2009 in Caraquet (New Brunswick - Canada). For the first time this blues festival lasts four days and offers a novelty as the Jazz.

The Caraquet en Bleu festival will present big names such as Sonny Landreth, Harry Manx, Roland Tchakounté, Susie Arioli and the Dawn Tyler Watson and Paul Deslauriers duo.

Susie Arioli, award winner of the prestigious Oscar-Peterson award of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal 2009, will be opening the festival. She is accompanied by her accomplice guitar player, Jordan Officer and by Bill Gossage, bass player.

The next day, on September 10th, the master guitar player who enjoys a world wide reputation, Harry Manx, will honor us by his presence. Manx has toured most of the world with his solo concert, playing the slide guitar, the harmonica, a six strings banjo, Mohan veena, and a 20 strings hybrid guitar. Harry Manx proposes an original fusion of Occidental and Oriental music, a nice amalgamation of acoustic blues and Indian music. This is a show that must not be missed!

This show is preceded by the Monkey Junk trio from Ottawa. Even though this group was in existence for only 6 months, which is a rare occurrence, it was nominated for a Maple Blues Award , as best group of the year for 2008. One of the members of the group, Steve Marriner, has just won the Maple Blues Award for best harmonica player. He frequently accompanied, Harry Manx and Sue Foley who was part of our 2008 edition, on their tours.

Caraquet en Bleu is always proud to offer a showcase to artists from the province and from neighboring provinces and is proposing an Atlantic evening on September 11th. The opening act will feature Cat Bones from Bathurst; Theresa Malenfant, the New-Brunswick Blues Lady, as well as a musician who is well known in the Acadian peninsula for his energetic shows: Carson Downey from Nova-Scotia.

In the afternoon, the next day, Saturday the 12th, the new generation, aged between 14 and 18 will be showcased. The Electric Mud and KeroZen, groups, winners of the Accros de la Chanson 2009 contest will share an exterior stage at the Carrefour de la mer. To complete this community component, the group Les Gnous Taciturnes from Caraquet will join the show. The group was last year’s local discovery.

In the evening, the festival will present its international component with an incursion from France and Louisiana: the Roland Tchakounté trio, and one of the best guitar players in the world, Sonny Landreth.

A Cameroun native, Roland Tchakounté is one of those soul musician who transcends the diktats and rules of music. He was the first French artist to be invited to perform at the prestigious Chicago Blues Festival in 2005, alongside Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor or Honeyboy Edwards. Tchakounté is a living proof that blues music has no boundaries. His music is a successful integration of the Mississippi Blues and of the profound songs from Africa that are well enhanced by the sounds of his Bamiléké maternal tongue.

Sonny Landreth, the slide guitar player was presented as the best guitar player in the world by Mark Knopfler at a London concert, and will close the 2009 edition of the Caraquet en Bleu festival. Mark Knopfler, Robben Ford, Dr. John and Eric Clapton are all present on his last album “From the Reach”. Eric Clapton says that Landreth is probably the most underestimated musician on the planet and probably the most advanced (technically)". In 2007, Landreth triumphed at the Crossroads Guitar Festival organised by Clapton himself.

As the first part of this closing show, Caraquet en Bleu will present, for a third time, an acoustic duo from Montreal, Dawn Tyler Watson and Paul Deslaurier who is greatly appreciated by the public at large. Dawn Tyler Watson has gained international recognitions including the Screaming Jay Hawking Award 2003 for her live performances and the Trophées France Blues 2004 for best international female artist of the year.

The Caraquet en Bleu festival is now entering the major leagues with its enhanced programming that attracts fans from everywhere in the neighboring province (i.e.: Baie-Comeau, Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, Québec, St-Hyacinthe, Montréal, Carleton) and even further: people from California are already asking about our shows.

2009 Caraquet en Bleu festival : the program

Wednesday 9 september 2009
  Susie Arioli (Montréal - Québec)

Thursday 10 september 2009
  Monkey Junk (Ottawa - Ontario)
  Harry Manx (Colombie Britannique)

Friday 11 september 2009
  Cat Bones (Bathurst - Nouveau-Brunswick)
  La Dame du Blues (Nouveau Brunswick)
  Theresa Malenfant (Nouvelle Écosse)
  Carson Downey (Nouvelle Écosse)

Saturday 12 september 2009
  Électric Mud (Nouveau Brunswick)
  Kérosène (Nouveau Brunswick)
  Les Gnous Taciturnes (Caraquet - Nouveau-Brunswick)
  Dawn Tyler Watson et Paul Deslauriers (Montréal - Québec)
  Roland Tchakounté (France)
  Sonny Landreth (Louisiane - Etats Unis)

Music videos of artists and groups scheduled at 2009 Caraquet en Bleu festival

  Susie Arioli «Honeysuckle Rose»

  Monkey Junk «Tiger in your Tank»

  Les Gnous Taciturnes au festival Caraquet en Bleu 2008

  Sonny Landreth «The best video of him»

  Dawn Tyler Watson & Paul Deslauriers «Cold Shot»

  Harry Manx «Can’t Be Satisfied»