Will Jacobs Band

Known for his powerful, live performances, Ruf Records recording artist WILL JACOBS is a modern Blues/Soul/R&B artist from Chicago, Illinois USA. At 30 years old, he's no stranger to performance stages having honed his chops the old-fashioned way – experience. 

His early teens were spent gigging in Chicago clubs backing many of the city's finest blues men and women (while at the same time playing in a Grammy-winning, high school jazz band.)

In 2009, he attracts local and international attention with his first band (Dirty Deal), performing at the International Blues Showcase in Memphis, Tennessee after having won Chicago’s Windy City Blues Challenge (Youth Division). His band leaves their mark due to Will’s mature improvisational skills and vocal talents, coupled with its deep, blues-infused sound. These experiences lead to studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston, more gigging, composing and session work in Chicago, a musical residency in Sri Lanka, as well as touring with renown, Zydeco artist C.J. Chenier.

Making the jump across the pond to Europe in mid-2016, Will begins performing and sharing his dynamic blues sound in Berlin, Germany and throughout Europe. Tours with his own band, collaborations with Hohner-endorsee Marcos Coll (with whom he releases “Takin’ Our Time” ©2019) and gigging with other well-respected EU artists such as Lionel Haas, David “Fingers” Haynes, Breezy Rodio, Martin Stumpf, Stef Rosen, and Gary Wiggins.

Within a few short years, Will has logged performances at festivals and clubs in Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and the US. 

In 2022, the well-respected Ruf Records label adds Will to their artist roster and immediately inserts him into their Blues Caravan Spring tour alongside Ghalia Volt and Whitney Shea. Ruf Records releases his “Goldfish Blues” album (©Nov2022) which receives strong reviews and garners him new fans online and across the EU and USA. 2023 brings another busy year with his own band plus 16 weeks touring with Rufs Blues Caravan (this time with Ally Venable and Ashley Sherlock.)

Whether playing clubs or festivals, working solo or collaborating other world-class musicians, Will strives to bring his energy, creativity and passion to every stage.

Photo by Marcos Reinoso

Remi Bankyln

London based blues vocalist and guitar player shares the love for the golden era of early fifties blues made popular by bluesman such as Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers, Little Walter, Elmore James, B.B King among others. Music that would shape and sharpen what was to come and serve as the foundation of western music becoming a truly timeless genre.

Remi has had the pleasure to play and share stage with UK legend Big Joe Louis, one of the most  respected blues artists in the UK. Also opened for names such a Cedric Burnside (grandson of R.L Burnside) & Mud Morganfield (eldest son of Muddy Waters).

Stef Rosen

Born and raised in a small village in the north Italian mountains, musically grown between Chicago and Berlin, Stef Rosen is considered one of the most innovative and genuine blues players that have emerged in Europe in the recent decades.

His music is soulful, inspired by the sounds and voices of the early 70s, from Bobby Blue Bland to Albert King.

Awarded artist and sound engineer (nominated for Album of the Year next to legends as John Mayall, Joe Bonamassa, and more), he spent the last 10 years touring and playing his music around the World..from New York to Beijing, Moscow to Seoul.

..his voice is a sweet treat for your soul.

Photo by Marko Jovanovic

Marcos Coll

Marcos Coll was born Madrid (Spain) in 1976 but soon moved with his family to Santiago de Compostela, in the northwestern Spanish region of Galicia. He started playing the harmonica at the age of 13, influenced by his musician uncle and by Spanish blues harp legend Ñaco Goñi. After playing with different amateur bands, such as the Red Bues Band, he formed his first professional band called Bluerags. In 1999 Coll moved back to Madrid to join the most famous Spanish blues band at that time, Tonky Blues Band. With this band, at the age of 21 he had the opportunity of touring and recording with rock and blues legends like Mick Taylor (Rolling Stones ) or Buddy Miles (Jimmy Hendrix Band of Gypsys) and even did a blues gig with Tom Jones(!).

After those years of great experiences, Coll was ready to form his own band, Los Reyes del KO, along with his soul brother, Adrian Costa.  Los Reyes del KO (literally, The Knockout Kings) soon became one of the top blues bands in Spain and Europe, earning awards and recognition, sharing bills around the world with such all-time greats as Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter, Chuck Berry, John Mayall, Solomon Burke, the Animals, Robert Cray and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, and even appearing in high school music textbooks in Galicia

In 2004 Marcos Coll moved to Berlin, where through well-known German blues musicians like Chris Rannenberg and Micha Maass he soon became part of the blues scene in the German capital.

As a studio musician he has recorded with nationally famous Spanish bands such as Siniestro Total, and has recorded music for TV and silent movies.  While Coll is not prolific songwriter, some of his songs have been used in TV series and movies, such as Mexico’s blockbuster "Suave Patria,” or the song that is one of the anthems of the Spanish first division basketball team Obradoiro CAB, where the young Marcos Coll played on the junior team.  He has also worked as a harmonica teacher in music schools in Spain and today does workshops and gives master-classes all over the world in Spanish, English and German.

As an endorser of the world famous German musical instrument manufacturer Hohner, in 2009 and 2013 Coll performed, conducted a workshop, and was part of the jury at the most prestigious harmonica festival, the World Harmonica Festival, held every four years in Trossingen, Germany.

Nowadays, besides performing as Marcos Coll Blues Jarana, he also works often with the legendary bluesman Guitar Crusher, as well as with his Mexican Latino music band Los Mighty Calacas, which has toured all over the world and has released a CD featuring such top guest musicians as Charlie Musselwhite.



Charlley Ward

Charlley loves the Blues. Throughout his life he has played the music, told the stories and danced the dances of the people who created it, his Black American People.

He has twice reached the semi-finals of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis Tennessee with the Bull City Blues Band. His unique style is derived from his association with Durham Blues great John Dee Holman and his own original eclectic original material that ranges from urban Blues like Albert King to Country material like that of Holman’s. He has DJed, told stories about Blues and African American culture and taught Traditional Black American Dances at events including Mile High Blues in Denver, Brickyard Blues in Atlanta, Big City Blues in Ghent Belgium and The Experiment (the International weeklong Blues Dance workshop in Corolla NC.) In 2022 he won the solo Blues Dance Competition at the Riverfront Blues Festival in Portland Oregon.

He teaches Blues Dance for his home scene, RDU Blues in The Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area of North Carolina and has also taught at Trilogy Swing and Westifest in that state. His teaching focuses on the

fundamentals of the dances and how they can be used to enhance musicality.

“BB King used to say that playing the Blues is telling the truth.” He says. “It’s one of the ways Black Americans survived. We took despair and turned it into joy. We told our stories, we sang and played our music, and we danced. We told the truth. We survived.”

He is now retired from a career as a public school Theatre Teacher during which his students received multiple awards in juried competitions. He currently lives in (an allegedly haunted) Colonial era plantation house outside Wake Forest North Carolina.

Brenda Jean Russell

Brenda comes from a culturally and ethnically diverse home with family members who dance, play instruments, and sing. Blues, Jazz, R&B, Soul, Disco, Pop, and Folk music were the sound track of her childhood.

Today Brenda dances to live Jazz, Blues, R&B, Cuban, Afro-beat, Tango, and more.  Brenda has been nominated for Dance Ambassador in her local Blues Community’s Muddy Awards.

Brenda works to bring music and dance back together by bringing dancers to live music and live music to dancers, also teaching musicians about what grooves inspire dancers, and teaching dancers how to dance to various grooves musicians like to play..  Many others in her community have taken up the mantle connecting music and dance, and together they have created a community where you regularly see musicians playing at dances and dancers in music clubs, and the largest dance representation at a live music festival you can find anywhere.

Brenda teaches online, in person as she travels around, and runs annual events in Portland and Berlin. She most commonly frequents the west coast of USA, England, Germany, and Switzerland.

Brenda Jean is fulfilling her childhood dream as a professional dancer, performer, instructor, movement educator, and wellness coach. Along with 17 years of directing programs for, and educating youth, Brenda Jean’s early dance training included about 30 dance styles, and has expanded from there. She grew up in a culturally diverse home, where she and her family danced to the sounds of live and vinyl-played blues, R&B, soul, funk as well as the Latin rhythms of disco. As dance became her profession, she began to specialize in African American cultural jazz, blues, and latin dances from the last hundred years.

Gabriel Huot

Gabriel has been involved in the blues dance community since 2011. It includes social dancing around Europe, competing, event organizing, DJing, teaching regular classes in France (Paris, Orléans) and outside France in local and international events.

Though he has been dancing many other social dances, he especially loves blues for the richness of the music and associated dance styles, the variety of rhythms, and for the genuine connection in partner dancing.

He believes understanding of body mechanics is a key to get more freedom in dancing, as well as in daily life. 

He has an endless curiosity to explore movement, from handmade bread making, to martial arts and dance. He is passionate to share about movement and guide people through more freedom.

Greg Dyke

Greg loves how dancing brings out the best in all of us. The common theme across his favorite dances (blues, bal folk, lindy hop, tango and balboa) is their emphasis on musical partnered expression and that these dances are deeply rooted in the cultures that created them. His teaching builds on moving comfortably in our own bodies to help people become the dancer they want to be - someone that everybody else loves dancing with.

Photo by Patrick Bafon

Thursday Oct 2nd

@LOVELITE

19:00 - 20:00 Taster

Opening Party feat. TBA
20:00 - 22:00 Live Music

22:00 - 2:00 DJ’d Music

… tell your friends and come back tomorrow

Friday Oct 3rd

@  Nou Tango

14:00 - 15:00 Tasters

15:00 - 17:00 Happy Hour Party feat. TBA

… take a nap and have a nice dinner, see you soon

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@  STUDIOBÜHNE ALTE FEUERWACHE

20:00 - 21:00 Taster

Evening Party feat. Will Jacobs Band

21:00 - 23:00 Live Music
23:00 - 1:00 DJ’d Music

… have a lay in and a lovely brunch, 

    then join us for practice and happy hour party.

Saturday Oct 4

@  Nou Tango

13:00 - 14:00 Tasters

14:00 - 15:00 Tasters

15:00 - 17:00 Happy Hour Party feat. TBA

get some dinner and make your way to  the main event

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@  Nou Tango

20:00 - 21:00 Tasters

21:00 - 2:00 Evening Party feat. Remi Bankyln
21:30 - 22:30 Story Telling

23:00 - 00:00 Live Music
00:00 - 2:00 Fusion & Blues DJs in 2 Rooms

Sunday Oct 5

@  Nou Tango

11:00 - 12:00 Taster

12:00 - 14:00 Gospel Brunch Party feat. TBA

…  enjoy your free afternoon and join us for the evening party

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@ SALÖÖN

19:00 - 20:00 Taster

Closing Party feat. Stef Rosen & Friends

20:00 - 23:00 Live Music & Jam

23:00 - 2:00 DJ'd Music

… Thank You!! And until Next Year!!