BJBF 2016 Artist Bios

Each year the Boquete Jazz and Blues Festival transforms the quiet town of Boquete, with world class Blues musicians headlining the event, Blues and Boogie-Woogie are often the mainstay that rock the slopes of the Baru Volcano.

The essence of the festival is captured at packed restaurants and bars that host open jam sessions. Jazz, Salsa and Blues artist jump into impromptu collaborations, taking popular tunes into new and energetic directions. It is simply magical.

Music and harmony live on stage and off, making for an unforgettable event. Last year Artist Deanna Bogart put it aptly when she said, “The audience and the musicians become equal and everyone is part of one big family”. Indeed, artistic talent is always alive from costumes to jam sessions that invite the audience to participate!


Here are some of this year’s notable blues artists featured at the festival:

DEANNA BOGART, BJBF2016 Associate Producer, multiple award-winning singer, keyboard and sax player
Fearless, folksy, phenomenal and fun, Deanna’s dazzling keyboards, soulful sax, smoky vocals and cut-above songwriting make her much in demand. Here at Boquete, she joins two other members of the original Legendary Rhythm and Blues Revue supergroup—Tommy Castro and Ronnie Baker Brooks. “Bogart reveals the intersections between genres that have fed off one another for decades,” claims Blues Revue. 



MATT SCHOFIELD, British Blues Awards Guitarist of the Year 2010, 2011 & 2012  
Matt Schofield was twelve when his dad gave him a video of B.B. King. He knew right away music would be his life. From the English countryside to playing alongside Buddy Guy, Matt has soared. The Los Angeles Daily News writes, “The UK has produced the best blues guitarist from any country in decade, head and shoulders above the herd.” Guitar & Bass Magazine rates him in the Top Ten British blues guitarists of all time.



TOMMY CASTRO, winner of six Blues Music Awards, including B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year
For some four decades and 14 albums now, Tommy’s hard-driving music and pulse-pounding style pack dance floors the world over with his original blues, soul and West Coast rock. Billboard writes about Tommy’s “irresistible contemporary blues-rock” with “street-level grit and soul.” And the San Francisco Chronicle likes his "Silvery guitar licks that simultaneously sound familiar and fresh.” 


RONNIE BAKER BROOKS, fiery Chicago Bluesman honors his dad, legendary Lonnie Brooks 
He grew up among blues legends, so it’s no wonder Ronnie’s blistering guitar and expressive vocals channel some of the best who ever played. Brooks’s solos are those of a monster talent, while his shuffles are show-stoppers and a fresh take on tradition. With his red-hot licks and captivating charm, Ronnie has the crowd hanging on every note, rocking the house and grinning ear to ear. 

CURTIS SALGADO, the voice and soulful style that inspired John Belushi’s Blues Brothers
Few artists capture the heart of a song like award-winning vocalist/songwriter/harmonica great Curtis Salgado. From fronting The Robert Cray Band and Roomful Of Blues to touring with Steve Miller and Santana, Curtis blends blues, soul, funk and R&B with fierce intensity. Blues Revue calls Salgado “one of the most down-to-earth, soulful, honest singers ever.”


The festival takes place February 25 -28, 2016
For tickets visit: http://www.boquetejazzandbluesfestival.com/