Here it is… The first edition of the Geneva Blues Summit took place last weekend. Some unforgettable emotions and memories! Images of passion sharing and friendship between blues lovers, interesting meetings, a delighted audience cheering the musicians, a fabulous team of volunteers, a smooth festival organization, some outstanding musical moments, the successful beginnings of the excellent Bluecerne in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, the triumph and fabulous concert of Dave Specter & The Bluebirds… From this point of view, we have managed to organize a blues festival in Geneva!  

But, despite all our efforts, we did not sold enough entry  tickets to balance the budget. This makes us very sad and perplex: is it worthy to work so much to organize a non-profit festival and to end it paying the negative balance ourselves? Should we try the bet to organize a second edition? It is too early to answer. We are going to think about it and we will make a decision at the beginning of next year. We will keep you informed as soon as possible. We invite you to sign our guestbook and to give us your comments about this first edition. 

Thanks to you all, Friday’s workshop participants and Saturday’s spectators. It warmed our hearts to see all these smiling faces having fun listening to the blues! 

Thanks also to our sponsors who allowed us to be able to bring from the USA four of the best blues musicians – Dave Specter, Steve Freund, Harlan Terson and Mike Schlick - in the world, and to welcome them in the best conditions. Thanks also to our supporters who placed an advertisement in the program, and to all the persons who gave a hand.

Thanks to the musicians of Backstroke, Bluecerne and Bluebirds for these fantastic concerts! Congratulations to our sound engineer, Jean Keraudren, who achieved to make a good sound at the Salle du Faubourg, well known for its acoustic problems. Thanks to our photographers Chloé Bonnard, Michel Vonlanthen and Jacques Dubler, and to our cameraman Libero Bellasi-Quadri. A big hurray to Olivier – aka Jerry Koh – for the superb bar decorations. Thanks also to Simon Johner for the German translations.

Thanks to our wonderful staff : Xavier, Jacques Z., Gian-Carlo, Michael, Thierry R., Marc, David, Yann, Géraldine, Françoise, Dominique, Marie, Antoine, Juliette, Monica, Kim, Katia (my apologies if I forget someone).

Thanks eventually to the three organisation committee musketeers, who supported me from the beginning of this project, and who made a huge amount of work : Paul Gilliéron, Thierry Lucotte and Roger Stump.

Nothin' but the blues :)

Laurent - Nov 24th, 2005

Last update on December 25th, 2005