On February 5, 2011, Jay Sieleman (Blues Foundation) spoke the magic words: The winner is – Baltic Blues Society, Georg Schroeter and Marc Breitfelder, representing Germany!
The two were the first Europeans to win the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, USA, the world’s largest blues musician competition, and took the award from the motherland of the blues to Europe for the first time. The basis of the largely improvised music of Georg Schroeter and Marc Breitfelder is the blues, supplemented by many related styles: rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm ‘n’ blues, boogie woogie or country – orchestrated with virtuoso piano, perfect harp playing and a unique Blues voice.
If the participation of German blues musicians in the world’s largest blues contest on American soil is extremely unusual, winning the 27th International Blues Challenge (IBC) 2011 in Memphis, TN, USA cannot be overestimated. The incredible thing, however, is the fact that the Kiel-based band was the first European musicians in the IBC’s 27-year history to be able to take the coveted award from the USA, the motherland of the blues, to Europe. This means that the two of them are guaranteed an eternal entry in the history of American and European music history. In 2016, the two were again awarded the “German Blues Award” as the best blues duo in Germany!
Georg Schroeter (piano, vocals): His fingers seem to glide over the piano keys on their own, while at the same time he knows how to fascinate with his unique blues voice. Powerful, gentle, ecstatic or simply beautiful – voice and piano form a perfect unity that captivates the audience… and if his eyes shine and sparkle, everything is good – for him, Marc and the listeners!
Marc Breitfelder (harmonica) masters the “Mississippi saxophone” to perfection. Using a new blowing technique he developed himself, he achieves dimensions on the harmonica that fascinate listeners and colleagues from all over the world. In perfect harmony with Georg, Marc plays tones, tones and harmonies that you cannot hear anywhere else in the world – but always deeply rooted in the tradition of “classic” harp playing!
With Torsten Zwingenberger (drums and percussions), the two blues world travelers meet a musical soul mate who, despite all the stylistic versatility of swinging, melodic and fast-paced jazz, never gave up his blues roots, because they are important sources of energy for his creative work on the drums, that he plays imaginatively with a large number of special percussion instruments at the same time. A guarantee for this approach is Zwingenberger’s “Drumming 5 Point” drumming technique, which he has developed over the years, in which, among other things, he combines the drum kit with percussions and temporarily operates five foot pedals simultaneously. Despite all his virtuosity, the most important thing for Zwingenberger is the right groove.
Kalle Reuter (guitar, vocals), born in 1999, is now part of the regular line-up of the Georg Schroeter/Marc Breitfelder Band and is already one of the most talented and best blues and rock guitarists.
More information about Georg Schroeter and Marc Breitfelder: http://www.bluestour.de
