Open Air Blues Festival Brezoi has grown into one of the most distinctive blues events in Europe, drawing major international artists and devoted music fans to a spectacular setting in the mountains of Romania.
Blues Matters was there throughout the 2026 festival, with Richard Constantinidi meeting performers from Romania, the UK, Europe, Canada and the United States.
Across this series of interviews, Richard explores the experiences behind the music. The conversations cover early influences, life on the road, creative freedom, personal loss, changing musical scenes and the challenge of remaining authentic in an increasingly fast-moving industry.
They also reveal what makes Brezoi special to the artists who perform there. Some were visiting for the first time, while others have watched the festival develop from a small local event into an internationally recognised gathering.
Vanessa Collier
Singer, songwriter and saxophonist Vanessa Collier discusses the close connection between her voice and the alto saxophone, explaining how each has influenced the way she approaches the other.
She recalls discovering the instrument after hearing a saxophone on the television programme Two of a Kind and reflects on the support she received from her family during her early development.
Vanessa also talks about encouraging young women to take up space and express themselves through music, her time working with Joe Louis Walker and the responsibilities that come with leading her own band.
With around 200 days a year spent on the road, she explains how touring, writing and recording have become closely connected as she develops material for her next album.
Krissy Matthews
Krissy Matthews looks back on an extraordinary musical journey that began when he was still a child.
At 12, he was invited to perform with John Mayall at Notodden Blues Festival, where he also shared an amplifier with Peter Green. He discusses how that experience opened doors and helped establish the career that followed.
Krissy also reflects on playing alongside his father, his long-running involvement with Hamburg Blues Band and the unexpected inspiration behind Pizza Man Blues, written after he began delivering pizzas during the pandemic.
He describes his own guitar style as instinctive, unconventional and unwilling to follow unnecessary rules.
D.K. Harrell
Louisiana singer and guitarist D.K. Harrell discusses the influence of B.B. King, Albert King and Freddie King, and why he prefers to create a clear separation between his voice and his guitar.
He explains how his mother taught him the importance of playing quietly and why musical dynamics can be more powerful than volume.
D.K. also remembers his remarkable 2025 Brezoi appearance, when severe weather caused a power failure. Drawing on his childhood experiences of singing without amplification in church, he continued performing and kept the audience together.
The conversation also explores professionalism, stage presence and the responsibility an artist has to every person in the crowd.
Blues Progression
John Montana and Pefi Pop introduce the philosophy behind Blues Progression, a project that begins with familiar blues foundations before moving through funk, fusion and spontaneous improvisation.
The band developed from an idea shared with Romanian bassist Kiba Dachi in 2018, later working with singer Julie Mayaya and other musicians from the Romanian scene.
Pefi talks about performing in Miami with his son, while Manchester-based John reflects on building a career across the UK blues circuit.
Both musicians also discuss Brezoi’s development, growing international audience and rising reputation far beyond Romania.
Sugaray Rayford
Sugaray Rayford traces his musical beginnings back to the church in Tyler, Texas, where he sang and played drums as a child.
He explains how his wife and manager, Pam Rayford, encouraged him to pursue music professionally when he believed it was impossible to build a secure career from it.
Sugaray also discusses the difference between singing and truly entertaining an audience, drawing inspiration from performers including Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Koko Taylor, Bobby Bland and B.B. King.
The interview moves into deeply personal territory as he reflects on his military service, writing from real experience and finding peace away from the stage.
Raul Kusak
Romanian pianist, Hammond organist and composer Raul Kusak began playing at five, encouraged by a teacher who helped him see mistakes as part of creativity and discovery.
He remembers first hearing the sound of the Hammond organ through Jon Lord before finding musicians including Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff and Joey DeFrancesco.
Raul explains why the Hammond requires a different physical and musical approach from the piano, despite the familiar keyboard layout.
He also discusses his workshops for young musicians at Brezoi, where he encourages students to perform in public, manage their nerves and understand that honest emotion matters more than playing every note correctly.
The interview also covers his work in theatre and film and his involvement in Brezoi’s Gary Moore tribute concert.
Toby Lee
Toby Lee discusses his transition from viral internet sensation to award-winning professional musician.
His journey began with a small ukulele bought by his grandmother, followed by his first electric guitar and the B.B. King tribute video that brought him international attention at ten years old.
Toby reflects on his role as Zack Mooneyham in the original West End production of School of Rock, where the discipline of theatre sometimes competed with his natural instinct to improvise.
He also talks about growing into his instrument, coping with his changing voice during lockdown and reaching the point where his hands could finally express the ideas he heard in his head.
This interview was recorded during Toby’s first visit to Romania.
Hanno Höfer of Nightlosers
Hanno Höfer has been part of almost every edition of Open Air Blues Festival Brezoi and has watched it grow from a small event in the town centre into a major international festival.
He discusses discovering blues music in Romania during the 1970s and 1980s, when Western records were difficult to obtain. Some of his earliest encounters with artists such as Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf came through records released in East Germany.
Hanno also explains how Nightlosers blend blues with Romanian, Hungarian and Roma folk traditions.
Rather than deciding which genre should dominate, the band allows ideas to develop naturally through instruments including guitar, harmonica, violin, washboard and the distinctive leaf playing of Nucu Pandrea.
Paul Long of Burning Rope
Paul Long explains how Burning Rope emerged following the death of his son and Catfish bandmate Matt Long.
The band took its name from the Genesis song Burning Rope, whose themes of mortality and loss reflected Paul’s decision to begin performing again.
Paul also looks back on more than four decades at BBC Maida Vale Studios, where he worked with artists including Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Elton John, U2, B.B. King and Joe Bonamassa.
He shares his concerns about artificial intelligence in music and explains why Burning Rope’s album Dissolution proudly states that it was made using “human intelligence”.
The conversation also covers the deeply personal stories behind Sad Like Sinatra and Before the Landslide, and the emotional control required to perform songs drawn from real grief.
Dawn Tyler Watson
Juno Award-winning singer Dawn Tyler Watson discusses the strength of the blues community in Montreal and the changes she has seen within the city’s music scene.
Having studied acting at Concordia University and appeared in the film Jack Paradise, Dawn explains how performance training helps her understand and communicate the story behind a song.
She also talks about her enduring love of jazz and a new recording built around standards and original material.
Dawn reflects on protecting her voice, giving up drinking and smoking, and becoming more comfortable with her identity as she has grown older.
That honesty is also central to Mad Love, the deeply personal album that earned her a Juno Award.
Alex Tomaselli
Alex Tomaselli spoke to Blues Matters shortly after winning the Romanian National Blues Contest with a band assembled only weeks before the performance.
Without major expectations, the musicians relied on enthusiasm, chemistry and a natural connection that carried them to victory. They will now represent Romania at the European Blues Challenge 2027 in Portugal.
Alex also reveals his personal connection to Brezoi. Years before the festival became established, he and his mother had dreamed of bringing a blues event to her home town.
He discusses growing up in an isolated Romania, where blues, jazz and Western rock offered a glimpse into another world, and the artistic influence of being raised by two painters.
The interview also covers the reunion of Black Cat Bone and his continuing work with singer Raluca Stoica.
Albert Castiglia
Albert Castiglia talks to Blues Matters about forming Blood Brothers with fellow guitarist Mike Zito and the chemistry that makes their partnership work both on stage and in the studio.
He discusses their connection through Gulf Coast Records, the demands of life as a touring musician and the balance between working as part of Blood Brothers and leading his own band.
Albert also reflects on the experience of working with Junior Wells, whose influence helped shape both his playing and his understanding of performance.
The conversation explores the Miami blues scene, the importance of connecting with an audience and why Albert sees music as a shared experience rather than something that belongs only to the artist on stage.
He also talks about travelling to Romania and returning to perform at Open Air Blues Festival Brezoi.
Stories from the heart of Brezoi
Taken together, these interviews offer more than a record of the artists who appeared at Brezoi in 2026.
They show how music develops through families, communities, difficult experiences and unexpected opportunities. They also capture the different ways musicians protect their creativity, whether through improvisation, discipline, honesty or a refusal to follow established rules.
Richard Constantinidi has done an excellent job representing Blues Matters in Romania, asking informed questions while giving each artist room to speak openly about their music and experiences.
Watch the complete collection above and visit the Blues Matters YouTube channel for more interviews, performances and conversations from across the blues world.
