For the first time this year, the Cleveland Blues Society decided to choose its entrants for the annual International Blues Challenge via a public competition.
The event was held Sunday at Wilbert’s, and the winners were eight-piece, horn-driven swing/jump blues veterans Blue Lunch, led by founder Bob Frank.
The band will now compete against dozens of acts nominated by blues societies from around the world in Memphis in January. The event is sponsored by the Blues Foundation; this will be the 26th edition of the contest, which turns Memphis into a bustling hive of blues showcases, concerts and jam sessions for four days.
You can catch Blue Lunch at the House of Swing (4490 Mayfield Rd., South Euclid, 216.382.2771) on Friday. —Anastasia Pantsios
