SirJo dynamic vocals, piano playing and Balta’s raw and true guitar sound finally connected on their debut album Heads Up!, recently recorded with their quartet in Barcelona.
“Heads Up!” is a great title for this album, because this collection of songs and performances is truly something the WHOLE Blues world should be paying attention to. I hear something here, I feel something here, something that I haven’t felt since I first discovered the REAL blues.
THIS music rings true. These guys have got it, they are doing everything “right” but also doing it in their own way.The guitar playing, the ensemble playing, and most of all the incredible VOCALS, it all knocks me out!
I think SirJo & Balta truly represent a milestone in European blues, for they are not just great Blues MUSICIANS, they are great Blues ARTISTS.”
SIRJO COCCHI
SirJo has had a rich and multi-dimensional musical journey thus far. Before relocating to Milano, Italy (his hometown), where he produced 5 albums and 5 EPs with his own songs, SirJo set his feet in various genres ranging from Rock, Soul, Pop to Jazz and Reggae, traveling to various places of the world to perform and record: from the New Orleans Jazz Fest (where he recorded with local harp wiz Andy J. Forest) to several appearances in Italy’s top fest, Umbria Jazz. He recorded Hammond organ and backing vocals (alongside long time Rolling Stones’ vocalist, Lisa Fischer) in New York for Grammy nominee Vaneese Thomas (from the legendary Stax family) and toured as a lead vocalist/pianist for Otis Grand and (as keyboard player/vocalist) with Big Daddy Wilson, after playing in the mid 90s in Chicago and Los Angeles, where he graduated from KIT (Musician’s Institute, keyboard dept) in Hollywood.
With his past projects, Soulspinner and Founda(c)tion, SirJo has opened for The Blues Brothers Band, Solomon Burke, Maceo Parker, Chaka Khan, Tower of Power, Dionne Warwick and performed with Keisha Jackson, Denise LaSalle, The Temprees, Bobby Johnson, Melvia Chick Rogers and Toni Green.
BALTA BORDOY
With over 30 years of Blues under his belt, Barcelona based Balta Bordoy is rightfully considered a seasoned veteran of the Spanish blues scene, having carved out a successful living as a highly accomplished and in-demand guitarist. He has his own quartet in Barcelona, Balta Bordoy & The Bad Boys, that released a highly praised CD in 2022, “Rock My Blues Away” (Bluztrack 003) featuring Vìctor Puertas on organ and vocals.
He also has a band in Mallorca, Los Peligrosos Gentlemen, with a couple of CDs on the market. They have been playing with artists like Alex Schultz, the late Detroit Gary Wiggins and Julian Vaughn (drummer for Albert and B.B. King, Otis Rush and Johnny “Guitar” Watson, to name a few). Balta has recorded and played festivals in Spain (Hondarribia, Cazorla, Rubí, Cerdanyola, Terrassa) as well as in Germany, Hungary and Ukraine with James Harman, Barrelhouse Chuck, Kenny “Blues Boss Wayne, Keith Dunn, Roger Wade, Lluís Coloma & Sax Gordon, Kyle Esplin, Myriam Swanson & The Rhythm Treasures, Big Mama Montse and many more.
