The Blues Sermon is held in the cript of Grundtvig's Church.
Reverend Palle Kongsgaard delivers a Sermon on the subject:
”Throw It Away”
The theme is the relationship between blues, jazz, spirituality and political engagement.
The text is based on songs from Mandipira and Lauritsen’s beautiful CD, "Convergence".
The song "Throw It Away” is written by Abbey Lincoln, who along with her then-husband,
drummer Max Roach was among the most active jazz musicians in the civil rights movement.

After the sermon there is a short concert with Miriam Mandipira and Kjeld Lauritsens Trio.

The concert will be a treat for lovers of both jazz and blues, with everything from swinging
jazz to beautiful ballads to sweaty blues and funk music. Conducted at a high professional
level and with great joy of playing. With roots in Zimbabwe, Miriam Mandipira has the recent
years been a welcome feature on the jazz and blues scene. Inspired by, amongst others,
Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin, she has sung her way into the Danish hearts.
Miriam also provides samples of popular songs from her beloved Africa, and there awaits
an experience on par with the best international stars!

The ”Ken Gudman Memorial Foundation” was instigated after a tribute concert
for the Danish drummer Ken Gudman, who died in September 2003.
Every year since then the foundation has awarded a musician an award
called “The Ken Gudman of the Year” in honor of this great musician.

This year's award goes posthumously to bassist Hugo Rasmussen, who died
in august 2015.
Hugo was known in the music community as a great musician, a great friend
and colleague, who played with hundreds of colleagues across generations
and genres.
This is the first time, that the award is given to a musician, who is no longer with us.
But this night, Hugo is the centre of love and affection, when family, friends and
colleagues meet to celebrate his memory with a great tribute concert.

Marie Carmen Koppel has over the last 25 years built up a large and loyal concert audience.
With her voice, she has filled churches, venues and houses of culture all over the country with
intensity, presence and musicality at an international level. She is currently working on her
upcoming album for release at this concert at the culture-house 'Pilegården'. Her previous
album "Heal My wounded Heart" from 2014, was received with great media attention, and
marked a new start after a serious illness, nearly cost her life. But she came back with an
integrated and highly personal album. She has placed herself in the Danish musical life
as Denmark's soul-queen, and her voice is often compared to Whitney Houston.
Her concerts, performed with great empathy and technical capability makes the small
hairs stand on end. For special concerts Marie Carmen brings her father, Anders Koppel,
on the Hammond Organ with her.

Arr. by Pilegården

This Sunday evening Mojo closes their festival programme with two truly original Danish Blues Ambassadors.
Hans Knudsen at the keys and microphone, and Ronni Boysen on guitar, are both recipiants of the festival's award,
“Danish Blues Artist of the Year”, Ronni in 2013, and Hans in 2014.

They have revitalized the once popular piano-guitar duo-format, and blues connoisseurs will recall acts like Leroy Carr/Scrapper Blackwell
and Otis Span/Robert Lockwood Jr. This traditional blues line-up was represented in the 80's by Champion Jack Dupree and Kenn Lending, often at Mojo.

Hans and Ronni playfully work their way through their favourite iconic songs from Chicago blues to New Orleans,
Boogie and West Coast Jump etc., rendering their personal interpretations, and even throwing in a couple of their own songs.