For 20 years, the BluesCazorla festival has brought the finest blues performers to play on four stages around this tiny town. Located three hours south of Madrid, Cazorla features master classes and meet-and-greets, augmented by shows in the Plaza of Santa Maria, the Municipal Auditorium, and the town’s historic bull ring, where most of the headliners perform. Imagine Johnny Winter, Mavis Staples, Jimmie Vaughan, Rod Piazza, Charlie Musselwhite, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor, Solomon Burke, and so many others performing in the center of a bull ring. Talk about growth – during the first 10 years, the festival featured four or five bands; in 1998, it began to hire international musicians; for its 10th year, it presented John Mayall, Buddy Guy, Rod Piazza, Otis Grand, and Sista Monica; and the 2013 edition of the festival featured over 30 bands and welcomed more than 25,000 visitors during its three-day run.
