Stars of the Russian blues scene will take their acts outside at the Putinka Blues Festival on Sunday, in a daylong marathon of this continent's take on the traditionally African-American genre.

The event, expected to draw 10,000 fans -- four times last year's turnout -- will occupy two stages in a lakeshore field in the Krylatskoye recreational area in western Moscow. The main stage will feature the louder electric groups, while the smaller, second stage will host more intimate acoustic jam sessions.

B. B. King, one of the city's most popular nightspots for live blues, is organizing the festival, so most of the performers on the list are club regulars.

Sergei Voronov, whose trademark twirled whiskers single him out, is the club's art director, as well as a frequent visitor to its stage with his band Crossroadz. "In planning the festival, we wanted to bring together the largest, most diverse array of bands in Moscow that play the blues," he said by telephone Wednesday. "We are offering a program representative of the rich variety of groups in Moscow -- we'll hear everything from Chicago blues, Louisiana blues, Texas blues, rockabilly, jump blues, country blues, and delta blues to soul, acoustic blues, electric blues and blues rock."

The groups lined up for Sunday's event are definitely a miscellaneous bunch. Singing variously in English and Russian, and presenting either newly composed pieces or rehashing improvisations on classics, each brings its own tradition to the stage.

To some, the thought of transporting the heritage of the downtrodden American South to Russia might seem bizarre. But others argue that the soulful rhythms of the blues capture this country's own feelings. "It's about the mood. We here in Russia definitely have the blues mood," said Alexander Sklyar, whose ensemble Va Bank is headlining the festival along with Garik Sukachyov i Neprikasayemiye.

Modern Blues Band has a similar attitude, said Giya Dzagnidze, the band's Georgian-born lead singer. "Growing up in the Caucasus, I knew virtually nothing about blues origins -- what 'the delta' was, and so on -- but the music and the frame of mind it captures are universal," he said in a recent telephone interview.

While Va Bank, Crossroadz, and Modern Blues Band often sing in Russian, Dr. Nick -- formed some eleven years ago by a U.S. Embassy doctor -- is firmly grounded in an American roots rock tradition. The acoustic band's frontman, Dmitry Kazantsev, composes songs in English that "highlight the folksy elements of blues, rock, reggae, country and soul," he explained by telephone earlier this week. On Sunday, his band will collaborate with Sergei "John" Sorokin, one of Moscow's foremost -- and no doubt, few -- blues harpists, for a harmonica jam.

Voronov believes that the genre's popularity in Russia is growing. "Back in 1990, there were two, maybe 2 1/2, bands that played the blues. That number has since skyrocketed," he said.

Alexei Agronovsky, a virology professor at Moscow State University who moonlights with the band Chyorny Khleb, concurred. "This outdoor festival should really help cultivate the blues following in Moscow," he said at a Monday news conference. While noting that most of the festival's regular attendees are over 30, he pointed out that there is a core of devoted "blues youth" who sustain the genre with fresh blood.

Also, the fresh air at Krylatskoye may draw more listeners than smoky nightclubs, he said, remarking, "Hey, at least without all the smoke we'll be able to breathe better out there."

The Putinka Blues Festival takes place Sunday from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the Krylatskoye recreational area, located at 8 Krylatskaya Ulitsa. Metro Krylatskoye, then bus 829. Tel. 771-2816.