Taj Mahal

Here's a little gem from Taj.  Now Catch a Fire...  

Recorded live at the Fillmore East in 1971, Taj may be bluesy, but he's got that funk goin' too!

Just back from a long road trip myself, and with the price of deisel fuel as high as $4.99 a gallon, I'm posting this for the long haul truckers out in Kramer Junction...you know who you are.....Thanks for the hat. ( Now that's funky!)

Taj specifically designed his first album to appeal to a broader rock music audience without compromising the integrity of the vintage blues he was playing. He took blues out of the hands of the archivists and breathed life back into it with his charismatic performances.This Track "The Celebrated Walkin" Blues" traditional song arranged by Taj MahalLove Ry's mandolin playing Personnel

• Ryland Cooder - Mandolin
• Taj Mahal - Harp and Slide Guitar
• Gary Gilmore - Bass*Charl

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How about some soul? “You Don’t Miss Your Water” is the finest version of this soul standard I have ever heard and there’s some good ones out there too.

The fall 2000 CD reissue includes a trio of bonus tracks: a faster-paced rendition of “The Cuckoo” with a more prominent lead guitar, the slow electric lament “New Stranger Blues” featuring some good mandolin-style playing on the guitar, and the rocking instrumental “Things Are Gonna Work Out Fine,” which is a killer showcase for Davis lead electric guitar and Taj Mahal s virtuosity on the harmonica.

Taj, with the invaluable help of his tight and funky band, particularly the late, great, guitarist Jesse Ed Davis, are a perfect remedy for a rainy day.

What better way to pass the day Taj has been keeping me company today so I thought I'd spread him around Tracks are for his 2nd release which was re-mastered and re-issued in 2000. Personnel: Taj Mahal (vocals, National steel guitar, harmonica) Jesse Ed Davis (guitar, piano) Al Kooper (piano) Gary Gilmore (bass) Chuck Blackwell, Earl Palmer (drums).

Taj Mahal's iconoclastic self-titled '68 solo debut remains, in my opinion, an essential listen for both blues and rock enthusiasts. Accompanied by stellar musicians Jessie Davis, Ry Cooder, James Thomas, Sanford Konikoff, Bill Boatman, Gary Gilmore, and Charles Blackwell, Taj recorded a startling stripped-down mix of both authentic and new blues sounds. The debut was followed with two equally impressive, and now classic albums: '68's 'The Natch'l Blues' and '69's 'Gian... MORE

Little change of pace here...just thought I would share an old Taj Mahal song...when I get in a musical rut, often times I fall back on some old blues records...that stuff is timeless and always feels relevant to me. Hope everyone survived their Monday...rest of the week should be all downhill from here

Happy Birthday to Taj Mahal, born on this day in 1942 in New York City. Originally named Henry St. Clair Fredericks, he changed his name to Taj Mahal while he was in college, after the new name came to him in a dream. Mahal's father was a jazz pianist and his mother was a schoolteacher and gospel singer; early in his childhood they moved from New York to Springfield, Massachusetts. The young Taj was surrounded by music, and he also absorbed music from around the world li... MORE

I didn't know there was a building called "the Taj Mahal" until I was in high school. But I knew about the bluesman from early childhood. My dad was a fan, and we had some of his albums on cassette. So, this Saturday, Dad and I went to see Taj Mahal play at Yoshi's. It was a packed house. And why not? He's a legend... a fount of character who struts about the stage plucking pretty little notes from the guitar strings... a whisky-voiced singer who takes the blues format t... MORE