No matter where we come from, we are all part of the same circle. We all want to dance, to get out of our heads and tap into ourselves. When delivered by the Taj Mahal Quartet, the blues can take us there.
For more than 40 years, Taj Mahal and bandmates Bill Rich and Kester Smith have taken blues on a joyride through reggae, funk, jazz, cajun, and more, leaving a trail of swinging hips and raised palms in their wake. In 2019, guitarist and lap steel virtuoso Bobby Ingano joined the group, and the trio became the Taj Mahal Quartet. The four ... view more »
No matter where we come from, we are all part of the same circle. We all want to dance, to get out of our heads and tap into ourselves. When delivered by the Taj Mahal Quartet, the blues can take us there.
For more than 40 years, Taj Mahal and bandmates Bill Rich and Kester Smith have taken blues on a joyride through reggae, funk, jazz, cajun, and more, leaving a trail of swinging hips and raised palms in their wake. In 2019, guitarist and lap steel virtuoso Bobby Ingano joined the group, and the trio became the Taj Mahal Quartet. The four match musical virtuosity with downhome grit unlike anyone else: a blend of sophistication and humble familiarity that is equally at home on a shotgun-shack porch or a Carnegie Hall stage.
Taj is a towering musical figure — a legend who transcended the blues not by leaving them behind, but by revealing their magnificent scope to the world. “The blues is bigger than most people think,” the three-time Grammy winner says. “You could hear Mozart play the blues. It might be more like a lament. It might be more melancholy. But I’m going to tell you: the blues is in there.” Quantifying Taj’s significance is impossible, but people try anyway. A 2017 Grammy win for TajMo, his collaboration with Keb’ Mo’, brought his Grammy tally to three wins and 14 nominations, and underscored his undiminished relevance more than 50 years after his solo debut. Blues Hall of Fame membership, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association, and other honors punctuate his résumé. He appreciates the accolades, but his motivation lies elsewhere.
After different projects and individual explorations, the Taj Mahal Quartet keeps come back to one another. For Taj, the reason is simple. “That’s what musicians did when I was growing up,” he says. “They all played with one another. We don’t have to go through all this rigmarole to get it done — to get the music out there.”
And according to Taj, the collaboration extends far beyond the Taj Mahal Quartet themselves. “Music is like theater to a lot of people — they’re watching it,” he says. “Well, you can watch it, but you’re supposed to participate. The audience is just as much a part of the music as the musicians are.” Taj pauses, then adds with a warm laugh, “I do like it when they dance.”
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