Taj Mahal

For more than 40 years, Grammy-winning legend Taj Mahal and his band 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. The quintet is made up of internationally renowned bassist Bill Rich and steel drummer Robert Greenidge (Jimmy Buffet’s Coral Reefer Band), revered percussionist Tony Durham and Hawaiian based guitarist and lap steel master Bobby Ingano. The five 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. Arriving with his 1968 self-titled debut followed by 1969’s Giant Step/De Ole Folks at Home, Taj Mahal revealed himself as one the world’s most prominent blues stylists and storytellers. Albums such as 1971’s The Real Thing, 1974’s Mo’ Roots, and 1976’s Music Fuh Ya’ (Musica Para Tu), approached everything from calypso and reggae, trad jazz, gospel, R&B, and zydeco to various Pacific Islander and West African cultures. But Mahal never strayed far from country-blues. 1996’s Phantom Blues and 1997’s Senor Blues returned him to the charts. 2008’s Maestro wed deep blues, funk, and R&B, while 2017’s TajMo’ was cut with Keb Mo. In 2022, Mahal teamed with Ry Cooder for the Grammy-winning tribute, Get On Board: The Songs of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. On 2023’s Savoy, he offered tunes informed by jazz’s swing era.