Taj Mahal (musician)

Taj Mahal ( Henry St. Clair Fredericks actually; born May 17, 1942 in New York City ) is an American blues musician.

  • 3.1 albums
  • 3.2 DVD

Life and work

His father was a jazz pianist, composer and arranger of Jamaican descent, his mother a school teacher from South Carolina who sang gospel.

At the beginning of the 1960s, he studied agriculture and animal husbandry at the University of Massachusetts. There he founded Taj Mahal & The Elektra. His stage name Taj Mahal is inspired by a dream.

Taj made ​​in 1963 graduated from the University of Massachusetts - Amherst and moved to Los Angeles. There he founded in 1966 with Ry Cooder, the group Rising Sons. After Columbia Records had taken the band under contract, a single was released and recorded an album, but which was marketed in 1992 by Columbia. Disappointed with the mixed reactions to his music Taj left the band and started to act alone. His album Taj Mahal 1968 reappeared at Columbia, and sold well. The success led him in the same year yet another LP Natch'l Blues produce. Since the double album Giant Step from 1969 finally is no longer any doubt as to the importance of the Taj Mahal has for the American blues. The song of the same name has at his concert audience cult status today.

In 1979, he appeared at the concert for the tenth anniversary of the Woodstock Festival at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Taj Mahal was twice awarded the Grammy for " Best Contemporary Blues Album " for the first time in 1997 for Señor Blues and 2000 for Shoutin ' in Key. He has repeatedly music to films contributed, including Sounder and Blues Brothers 2000. In the latter, he also acted in person. He had more short film appearances in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, in The Song Catcher in Feel Like Going Home ( Martin Scorsese ) and in Six Days Seven Nights (1998). In 2009 he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.

Since a visit to West Africa in 1979 Taj Mahal is convinced descended from the griot clan of Kouyaté, and settled in the Senegal spontaneously baptized in the name Dadi Kouyate. With a member of this clan, the Ngonispieler Bassekou Kouyaté, he later worked on the plate Kulanjan together ( with Toumani Diabaté also ).

To his forty years on the stage appeared the album Maestro involving, among other things, Ben Harper, Ziggy Marley, Jack Johnson, Angelique Kidjo and Los Lobos are involved as a guest musician in the fall of 2008.

Bands that played Taj Mahal

  • The Taj Mahal Trio

Taj Mahal - vocals, guitar, banjo, keyboards, Kester Smith - drums, Bill Rich - Bass

  • The International Rhythm Band

Taj Mahal - vocals, guitar, keyboards, Kester Smith - drums, Bill Rich - Bass, Rudy Costa, Briant "tea" Parker, Robert Greenidge

  • The Hula Blues Band

Taj Mahal - vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, Pancho Graham - acoustic bass, background vocals, Kester Smith - drums, Pat Crocket - ukulele, background vocals, Michael Barretto - Baritonukulele, backing vocals, Wayne Jacintho - Tenorukulele, background vocals, Fred Lunt - Hawaiian Steel Guitar, Rudy Costa - tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, kalimba, piccolo, clarinet, background vocals

  • The Phantom Blues Band

Style

In music, the Taj Mahal unite different styles: Blues, Reggae, Cajun, gospel, bluegrass, South Pacific, African and Caribbean traditions. He respects the origins of these musical forms, although he adds unmistakable and distinct elements. Taj also controls a number of different musical instruments: guitar, banjo, piano and harmonica.

Discography (selection)

Albums

  • Taj Mahal (1967 )
  • The Natch'l Blues ( 1968)
  • Happy Just to Be Like I Am (1971 )
  • The Real Thing / Live (1972 )
  • Recycling the Blues and Other Related Stuff ( 1972)
  • Oooh So Good 'n' Blues ( 1973)
  • Mo ' Roots ( 1974)
  • Music Fuh Ya ' (Musica para tu) (1977 )
  • Take a Giant Step (1983 )
  • Like Never Before (1991 )
  • Dancing the Blues ( 1994)
  • An Evening of Acoustic Music (1994 )
  • Mumtaz Mahal (1995 ) with VM Bhatt and N. Ravikiran
  • Phantom Blues ( 1996)
  • Señor Blues ( 1997) 1998 Grammy " Best Contemporary Blues Album "
  • Taj Mahal and the Hula Blues ( 1997)
  • Kulanjan (1999) Toumani Diabaté with
  • Shoutin ' in Key (2000) 2001 Grammy " Best Contemporary Blues Album "
  • Hanapepe Dream ( 2001)
  • Live Catch (2004)
  • Music Makers with Taj Mahal ( Music Maker, 2004)
  • Etta Baker with Taj Mahal ( Music Maker, 2004)
  • Mkutano (2005) with Culture Musical Club of Zanzibar
  • Maestro ( 2008)

DVD

  • Taj Mahal and The Phantom Blues Band in St. Lucia

Filmography

  • In The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus in 1968 he made ​​an appearance with Is not That A Lot Of Love
  • In Blues Brothers 2000, he contributes a piece of music, which consists of only his voice and hand clapping ( John The Revelator ).
  • In Six Days, Seven Nights ( 1998) the song The Calypsonians will be played live at a bar.
Arrangement Gospel music Cult (religious practice) Grammy Award Jack Johnson (musician) Angélique Kidjo Cajun music Bluegrass music Music of Africa Integrated Authority File
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