Despite the lower than expected turnout, and possibly the inappropriate venue in terms of intimacy, he turned on the predictable style as part of his latest outfit, The Taj Mahal Trio.
 | | Taj Mahal (photo: Elly Roberts) |
Formed three years ago with long-time cohort, bassist Bill Rich and relative newcomer, sticksman Kester Smith, they rate as a formidable threesome. Rock solid in the rhythm section, they laid the foundation for Taj (or as his mother knew him, Henry St Claire Fredericks) to layer deft touches on picks and riffs. Like many of his great predecessors and contemporaries, he has the ultimate ‘touch factor’ from the school of BB King, Paul Kossoff, Peter Green, Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton. Never OTT, his guitar style is well into the economy class, but with fantastic effect. On the night, there wasn’t a hit song in sight, but a huge reputation for influencing a generation of aspiring young black bluesmen such as 'musical son' Eric Bibb.
 | | Taj Mahal (photo: Elly Roberts) |
Without the aid of a setlist (Jazz and Blues players rarely have one), it was often difficult to identify songs, compounded by a lack of clarity on the microphone early on. Speaking less than Eric Clapton on a good night, he regularly mumbled to himself. On the keys, he sang a delightful Little Bit Heaven, bobbing his head more than David Gray ever does. His possible signature tune, the country fuelled Fishin’ Blues was a defining moment. Creating images of Caribbean stylings, which he dabbled with in the early 70s, When I Feel The Sea Beneath My Soul took his eclecticism to a higher level. Other delights included the hilariously simplistic Ah Ha Ah Ha Blues, which contained no further lyrics. Clapton is nicknamed ‘Slow Hand’, Mahal therefore must be ‘Slow, Slow, Slow Hand.’ |
