"We wanted to do a real good record together, but we
didn't want to do the record that everyone expected us to do," blues
legend Taj Mahal says of TajMo, his historic collaboration with fellow true
believer Keb' Mo'. "There wasn't a
bunch of cryin' and ringin' hands, we just got together and it came together
pretty naturally. I think it's a pretty
upbeat, celebratory record, and it couldn't have come at a better time."
Indeed, TajMo, set for release on May 5, 2017 via Concord
Records, marks a once-in-a-lifetime convergence of the talents of two unique
American artists who've already built significant individual legacies that have
consistently expanded and extended American blues traditions into astonishing
new territory. The collaboration brings
out the best in both artists, who merge their distinctive voices, personalities
and guitar styles to create vibrant, immediate music that's firmly rooted in tradition
yet ruled by a restless, spirited sense of adventure.
The iconoclastic pair's combustible creative chemistry
powers such unforgettable new originals as "Don't Leave Me Here,"
"All Around The World," "That's Who I Am" and the anthemic
"Soul." TajMo also features guest appearances by Sheila E., Lizz
Wright and Bonnie Raitt, who lends her voice to a memorable cover of John
Mayer's "Waiting On The World To Change"; in addition, Joe Walsh adds
his trademark guitar work to “Shake Me In Your Arms” and an inspired reading of
The Who's classic "Squeeze Box."
"I'm really proud of this record," says Keb',
"and I really owe Taj for hanging in there with me. I feel like this is kind of a legacy project,
and we're both pulling from something way back in time. Taj is a part of the same chain that I've
always been pulling on. He's like a
guide through all that stuff, back through the Deep South and the church and
the Caribbean and all the way back to Africa.
He has some real musical knowledge that goes back to the origins."
Taj Mahal first made his mark in the late 1960s with a
series of visionary country-blues albums that helped to spark a widespread
resurgence of interest in traditional acoustic blues. In the decades since, he has remained a
singular creative force, pursuing his free-spirited muse with a lengthy series
of eclectic recording projects. The
two-time GRAMMY-winner's prestigious body of work encompasses more than 30
albums, which have explored a wide array of roots music from around the world
while remaining firmly rooted in the blues.
Since arriving on the scene in the early 1990s, blues
renaissance man and three-time GRAMMY-winner Keb' Mo' has earned a widespread
reputation for his mastery of multiple blues styles, and his ability to combine
traditional approaches with a contemporary attitude and a timeless storytelling
sensibility. He's released a series of
acclaimed albums, as well as appearing in theatre and film projects, and
collaborating with a wide array of musicians from various genres. Like Taj Mahal, Keb' remains a vocal advocate
for the preservation of the blues, and has been active in charities that
support music education.
Although TajMo marks their first studio collaboration, the
two artists have known each other for decades.
Taj has been a longstanding touchstone for Keb' ever since he saw him
perform at a high-school student assembly, and Taj even played a role in Keb'
winning his first record deal. The two
have occasionally shared stages over the years, but the new album was their
first opportunity to create new music together.
"The making of this record spanned two and a half
years, working in my home studio whenever we could get together between
tours," says Keb'. "And over
that two and a half years, we got to know each other really well. Making this record was a really, really big
deal for me. Taj is a stellar human
being, just a brilliant man, and I learned a lot working with him. It's an honor to have that kind of person in
your life, and there was a lot of trust that developed between us."
"It was a lot of fun," adds Taj. "We'd been thinking about collaborating
for a little while, but once we actually got in there, I was really impressed.
Keb's really good at keeping the ball up in the air. He's a hell of a guitar player, and I'm just
amazed at some of the stuff that he put out there."
With TajMo in the can and their first highly anticipated
collective tour planned, Taj Mahal and Keb' Mo' are excited about the prospect
of getting their new music out into the world.
"It's gonna be big fun," Taj predicts. "I'm planning on being excited every
night and every note. Some people think
that the blues is about being down all the time, but that's not what it
is. It's therapeutic, so you can get up
off that down. You could have 100
consecutive lifetimes, and still only crack the surface of all the music that's
on this planet. It's phenomenal, and
it's all connected to the human experience, which is different for all of us
but the same for everyone."
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