Taj Mahal serves it up
London Free Press
July 12,2008
By JAMES REANEY
 
Whatever else happens at Bluesfest London this weekend, write this down.

Taj Mahal and Ana Popovic played here last night.

The brilliant Belgrade-born guitarist starred early on the opening night of the fest's 2008 edition in downtown London. Then, the ageless Taj Mahal headlined, making sure the blues gods were satisfied and the fans knew what they were supposed to do.

"They're standing around looking at (the blues). You ain't supposed to stand around . . . you're supposed to move around," urged the big man man topped with a panama-style hat large enough to serve as a tent for mere mortals.

Taj was as good as his advice. He served up an extra-large helping of the blues as his set continued into the night. There was guitar, raw and sweet as Taj needed it, and never with too many notes. When he played a keyboard, it had a tinny sound, just right for some barrelhouse blues.

"This is the first generation of grandmas that wore mini-skirts," Taj the blues observer of everyday life shouted at one point into the feel-good Annie Mae. Young Annie looked "good to go," Taj murmured as he sang. Taj made his first records in the 1960s and won his first Grammys in the 1990s.

His roots music tunes -- Fishin' Blues and Corinna -- arrived in the middle of the set. He also Tajed some old blues, including Mean Old World, Blues with a Feeling and Checkin' on My Baby.

Making tapioca, sleepless nights, stogies, dancers who grind -- they all sounded like beautiful blues material in that gruffly affectionate voice.

The ninth edition of the fest continues today. Last night's crowd was estimated by organizers at 6,000 fans.

Many arrived too late to hear Popovic, which is a shame. Popovic spent her first 22 years in Belgrade, Serbia, before moving to Amsterdam to study jazz and world music. Now 32, she's still based there.

Nobody else is likely to connect the Jimi Hendrix classic House Burning Down with the war-torn Yugoslavia she grew up in. "It's proof that history's repeating" and nothing has been learned, she said. "It's a total anti-war song."

She battled amp and guitar grief. "My string on the guitar just broke down . . . but we are still very happy to be playing for you," she told the cheering crowd before playing on. She finished her set and went off stage to join her two-month-old son, Luuk, and his father.

"Still Making History is about global and cultural histories, as well as our own small, private histories," she has said of her latest CD.

Last night, Popovic was the one making history. Here's hoping she's back soon.

sounds like a great show.

i like him a lot on the dvd  'rock and roll circus'


:funny

Taj is playing at The New West Fest in Fort Collins August 16th and I plan to BE there!!!  Thanks for posting the review!

xxoo,
Martha