Testing Taj Mahal's Music Knowledge
5/20/202622 min
This week on the Track Star Podcast, we're joined by blues legend Taj Mahal. He spent over six decades expanding what the blues can be, weaving in Caribbean rhythms, folk, soul, and world music along the way. We got to discuss the artists and traditions that shaped both his career and the genre itself. This playlist spans from Elvis Presley to Harry Belafonte to Miriam Makeba, and Taj Mahal has a story for every single one. He traces where this music comes from and connects the dots across Delta blues, jazz, Caribbean folk, South African rhythms, and Saharan guitar. He shares how he discovered his favorite song growing up listening to his neighbor play John Lee Hooker on the porch, his deep love of bassists like Charles Mingus and Oscar Pettiford, the trip he took just to hear Ry Cooder play the 12-string guitar. We also talk about some of the standards he introduced and the most meaningful projects he worked on. This Episode’s Track List: 00:00 - Intro 00:23 - Mystery Train - Elvis Presley 00:40 - That's All Right - Elvis Presley 1:44 - Boogie Chillen - John Lee Hooker 3:15 - Better Git It in Your Soul - Charles Mingus 4:33 - Day-O (Banana Boat Song) - Harry Belafonte 5:25 - Blind Willie McTell - Statesboro Blues 10:44 - Boomer's Story - Ry Cooder 13:36 - Matilda - King Radio 15:35 - Freight Train - Elizabeth Cotten 16:50 - Mbube - Miriam Makeba 17:13 - Mbube - Solomon Linda 18:02 - The Boy in the Bubble - Paul Simon 19:21 - Tamiditine - Bombino
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJack Coyne· Host0:00
Before we start with the music, just introduce yourself.
Taj Mahal· Guest0:02
Hi, my name is M. Tajique Quartey, mostly known as Taj Mahal.
Jack Coyne· Host0:06
Welcome to the show.
Taj Mahal· Guest0:07
Thank you.
Jack Coyne· Host0:08
I'm gonna play you some songs.
Taj Mahal· Guest0:10
Okay.
Jack Coyne· Host0:10
And we'll just talk about them.
Taj Mahal· Guest0:11
Okay.
Jack Coyne· Host0:12
I'm curious to hear what these songs, if they mean anything to you- Okay ... uh, and what they make you think about.
Taj Mahal· Guest0:17
Can you turn off this wind?
Jack Coyne· Host0:18
Unfortunately, no.
Taj Mahal· Guest0:21
Okay.
Jack Coyne· Host0:21
[laughs] Not today.
Speaker 3· Soundbite0:22
Train I ride.
Taj Mahal· Guest0:26
Oh, that's Elvis Presley.
Jack Coyne· Host0:28
[laughs] What's that song?
Taj Mahal· Guest0:29
Mystery Train.
Jack Coyne· Host0:30
Yes, it is. What about that song? What do you know about that song?
Taj Mahal· Guest0:33
Probably the second song that Elvis, uh, put out there. You know, he, he did, uh, That's All Right Mama first.
Speaker 3· Soundbite0:41
Well, that's all right, mama. That's all right for you.
Taj Mahal· Guest0:45
The tune is a, um, Arthur Big Boy Crudup song.
Jack Coyne· Host0:48
Uh-huh.
Taj Mahal· Guest0:48
And then Mystery Train. I think that's the, that's the, uh, sequence that it came down in.
Jack Coyne· Host0:54
What do you think of, of Elvis?
Taj Mahal· Guest0:56
I think he was a door opener.
Jack Coyne· Host0:58
Yeah. How so? Tell me more.
Taj Mahal· Guest0:59
Well, me and Richie Havens talked about this. Richie said a lot of people, when I, we grew up, because of the, the limited amount of information you ever had- Yeah ... about artists, you know, a lot of people saw ar- certain artists at a time when it was clearly thievery and appropriation, and they didn't realize that what Elvis was gonna do was actually open the door for everybody else to come in.
Jack Coyne· Host1:27
Yeah.
Taj Mahal· Guest1:27
And that's what he did. You know,