Taj Mahal Trio

In his white trilby hat, matching pressed trousers, and irresistible aura of smoothness, Taj Mahal remains an icon of talent and style decades after he began his career in the music industry. The Taj Mahal Trio graced the glittering and intimate venue at Yoshi’s Jazz Club in Oakland, California after the release of his latest album, Maestro, a work that has been nominated for a 2009 Grammy in the category of Contemporary Blues.

While there’s no doubt that Taj sings the blues (and sings the blues magnificently), saying that would be an oversimplification of the magic that he works. Like many of the great musical revolutionaries, he combines various styles and draws from many tastes, including the blues, soul, reggae, rock, folk, and jazz. By calling upon a plethora of influences, he is able to create a sound that is as enchanting as it is unmistakable.

Some musicians are doomed to a variety of success that is confined to the world of recording, while others are gifted with the ability to crank out consistently good albums and enrapture whatever crowd happens to surround them during a performance. Taj Mahal is undoubtedly the latter. With an overwhelming amount of natural charisma, a voice like thick honey, and moves that could woe even the most frigid of women, Taj manages to stir the entire audience into frenzy without even breaking a sweat.

Backed by high hat-driven percussions and funky bass lines, Taj’s skillful guitar leads and powerful vocals are well-complimented and provide the perfect backdrop to shine against. The sporadic movement with which he shakes his head from side to side is a clear indication that the man is channeling far more soul through his veins than is possible for a human being to contain. The occasional lunges and thrusts forward of his hips (and accompanying shouts from the audience’s females) illustrate that he hasn’t lost a fraction of his game, even forty years after his original debut.

Taj had a little bit of something for everyone and included classics like “Take a Giant Step” and “Going Up to the Country, Paint My Mailbox Blue.” However, he was also sure to indulge the audience in newer hits like “Lovin’ in My Baby’s Eyes,” which melted the hearts and weakened the knees of every listener. He also went to town with the crowd-pleaser “Big Butt Blues,” which he dedicated to all those sexy grandmas out there that were among the first to don miniskirts and tight pants.

As one of the greats of the 20th century, Taj Mahal still manages to entice the crowd with an uncanny magnetism, staggering technical ability, breathtaking personal style, and a faint and glimmering hope at the prospect of being so amazingly sexy at the age of 66.