Standin' At The Crossroads : Taj Mahal - The Real Thing (Live At The Fillmore East 71)

Σάββατο 5 Ιανουαρίου 2008

Taj Mahal - The Real Thing (Live At The Fillmore East 71)

The Real Thing is a 1971 live album by Taj Mahal. It was recorded on February 13, 1971 at the Fillmore East in New York City and features Taj Mahal backed by a band that includes four tuba players.Taj’s first recording with Howard Johnson’s Tuba Band.

LP Columbia 30619 CBS G 30619
See Biography For Henry Saint Clair Fredericks (Taj Mahal)
Producer :David Robinson (original recording), Bob Irwin (CD reissue)

Review AMG
by Lindsay Planer
Taj Mahal followed up Giant Step/De Ole Folks at Home (1969) with another double-disc concert platter whose title pretty much sums up the contents. The Real Thing (1971) is drawn from a mid-February run of shows at the Fillmore East in New York City where he, Spencer Davis, the Chambers Brothers, and Roberta Flack, among others, shared the bill.

Mahal (vocals/banjo/guitar/harmonica/arranger/fife/harp/steel guitar/ harmonica) is supported by an interesting extended aggregate with a brass section consisting of Joseph Daley (tuba/horn/trombone), Bob Stewart (horn), and a pair of former Charles Mingus bandmembers, Earl McIntyre (horn) and Howard Johnson (horn). While at times they tend to overpower the usually intimate nature of the performances, that is certainly not the case for the majority of the arrangements. The opener, "Fishin' Blues," is a solo with Mahal accompanying himself on banjo. "Ain't Gwine to Whistle Dixie (Any Mo')" is significantly lengthened from the form found on Giant Step (1968) as it stretches nearly nine minutes and allows plenty of room for interaction, offering up a spirited fife interlude from Mahal. In addition to providing an overview from his back catalog, The Real Thing contains a few new compositions. The full ensemble gets a workout on the funky "Sweet Mama Janisse" and the toe-tappin' rural flavor of the instrumental "Tom and Sally Drake" is lightly augmented by a sole tuba — presumably that of Johnson. Sleepy John Estes' "Diving Duck Blues" arguably submits the most successful incorporation of brass, sporting a driving, full-throttle rhythm and soulful interpretation. The 2000 CD reissue was extended to fit the entire live set, adding the previously unavailable "She Caught the Katy and Left Me a Mule to Ride," matching the intensity of the sizeable bluesy, closing jam "You Ain't No Street Walker Mama, Honey But I Do Love They Way You Strut."

Tracks

1 Fishin' Blues 2:57

2 Ain't Gwine to Whistle Dixie (Any Mo') 9:11

3 Sweet Mama Janisse 3:32

4 Going up to the Country, Paint My Mailbox Blue 3:24

5 Big Kneed Gal 5:34

6 You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond 6:13

7 Tom and Sally Drake 3:39

8 Diving Duck Blues 8:45

9 John, Ain't It Hard 9:45

10 She Caught the Katy (And Left Me a Mule to Ride) 10:45

11 You Ain't No Street Walker Mama, Honey But I Do Love They Way You ... 11:45

Taj Mahal – Vocals, blues harp, chromatic harmonica, National steel-bodied guitar, five-string guitar, fife
Howard Johnson – Tuba (BB♭, F), baritone saxophone, brass arrangements
Bob Stewart – Tuba (CC), flugelhorn, trumpet
Joseph Daley – Tuba (BB♭), valve trombone
Earle McIntyre – Tuba (E♭), bass trombone
Bill Rich – Electric bass
John Simon – piano, electric piano
John Hall – Electric guitar
Greg Thomas – Drums
Kwasi "Rocky" DziDzournu – Congas

http://www.tajblues.com/