For Immediate Release Contact: Leah Ammon, (408) 961‐5814 March 5, 2012 [email protected]
Taj Mahal & the Trio to Reign at Montalvo on April 13 King of blues and roots music brings his band to perform two shows at the Montalvo Carriage House Theatre
“Roving intelligence and refreshing humor” “A singer and scholar who makes simply The Village Voice wonderful music….Taj Mahal overflows with personality.” The New York Times
SARATOGA, Calif.– Two‐time Grammy‐winning vocalist/composer/instrumentalist Taj Mahal is considered by many to be one of the reigning kings of late 20th‐century blues and roots music. He will rule the stage at Montalvo Arts Center Carriage House Theater on Friday, April 13, performing two back‐to‐back concerts at 6:30pm and 9pm, accompanied by his Trio. Tickets to both shows are going quickly, but may be reserved either through the Montalvo Box Office or Ticketmaster.com. With this performance, Montalvo is pleased to reaffirm its commitment to showcasing some of the most accomplished and revered musical artists performing today.
Mahal’s distinguished career spans nearly five decades, and is still going strong. He has invigorated and innovated American blues by incorporating inspiration from the musical traditions of such places as west Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, and the Hawaiian islands. What guides him in all his musical explorations is a boundless curiosity and adventurous spirit. “I didn't want to
– MORE – fall into the trap of complacency,” he has said of his approach. “I wanted to keep pushing the musical ideas I had [and] I wanted to explore the connections between different kinds of music.”
Born Henry Saint Clair Fredericks, Jr. in Harlem on May 17, 1942, Taj Mahal was raised in Springfield, Massachusetts. His earliest musical influences were his parents—his father was a West Indian jazz pianist and arranger for the likes of Benny Goodman; his mother was a gospel singer and schoolteacher from South Carolina—and the musical set of friends his parents cultivated. In the 1950s, Springfield had a vibrant community of emigrants from all over the world. The Fredericks household was a microcosm of this abundant diversity, and this sparked Mahal’s imagination. "We spoke several dialects in my house—Southern, Caribbean, African—and we heard dialects from eastern and western Europe," he recalls. Further firing his creativity, he was introduced to international music by listening to his father’s shortwave radio, tuning in broadcasts from all over the world.
When still a small boy, his parents insisted he study the piano. As he grew into a teenager, Taj picked up the clarinet, trombone, harmonica, and guitar and he discovered he loved to sing. While working towards an agricultural degree at the University of Massachusetts during the early 1960s, Mahal was first exposed to acoustic pre‐war blues, and absorbed himself in the research of the roots of black folk music. Inspired by dreams he had about Mahatma Gandhi and social equality, it was at this time that he adopted the alias “Taj Mahal” and founded the first of many bands, the Elektras.
After receiving his B.A., Mahal moved to Santa Monica, where his musical career took off. In 1964, he cofounded one of the first interracial bands of the period, Rising Sons, and signed with Columbia Records. The Rising Sons recorded only one album before breaking up, but Mahal went on to have a 10‐year solo career with Columbia. This served to introduce him to a number of other important blues musicians represented by that label—including Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Muddy Waters— and prominent rock‐and‐roll performers such as Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan, and The Rolling Stones, with whom Mahal collaborated and accompanied in concert and on several albums. Mahal was also active in the politically oriented folk rock scene of the period, and shared the stage with singer‐songwriters including Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez.
Page 2 of 3 In 1981, Mahal took a break from the recording industry. He moved to Kauai, Hawaii, where he founded and performed with The Hula Blues Band, and explored the rich heritage of island music. His 1987 album Taj brought him back to the mainland, and his career has been going strong ever since. To date, his work has been included on more than 50 albums, both as a solo artist and contributor and he received such honors as having been invited to perform twice at the White House for President Bill Clinton; been named a VH‐1 artist of the month, received two Grammy awards; and given three honorary Ph.D.s from various American universities.
Even after nearly half a century in the musical world, Mahal says, “in many ways my music is just getting started."
TAJ MAHAL AND THE TRIO What: Total of two performances to be performed by legendary blues artist Taj Mahal and The Trio. When: Friday, April 13, at 6:30 and 9pm Where: Carriage House Theater at the Montalvo Arts Center Admission: General: $50/$45 | Members: $45/$40. Tickets available through the Montalvo Box Office, Monday‐Friday, 10am–4 pm at (408) 961‐5858 and on Ticketmaster.com
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About Montalvo Arts Center Montalvo Arts Center is an oasis of culture and nature whose mission is to create and present arts of all types, nurture artists, and use our historic Villa, buildings, and grounds in innovative ways that engage people in the creative process. Located in Silicon Valley's Saratoga hills, Montalvo Arts Center occupies a Mediterranean‐style villa on 175 stunning acres, including an international artist residency program. Senator James Phelan left the historic villa and grounds to the people of California for the encouragement of art, music, literature and architecture. In January 2005, the organization changed its name from “Montalvo” to “Montalvo Arts Center” to commemorate its 75th year as an arts center and to better communicate its mission to expanding local, national and international audiences. Montalvo celebrates its centennial in 2012. For more information about Montalvo Arts Center, call (408) 961‐5800 or visit http://www.montalvoarts.org/.
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