DURANGO, Colo. – Tickets are selling well, but good seats do remain for blues legend Taj Mahal, coming to the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College Aug. 14 with The Taj Mahal Trio.
For 40 years, Taj Mahal has been playing his own distinctive brand of music, layering Caribbean, Hawaiian, African, Latin and Cuban sounds and rhythms with folk, jazz, zydeco, gospel, rock, pop, soul and R&B – all on top of a solid country blues foundation. A self-taught musician, Mahal plays more than 20 instruments, including the National Steel and Dobro guitars. His remarkable voice ranges from gruff and gravelly to smooth and sultry.
Mahal received the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album for 1997's Señor Blues and again for 2000's Shoutin' in Key, both recorded with The Phantom Blues Band. He has garnered nine Grammy nominations in all.
Though beginning his career performing with larger ensembles, Majal turned to smaller group performances, and off and on for more than 30 years been touring with The Taj Mahal Trio – Mahal (guitar, piano and banjo), Bill Rich (bass) and Kester Smith (drums). Together, they draw on a long, shared history of Taj Mahal’s music.
"The Trio allows the music between voice and guitar to happen with the smallest amount of accompaniment - bass and drums," writes Mahal on his web site. "That leaves a lot of space to be filled. The guitar is not submerged but right up front in the music. It's a challenging place to play.”
The Durango show is set near the eve of Taj Mahal’s Sept. 30 release of his first recording in five years – Maestro – which commemorates the 40th anniversary of his rich and diverse recording career. Much more than just a tribute to past glories, Maestro promises to capture the same level of intensity and depth that has characterized all of Mahal’s recordings since his self-titled debut album in 1968. Undoubtedly the Aug. 14 show will feature songs and/or arrangements from the new CD.
Tickets for Taj Majal Trio - $40 for Balcony and Orchestra and $50 for Plaza – are available on the web at www.durangoconcerts.com or by calling 970.247.7657. Or visit the Ticketing Services Offices in Downtown Durango at 7th and Main Ave. All sales final.
Showtime is 8 p.m., with doors to the Concert Hall and concessions, serving beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages and snacks, opening at 7 p.m.
The Community Concert Hall is located in the growing arts complex of Fort Lewis College. It operates through a partnership with the college, a state-supported, independent institution of higher education, as well as the city of Durango, and with financial and in-kind contributions from generous members of the community.
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