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September 2003

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Taj Mahal & The Hula Blues

By John Zavesky
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I t’s been five years since Taj Mahal’s last studio recording and in the case of H a napepe Dream (by Taj Mahal & the Hula Blues, Tone Cool, 2003) it was well worth the wait. Mahal has been a blues and “roots” music mainstay since the mid-1960s when he was performing with Ry Cooder in the legendary band Rising Sons. With a career spanning nearly four decades, Mahal continues to explore new musical forms and is a stalwart guardian of older ones. While Taj Mahal hasn’t had an album on the charts for years, his strength lies in his ability to continue to amaze audiences with his fluid playing and uncanny ability to blend styles like few other musicians can. 

After leaving the Rising Sons in 1966, Mahal went solo. He explored the blues and brought to it a style that has now been taken up by younger players such as Keb Mo. In typical Mahal style he would abandon one form to explore another before things got stale. Taj Mahal is most likely the first major artist to pursue what is now called world music. In the early 1970s Mahal began to broaden his musical horizons, exploring styles such as reggae and calypso long before musicians like Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood made it hip to do so. Having taught himself to play the guitar, banjo, piano, organ, harmonica, bass, and mandolin, Mahal can certainly be classified as a musician’s musician. 

Having left such cities such as Los Angeles and New York for the balmier climate and slower pace in Hawaii, Mahal has assembled a world-class line-up of musicians to back him on Hanapepe Dream . Hanapepe is a small idyllic town on the island of Kauai where couples having difficulty conceiving were once sent to “improve” their efforts. 

Hanape pe Dream opens with “Great Big Boat,” a self-penned happy-go-lucky tune that sets the pace for the entire album. He follows with “Blackjack Davy,” a song Mahal first recorded in 1974 on the album Mo’ Roots . This latest rendition offers a more up-beat rhythm and fuller sound than the original. “Stagger Lee,” long a Mahal staple, is more proof that age has improved on the original. Hula Blues ukulele player, Pat Crocket takes over the lead vocals on “Moonlight Lady,” a lilting Hawaiian song penned by Crockett and covered back in 1974 by the Gabby Pahinui Hawaiian Band on which former Rising Sons member, Ry Cooder, played. “King Edward’s Throne” shifts styles with a sound reminiscent of the eclectic jazz band, Squirrel Nut Zippers. Mahal’s take on “All Along the Watchtower” mixes a bluesy style with band member Rudy Costa’s sax that is a joy to be heard. The album comes full circle with the instrumental and title track “Hanapepe Dream” that conjures up images of watching a sunset on the pristine beaches of Kauai. 

Also included are two CD-ROM live performances that are as good as any cut from the audio portion of the disc. Mahal continues to perform an eclectic brand of music, ranging from reggae to blues and rock, his way. Hanapepe Dream is a welcome relief in an era of manufactured beats and sampled sounds. Mahal delivers and that’s as good as it gets.

John Zavesky is a freelance writer whose articles have appeared in the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union , as well as other periodicals. 
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