SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: TAJ MAHAL – SAVOY

Taj Mahal
Savoy
Stony Plain Records

If there ever was a musical archivist (or a few of them) that actually was able to transfer his knowledge into music, then Taj Mahal is certainly one of those. Like Ry Cooder, his buddy from their early (and later) musical days, Taj Mahal researched, studied, and transferred into a personal musical vision so many musical styles and genres, but always with the vision and the idea of their connection to roots, blues and other folk-connected musical forms.

This time around, on his latest release titled Savoy, Taj Mahal delves into the connections between the earlier jazz forms and blues, and as is usually (or almost always) the case with his albums, they are thoroughly researched, prepared, and presented, but with one key element and ingredient that many such detailed attempts lack: the personal and particularly emotional involvement on the part of the artist.

And with such knowledge and personal touch the only thing you can get is some exceptional music, even with songs you probably heard so many times like “Summer Time” or actually most of the 14 tracks here.

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