Credits:

Taj Mahal

Description:

Taj Mahal has released many kinds of albums in his six-decade career: folk, jump, country, blues of all stripes, sounds from Africa and the Caribbean, R&B, soul, collaborations with musicians from across the globe, and even childrens records. Savoy moves in another direction still. Recorded in collaboration with producer, pianist, and longtime friend John Simon, this set offers blues-kissed reads of 14 tunes from the Great American Songbook. The album title is an homage to the iconic Harlem ballroom at 596 Lenox Ave. Mahals parents met there in 1938 seeing Ella Fitzgerald front the Chick Webb Orchestra. Simon and Mahal had discussed the project for decades, but August 2022 was when the planets aligned. They cut the set live with a core band and guests. Mahals band includes guitarist Danny Caron, bassist Ruth Davies, Simon on piano, drummer Leon Joyce, Jr., and a vocal chorus with Carla Holbrook, Leesa Humphrey, and Charlotte McKinnon. Interestingly, Caron and Davies served in Charles Browns band, and Joyce drummed with Ramsey Lewis for many years. "Stompin at the Savoy" starts with spoken word; Mahal delivers a reenactment of his parents meeting. As he commences singing and scatting the lyrics, backing singers underscore with oohs, aahs, and call-and-response. "Im Just a Lucky So-and-So" is one of three Duke Ellington numbers here. The languid horn section plays a blues progression with added warmth and grace from Kristen Stroms swinging flute. The arrangement of George Gershwins "Summertime" is delivered allegretto, with blue, finger-popping swing from lush horns. "Mood Indigo" benefits from co-producer Manny Moreiras accumulated years of big band and Broadway experience. His layered brass colorations add dimension. "Do Nothin Till You Hear from Me" offers languid, late-night horns (except in the bridge when they deliberately evoke gospel), and Simons tasteful comping adds drama. The fluid blues guitar break from Caron has elegance and bite. "Sweet Georgia Brown" is meaty and sprightly as Mahals grainy singing and scatting contrasts beautifully with Evan Prices "Parisian hot jazz" violin. Maria Muldaur -- one of the great interpreters of vintage blues, jazz, R&B, and country -- joins Mahal on the fun, sultry "Baby Its Cold Outside," with excellent violin, trombone, and piano solos. "Caldonia," Louis Jordans striding jump boogie, offers pumping piano, swinging guitar, and smoking sax and trombone solos behind Mahals good-time vocal. His harmonica joins Stroms tenor sax to elevate in Benny Golsons dynamic "Killer Joe," before "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)" closes the set. Mahal references several classic versions and arrangements in shifting tempos, but he ultimately only sounds like himself. Savoy embodies the abundant joy of its predecessor, Get On Board: The Songs of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, but the album offers added nuance, color, dynamics, and musical sophistication. It seemingly accomplishes the impossible by taking these (overly) familiar standards and breathing new life into them while simultaneously honoring their legacies as well as that of the historic Harlem ballroom. ~ Thom Jurek

Tracklisting:

1.Stompin' at the Savoy
2.I'm Just a Lucky So-And-So
3.Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You
4.Summertime
5.Mood Indigo
6.Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby
7.Do Nothin Till You Hear From Me
8.Sweet Georgia Brown
9.Baby, It's Cold Outside
10.Lady Be GoodLady Be Good
11.
12.Caldonia
13.Killer Joe
14.One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)