Maestro (Taj Mahal album)
2008 studio album by Taj Mahal
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Maestro is a studio album by American musician Taj Mahal. It was released on September 30, 2008, via Heads Up International. Recording sessions took place at Ultratone, Capitol Studios and Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, Sonikwire Studios in Irvine, The Shed in New Orleans, and Fat Tuesday Recording Studio in Honolulu. Production was handled by Taj Mahal himself, the Phantom Blues Band, Warren Haynes and Ben Harper. It features guest appearances from the Phantom Blues Band, with whom he had recorded the Grammy-nominated albums Señor Blues and Shoutin' in Key, Los Lobos, New Orleans Social Club, Angélique Kidjo, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Ziggy Marley and the Hula Blues Band. Other contributors include Toumani Diabaté, with whom he had recorded the album Kulanjan, and his daughter, singer-songwriter Deva Mahal, with whom he had recorded several children's albums in the past.
ReleasedSeptember 30, 2008
Studios
- Ultratone Studios (Los Angeles, CA)
- Sonikwire Studios (Irvine, CA)
- Capitol Studios (Los Angeles, CA)
- Westlake Recording Studios (Los Angeles, CA)
- The Shed (New Orleans, LA)
- Fat Tuesday Recording Studio (Honolulu, HI)
GenreBlues
LabelHeads Up
| Maestro | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 30, 2008 | |||
| Studios |
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| Genre | Blues | |||
| Label | Heads Up | |||
| Producers |
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| Taj Mahal chronology | ||||
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| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 64/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[3] |
| PopMatters | 6/10[4] |
| The Guardian | [5] |
It received a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album nomination at the 2009 51st Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to Dr. John and the Lower 911's City That Care Forgot.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Scratch My Back" | James Moore |
| 4:20 |
| 2. | "Never Let You Go" | Taj Mahal | 4:43 | |
| 3. | "Dust Me Down" | Ben Harper | Ben Harper | 3:28 |
| 4. | "Further on Down the Road" |
|
| 4:47 |
| 5. | "Black Man, Brown Man" | Fredericks | Taj Mahal | 3:52 |
| 6. | "Zanzibar" |
| Taj Mahal | 5:52 |
| 7. | "TV Mama" | Lou Willie Turner | Taj Mahal | 3:43 |
| 8. | "I Can Make You Happy" | Fredericks | Warren Haynes | 4:59 |
| 9. | "Slow Drag" | Fredericks |
| 6:33 |
| 10. | "Hello Josephine" | Warren Haynes | 4:48 | |
| 11. | "Strong Man Holler" | Fredericks | Taj Mahal | 5:49 |
| 12. | "Diddy Wah Diddy" |
| 4:36 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Mambo No. 5 (7-11)" | Pérez Prado | |
| 14. | "On a Little Bamboo Bridge" |
|
Personnel
- Henry St. Claire "Taj Mahal" Fredericks – vocals (tracks: 1–12, 14), ukulele (track 2), harmonica (tracks: 3, 4, 7, 8, 12), guitar (tracks: 3, 6, 8, 10, 11), banjo (tracks: 4, 5, 9), Epiphone Emperor guitar (track 13), National steelbodied guitar (track 14), producer (tracks: 1, 2, 4–7, 9, 11–13)
- Deva Mahal – backing vocals (track 2)
- Ben Harper – vocals & producer (track 3)
- C.C. White – backing vocals (track 3)
- Pebbles Phillips – backing vocals (track 3)
- Jack Johnson – vocals (track 4)
- David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley – vocals (track 5)
- Tracy Hazzard – backing vocals (track 5)
- Angélique Kidjo – vocals (track 6)
- Johnny Lee Schell – guitar (tracks: 1, 4, 9, 12, 13), engineering (tracks: 1, 4, 6, 9, 11–13)
- Cesar Rosas – guitar (tracks: 2, 7)
- David Hidalgo – guitar (tracks: 2, 7)
- Louis Pérez Jr. – jarana (tracks: 2, 7)
- Jason Mozersky – guitar (track 3)
- Takeshi Akimoto – guitar (track 5)
- Leo Nocentelli – guitar (tracks: 8, 10)
- Pancho Graham – slack-key guitar & acoustic bass (track 14)
- Carlos Andrade – slack-key guitar (track 14)
- Fred Lunt – Hawaiian steel guitar (track 14)
- Mike Finnigan – keyboards (tracks: 1, 4, 9, 12, 13)
- Steve Berlin – organ (track 2), baritone and tenor saxophone (track 7)
- Jason Yates – keyboards (track 3)
- Michael Hyde – keyboards (track 5)
- Henry Butler – piano (tracks: 8, 10)
- Ivan Neville – Hammond B3 organ (tracks: 8, 10)
- Mick Weaver – Hammond B3 organ (track 11)
- Larry Fulcher – bass (tracks: 1, 4, 9, 12, 13)
- Conrad Lozano – bass (tracks: 2, 7)
- Jesse Ingalls – bass (track 3)
- Paul "Pablo" Stennett – bass (track 5)
- Bill Rich – bass (tracks: 6, 11)
- George Porter Jr. – bass (tracks: 8, 10)
- Tony Braunagel – drums (tracks: 1, 4, 9, 12, 13)
- Cougar Estrada – drums (track 2)
- Michael Jerome – drums & percussion (track 3)
- Carlton "Santa" Davis – drums (track 5)
- Angel Roche – percussion (track 5)
- Kester Smith – drums (tracks: 6, 11, 14), percussion (track 6)
- Debra Dobkin – percussion (track 6)
- Raymond Weber – drums (tracks: 8, 10)
- Joe Sublett – tenor saxophone (tracks: 1, 4, 9, 13), baritone saxophone (tracks: 12, 13)
- Rudy Costa – alto saxophone (track 5), clarinet (track 14)
- Darrell Leonard – trumpet (tracks: 1, 4, 9, 13), trombonium (tracks: 4, 12, 13)
- Angela Wellman – trombone (track 2)
- Toumani Diabaté – kora (track 6)
- Bassekou Kouyate – ngoni (track 6)
- Billy Branch – harmonica (track 11)
- Patrick Cockett – ukulele (track 14)
- Warren Haynes – producer (tracks: 8, 10)
- Jean Hebrail – vocal producer (track 6)
- Joe McGrath – engineering (tracks: 1, 4, 9, 12, 13), mixing
- Mark Johnson – engineering (tracks: 2, 7)
- Danny Kalb – engineering & recording (track 3)
- Robert Carranza – vocal recording (track 4)
- Marc Moreau – engineering (track 5)
- Gordie Johnson – engineering (tracks: 8, 10)
- Ron Pendragon – engineering & recording (track 14)
- George Horn – mastering
- Jay Blakesberg – photography
- Michael Crook – photography
- Baron Wolman – photography
Charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Jazz & Blues Albums (Official Charts)[6] | 29 |
| US Top Blues Albums (Billboard)[7] | 2 |