10 minutes with ... Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal is a groundbreaking , world-renowned blues virtuoso . The multi-instrumentalist and songwriter ’ s music incorporates a wide range of creative traditions . After spending a significant portion of his childhood in nearby Springfield , the three-time GRAMMY ® winner went on to achieve worldwide fame through decades of outstanding musical releases and stellar live performances . Taj returns to Massachusetts to perform on the third day of the FreshGrass Festival ( Friday – Sunday , September 23 – 25 ) at MASS MoCA in North Adams . FreshGrass features a diverse lineup that represents the best in grassroots music . This year ’ s artists include Gary Clark Jr ., Old Crow Medicine Show , Tanya Tucker , Trampled by Turtles , Skip Marley , Yola , Aoife O ’ Donovan , Sierra Ferrell , Alison
Brown , and many others . We had the opportunity to speak with Taj during a stop on his recent live performance tour . Taj is the Official Blues Artist of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts , and his early musical experiences in the state significantly influenced his artistic trajectory . He shared stories from the years that he spent in the region , his thoughts on music festivals such as FreshGrass , his perspective on the current state of Blues and Grassroots music , and some wise words about the importance of artistic authenticity .
COURTESY TAJ MAHAL
You spent a good deal of time in nearby Springfield when you were growing up . Were there any experiences in Springfield or in the Berkshires that shaped your artistic development ? Growing up in Springfield , there was a wide variety of different types of people and cultures , and the culture was also very musical . It was a hotbed of creativity and education . People had the feeling of being able to accomplish their goals and dreams ! The culture of music was very audible and visible , with tremendous families of musicians and Gospel , Jazz , Bebop , Doo-Wop , Pop , and Jump Blues music . Classical training on any instrument was readily available , and there were many piano teachers and mentors who were happy to share their knowledge . My mother was a gospel singer from South Carolina . She was also an elementary school teacher who held both bachelor ’ s and master ’ s degrees in early childhood education . My father was a classically trained jazz pianist whose parents were from St . Kitts and Nevis . I came into the world listening to Dizzy Gillespie , who was born in the same town in South Carolina where my mother was born . I heard lots of early jazz : Ellington , Basie , Coleman Hawkins , Louis Jordan , Nat King Cole , and Ella Fitzgerald . After my father tragically passed away , my mother ended up remarrying my stepfather , who was Jamaican . He wanted to be a guitar player , so he went out and bought a guitar and put it in the closet in the back of the house . One day , I was playing a game of hide-and-go-seek , and I discovered his guitar in the closet . I took the guitar out of the case , closed the door to the stairs behind me , and started playing it . I heard the door open , and my stepfather found me there , and he let me keep playing it . When the springtime came around , I talked over the fence with another boy who told me he played guitar . His name was Linwood Perry , and he ended up showing me the rudiments of Blues . Two other people from the neighborhood were also important sources of guitar inspiration for me : Ernest Nichols from Stovall , Mississippi , and Garland
Fall 2022 BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE // 9