There have been a series of interesting and exciting double-header concerts this summer. The idea of two reputable acts on the same stage is promising, but there are common issues to which this format can fall prey, the most frequent being that one artist outshines the other. However, this was no issue at the recent John Hiatt and Taj Mahal co-headliner at Red Butte Garden Ampitheatre. Not only did both musicians perform exceptional sets, Hiatt and Mahal each brought new meaning to the antiquated genres they represent — country and blues, respectively.
Taj Mahal may be 72, but he seems to have the same energy he did when he released his eponymous debut album in 1967. Since then he has been constantly releasing new material that has redefined what blues is. His interest in world music led him to implement instruments and rhythms from the South Pacific to Africa. This fusion of bare bones blues and ethnic music create a sound that is uniquely Mahal’s. Due to the diversity of Mahal’s music, he has been able to continually garner interest with each new release, receiving the Grammy award for Best Contemporary Blues Album three times within the last 20 years. Through innovation and energized live performances, Taj Mahal has managed to keep the blues thriving.
His newest backing band, the Taj Mahal Trio, strips away the horns and exotic percussion often used in Mahal’s music. This three-man formation of elderly blues crusaders deliver straight-forward interpretations of Taj’s songs. This simple lineup harkens back to Mahal’s early days, and if it weren’t for the growl in his aged voice their renditions of such relics as “Good Morning Miss Brown” and “I Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Steal My Jelly Roll” sound very true to the versions from forty years ago. Not as melodic or distinctive as they used to be, Taj’s gruff vocals still lend well to the raunchy blues that made up most of the show. With the absence of the horn and percussion sections, the trio touched on only a few of Mahal’s more expansive, world music-influenced tunes. Their down-to-earth interpretations of the reggae-infused “Queen Bee” and the Motown flavor of “Corrina” were solid, with bassist Bill Rich’s tasteful fills and Mahal’s adept finger picking adding extra layers of interest to the sparse arrangement.
To compensate for the lack of accompaniment, Taj utilized his multi-instrumentalism. One song found his fingers scaling the neck of a banjo, another playing smooth funk on the piano and another strumming a few island tunes on the five-string ukulele. But Mahal’s strength has always been in guitar, and at this show he spent a good deal of the time picking out his distinct slow-handed solos over blues standards. As the trio’s set progressed, the solos got more and more intense. The energy exhibited by Mahal seeped into the crowd as more people shed their social inhibitions and got up to enjoy the music with dance. Taj Mahal and his band were obviously pleased that their music had brought people to their feet, and they finished out the set of raucous blues with smiles on their faces.
At this point, I was concerned for John Hiatt. Though a well-respected singer and songwriter, Hiatt isn’t known for thriving in live settings like Mahal is. Throughout his long and successful career, John Hiatt’s music has largely been made famous by other people in the form of covers. Artists as diverse as Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris and Iggy Pop have made hits out of songs penned by Hiatt. Hiatt’s versions of his own songs have often paled in comparison to those of the more well-known musicians. But my fears were soon quelled as Hiatt took to the stage. Backed by four young musicians from his chosen hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, Hiatt provided the clean and professional southern-tinged sound often referred to as the “Nashville Sound.” Hiatt assembled this group, dubbed the Combo, for his recent 2014 release “Terms of My Surrender,” but they also cover material spanning John’s 22-album back catalog.
With his talented backing band, Hiatt gave solid performances of his old hits (“Have A Little Faith In Me,” “Memphis In The Meantime,” “Feels Like Rain”) as well as songs from his new album (“Old People,” “Terms Of My Surrender”). Despite the large range of material they tackled, the band nailed each tune. Thanks in particular to the lead guitar work by Doug Lancio, Hiatt and the Combo showed they could hold their own against the onslaught of greats that have covered Hiatt’s work.
The most impressive showcase of the group’s abilities was on Hiatt’s bluesy romp “Riding With The King,” which the band finished off the night with. This song has the distinction of being covered by two giants of the blues world: B.B. King and Eric Clapton. For Hiatt to put his group up against this legendary duo was certainly an act of courage, and his bravery was rewarded. Hiatt’s impassioned vocal delivery and Lancio’s soulful solos, backed by the Combo’s tight rhythm section, made this performance every bit as good as the one done by the “King” himself.
The laid-back, simplistic approach of Mahal’s trio and the meticulous accuracy of Hiatt and his crew made a nice contrast between the two groups. By juxtaposing two similar yet diverse types of music, this double-header managed to stay entertaining from beginning to end. Though both musicians are well over the hill in terms of age, the music they make is timeless, and both of them are still able to put on an enthralling and pleasurable show.
@ChronyArts