Photo courtesy of Jay Blakesberg
©Jay Blakesberg
Who says the blues is dead?
It is a rarity in the music world to see two giants of any genre join forces to not only record an album together but also to set out on the road and play live to audiences. This weekend Columbus experiences one of those rare occurrences as CAPA proudly presents the dynamic blues collaboration of TajMo: The Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’ Band, live from the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts.
Keb’ Mo’ first was introduced to Taj Mahal after seeing him play two concerts at Mo’s high school in Compton, Calif. From there, the pair fatefully met again at the beginning of Mo’s career in the early 1990s, where Mahal would be hugely instrumental getting Mo’ his first record deal.
The two blues legends are no strangers to success in the world of music and each are recipients of a number of Grammy Awards. Their latest album, TajMo, is sure to receive nominations for the 2018 Grammy Awards as well.
Taking more than 2½ years to record, the album features a surplus of cameos from Joe Walsh, Eagles; Sheila E, longtime drummer for Prince; Lizz Wright; and Bonnie Raitt, who lends her voice to a cover of John Mayer’s 2006 standout, Waiting on the World to Change. Though only 11 tracks in length, the collaborative effort between these two blues musicians showcases their unique voices and personalities heard throughout their individual efforts.
TajMo features members from both Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’s bands as well as Mahal’s daughters as backup singers. Doors are set to open at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $36-$66 and are available at the CAPA Ticket Center (39 E. State St.) as well as all Ticketmaster outlets and on www.ticketmaster.com.
To purchase tickets by phone, please call (614) 469-0939 or (800) 745-3000.
Rocky Falleti is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
