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Kyle Meredith caught up with the legendary Taj Mahal to discuss his Grammy-winning live album Swingin’ Live at the Church in Tulsa and the deep-rooted history that fuels his music. With over a dozen Grammy nominations and four wins, Mahal remains a force of nature, but he’s not one to take it for granted. “This is a gift from my ancestors,” he says, tracing his musical lineage back centuries to the Songhai Empire of West Africa. Listen above or wherever you get your podcasts.
Mahal’s signature style — deeply informed by blues, jazz, folk, and world music — stems from a lifetime of self-taught exploration, starting with a childhood discovery of his stepfather’s abandoned guitar. “I figured out how to play with an old comb,” he recalls. He later met a neighbor from North Carolina who introduced him to Jimmy Reed and Blind Blake, and the story of a future blues legend began to grow.
The new live album captures that same spirit, recorded at Tulsa’s historic Church Studio, originally founded by Leon Russell. The setlist includes classics like “Queen Bee” and a fiery jam on “Mean Old World,” proving his music is as vibrant as ever.
Listen to Taj Mahal discuss Swingin’ Live at the Church in Tulsa and more above, or watch the interview below. Keep up on all the latest episodes by following Kyle Meredith With… on your favorite podcast platform; plus, check out all the series on the Consequence Podcast Network.
Mahal was one of the artists to grace the cover of Consequence’s 2024 Festival of the Year profile on the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals. Read “Festivals of the Year Newport Folk and Jazz Celebrated a 70-Year Legacy of Culture and Community” for more.
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