Depending on the source, Savoy is being described as Taj Mahal’s first jazz album or just another approach to the blues, for which he is widely known. In any case, as he says on the jacket, this is all classic material, familiar songs “you would have heard at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem during its song run between 1926 and 1958.” Taj, who was born in Harlem in 1942, sings and plays harmonica, backed by a four-piece core band, three or four horns, and three background vocalists on each track, so it has the feel of a large ensemble replicating the big band swing era throughout. Taj teamed with his longtime friend and producer John Simon, whose resume boasts production of albums by The Band, Leonard Cohen, Gordon Lightfoot, and Blood Sweat & Tears. This project has been discussed between the two for decades. While Simon played piano on Taj’s landmark The Real Thing (1972) album as part of an adventurous band that included four tuba players, he had not produced an album for Taj until now.
The album was recorded live in August 2022 in Oakland, CA. The core backing unit includes Danny Caron – guitar; Ruth Davies – bass; John Simon – piano; and Leon Joyce, Jr. – drums; with background vocals by Carla Holbrook, Leesa Humphrey, and Charlotte McKinnon. Caron and Davies were longtime members of Charles Brown’s band and Leon Joyce Jr. was a member of the Ramsey Lewis Trio for nine years.
These fourteen songs, all but one (Benny Golson’s “Killer Joe”) part of the Savoy Ballroom’s storied history, aptly begin with “Stompin’ at the Savoy” with Taj surprisingly doing some Satchmo-like scatting. In the introduction to the track, he talks about his parents meeting for the first time at the venue during the initial run of Ella Fitzgerald with the Chick Webb Band in 1938. “I’m Just a Lucky So and So” is one of three Duke Ellington tunes, buoyed by Kristen Strom’s flute. Simon’s piano Erik Jekabson’s trumpet solos are featured in “Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good To You,” which Taj and the ensemble render in the style of the Nat King Cole Trio circa 1943. Simon’s arrangement of Gershwin’s “Summertime” borrows a bit from Gil Evans’ collaborations with Miles Davis.
Taj’s half spoken, half sung vocals with his trademark phrasing and scatting are on fine display in the two Louis Jordan jump blues tunes – “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby” and “Caledonia,” the latter long associated with B.B. King. A highlight track is the sultry, let’s get cute duet with Maria Muldaur on “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” Co-producer Manny Moreira has extensive big band and Broadway show experience which colors the arrangement for Ellington’s “Mood Indigo” which features trombonist Mike Rinta using a plunger. Ellington’s “Do Nothin’ Til’ You Hear From Me” features a bluesy Caron guitar solo that’s spot on while “Sweet Georgia Brown” is imbued by Joyce Jr.’s drumming and Evan Price’s violin, not to mention Taj’s scatting.
The Gershwin Brothers’ “Lady Be Good” features a tenor battle between Lincoln Adler and Charles McNeal while trumpeter Jekabson breathes fire into “Baby Won’t You Please Come Home.” Taj brings out his harp again and joins with tenorist Kristen Strom to lift Golson’s “Killer Joe.” The Harold Arlen/Johnny Mercer “One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)” closes with Taj referencing Ray Charles, Count Basie, and Frank Sinatra versions as he moves through it, changing the tempo to his liking.
Taj has a one-of-a-kind personality. and the arrangements are solid in what potentially could be a great album. However, although the background vocalists are not on every track, their presence on enough of them mars the album. For whatever reason, they just don’t match the vibe and are incompatible with Taj’s vocals. His phrasing and Simon’s arrangements are the real pluses.
