Mahaiwe, Great Barrington, MA
November 3, 2013
by Eric Sutter
A beacoup of blues entertained a lively audience at the
Mahaiwe. Fredericks Brown opened with a contemporary soul-blues set. Vocalist
Deva Mahal, the daughter of Taj Mahal, proved to be a powerful blues tinged
soul singer with "Can't Pretend." Their musical blend included Bonnie
Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me." Keyboardist Stephanie Brown added
a nice touch as Mahal performed the passionate soul hand-clapper
"Everybody Deserves To Be Free." Watch for their rise!
International artist Vusi Mahlasela from South Africa
stressed the need for Ubuntu (kindness) in "A Prayer For Our Time."
During "Say Africa," he urged the audience to sing along as he danced
for the joy of his homeland. Next, was a dedication of "My Song Of
Love" to the women of South Africa, sounding especially beautiful through
its many tones and pitches, in both Zula and English languages.
Taj Mahal Trio performed a blues happy set. Mahal spoke of
the world gone crazy with everyday "Uh Oh" news. The trio lit up with
"I Used To Be Down, But I Ain't Down Anymore." The master
multi-instrumentalist played many guitars. "Fishin' Blues" sounded
clean on acoustic guitar. Mahal's bluesy rasp worked to great effect on his
classic songs.
Mahal carries the torch for roots music. On ukelele, the
star played the traditional jug band song "Wild About My Lovin'"
that danced friskily. His banjo
jubilee was pure magic. Mahlasela joined in for a world-music acoustic guitar
duet "Zanzibar" with a haunted vocal blend. Mahal swept away the
audience with the low rumble of his resonator guitar as he dueted sweetly with
his daughter on "Lovin' In My Baby's Eyes." Guest keyboardist John
Savitt became the swingin' part of the encore, "Ain't Gwine Whistle Dixie
No More". The avalanche of sound prompted an audience soul-clap. In the
aftermath, every player joined in the bustin' loose thrill of "Everybody
Is Somebody."
