"Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: Taj Mahal" (09/09/2003) Blues Mahal, Taj, Columbia/LegacyPersonnel includes: Taj Mahal (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, slide guitar, National steel guitar, banjo, dobro, mandolin, harmonica, flute, fife, penny whistle, kazoo); Jesse Ed Davis (acoustic & electric guitars, piano, organ); Ry Cooder (guitar, mandolin); Al Kooper (piano); Gary Gilmore (bass); Chuck Blackwell (drums). Producers: David Rubinson, John Porter, Taj Mahal, Paul Grupp. Compilation producer: Jeff Magid. Recorded between 1967 & 1997. Includes liner notes by Martin Scorsese and David Ritz. Adapter: Taj Mahal. Personnel: Taj Mahal (vocals, whistling, guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar, steel guitar, dobro, banjo, mandolin, flute, fife, pennywhistle, harmonica, kazoo); Ray Fitzpatrick (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Yvonne Fimbres, Mona Ram, Rashaida Nirobe, Inshirah Mahal, Joni Haastrup, Carole Fredericks (vocals); Jesse Ed Davis (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, organ); Hoshal Wright (guitar, electric guitar); David Coleman, Johnny Lee Schell (guitar); Howard Johnson (baritone saxophone, tuba); Bob Stewart (flugelhorn, tuba); Earl McIntyre (trombone, bass trombone, tuba); Joseph Daley (trombone, tuba); Jon Cleary (piano, Wurlitzer organ); Al Kooper (piano); Larry McDonald (keyboards, percussion); Tony Braunagel (drums, tambourine, percussion); Earl Palmer , Sanford Konikoff (drums); Kwasi Dzidzornu (congas, bells); Andy Narell (steel drum); Rocky Dzidzornu, Bismark Franco, Kester Smith (percussion); Rudy Costa (wind); Terrence Forsythe, Sir Harry Bowens, Donna Taylor (background vocals). Liner Note Authors: David Ritz; Martin Scorsese. Recording information: 1968-197?. Photographers: Guy Webster; Hank Parker; David Gahr; Bob Cato; Urve Kuusik; Don Peterson; Ken Settle. Unknown Contributor Role: Mississippi John Hurt. Arranger: Taj Mahal. When the Ken Burns' documentary series Jazz premiered on PBS in 2001, a series of artist compilations were released using the series as a brand name, and they sold quite well. So, with Martin Scorsese overseeing a series of films for PBS with the overall name The Blues in 2003, much the same sort of campaign was launched, and this 15-track compilation of Taj Mahal's work from the late '60s to the mid-'70s was part of it. There's nothing wrong with the material, drawn largely from albums such as Taj Mahal, The Natch'l Blues, and Giant Steps/De Ole Folks at Home. But it had only been three years since Columbia/Legacy released the 17-track The Best of Taj Mahal, which shares many of the same tracks, and that album was still in print when this one was released. If viewers, inspired by watching television, were inspired to buy a Taj Mahal album and picked this one up because of the tie-in, they would get a good selection of the highlights of his early work. But as an addition to his existing catalog, this release was essentially redundant. ~ William Ruhlmann