Re: [Harp-L] Taj Mahal's Rig ?

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Like many players, Taj has used different rigs over time.  I saw him on TV in the early 1970's playing through a Shure tape recorder mic, the same model that I later discovered in my father's discarded tape recording gear.  I couldn't get mine to sound as good as Taj's.  

I was and am still a big fan of Taj's harp playing.  I have lost track of how many times I have listened to the double album "Giant Step," and especially to the powerhouse down-home R&B of "Give Your Woman What She Wants," "You Gonna Need somebody On Your Bond" (which I covered as a solo arrangement on my second CD, "The Second Act of Free Being") and "6 Days on the Road". I learned a lot in particular from the way Taj uses octaves, and I love the raw feeling in his playing--when it's amped, it's just so rough and ready.  When he throws down on "Give Your Woman What She Wants," I can hardly keep myself from jumping up and down and throwing my fist in the air.

Taj seemed to stop playing harp on his recordings for a long time, but he's back at it on his recent albums, and he stills sounds great.

Regards, Richard Hunter
latest mp3s and harmonica blog at http://myspace.com/richardhunterharp