Before Taj Mahal took the stage last Thursday, Dan Smalls, executive director of the State Theatre, introduced the legendary blues musician by saying he represents what the Ithaca music scene stands for — honest, true musicianship.

 

With a massive ovation from a generally laid back, sold out crowd, Mahal picked up his acoustic guitar, acknowledged his fans with a “good evenin’ ladies and gentlemen” and went straight into fan favorite “Queen Bee” from his 1997 release “Señor Blues.”

Right from the beginning, Mahal made it clear with his enthusiastic vocals and energetic stage presence that even after 40 years of performing, he wanted to be on stage just as much as his fans wanted to sit back and listen to this legend perform.

Mahal told the crowd before  the 1968 fan favorite “Fishin’ Blues” that, “All this time you been watchin’ me, but I been watchin’ you. And you look good.”

At this point in the show, Mahal had the crowd hooked, and he moved with each explosive note that resonated from his acoustic guitar to the back of the theater.

After opening the show with four songs on acoustic guitar, Mahal switched to keyboard for a song called “Blues With a Feeling,” which he dedicated to all the ladies with “critical mass in the backfield.”

Throughout the night, Mahal circulated through four instruments — acoustic guitar, keyboard, electric guitar and banjo. Bill Rich on bass and Kester Smith on drums took care of the rest of the sound.

While Rich and Smith held their own on stage, including an especially funky bass solo from Rich during “Uh Huh Blues,” the show belonged to Mahal. He used a free hand to orchestrate the crowd in a slow, drawn out chorus of “Uh huh” while playing guitar.

Mahal’s ability to play to a crowd further extends the appeal of his stage presence. While the crowd was there to listen to Mahal’s original blend of southern blues, he wanted to hear the crowd sing along, encouraging the audience to sing the choruses and clap when the songs called for it.

With the ability to make his instruments sing as powerfully as his voice, Mahal used his extensive repertoire of songs to transform the State Theatre into a smoky jazz club or a down south blues jamboree on a February night with a temperature dipping below 20 degrees.

Other highlights of the performance included “The New Hula Blues,” a Hawaiian tune that found Mahal alone on stage. After “The New Hula Blues,” Mahal further proved his musicianship with an extensive solo instrumental tune that had the crowd swinging to his talent for finger-picking on acoustic guitar.

After 15 songs that touched on all aspects of Mahal’s career, the trio exited stage right but left the sell-out crowd cheering for more. The group eagerly obliged, ending the show with an encore that echoed the show’s opening, with Mahal on acoustic guitar performing one of their most recognizable songs, “Lovin’ in My Baby’s Eyes.”

Throughout the concert, Mahal made it clear that though he was 65 years old and had been performing for nearly 45 of those years, he could still move a crowd that included children, college students and people who could recall when Mahal first broke into the blues scene in the 1960s.   

Mahal left the stage for good, and nearly 2,000 people exited onto State Street after a memorable evening of good music and personable entertainment.