NEPA Scene Staff

Blues titans Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ collaborate at Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on Aug. 10

Blues titans Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ collaborate at Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on Aug. 10
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From a press release:

It was announced today that the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre will host a special collaborative concert featuring Grammy Award-winning blues titans Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ on Thursday, Aug. 10 at 8 p.m.

Billed as TajMo: The Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’ Band, this special concert event will feature Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ sharing the stage with one band for an exciting evening of blues music, performing songs from their long-anticipated collaborative album, “TajMo,” coming out May 5 on Concord Records.

Tickets, which are $29, $39, $49, and $69, plus fees, go on sale this Friday, March 17 at 10 a.m. and will be available at the Kirby Center box office (71 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre), online at kirbycenter.org, and by phone at 570-826-1100. A special Kirby Member pre-sale begins Thursday, March 16 at 10 a.m.

While the two have known and influenced each other for decades, and Taj played a key role in Keb’s first record deal, “TajMo” marks the first proper collaboration between Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’.

The forthcoming album was self-produced by the duo and was mixed by Grammy Award-winner Ross Hogarth and mastered by Grammy Award-winner Richard Dodd. The 11-song album includes covers of John Mayer and The Who, as well as six original songs.

“TajMo” brings out the best in both artists, with the pair merging their distinctive voices, personalities, and guitar styles to create vibrant, immediate music that’s firmly rooted in tradition yet ruled by a playful sense of adventure. “Don’t Leave Me Here” is a love letter to the south that sounds like an instant classic, and “Soul” interweaves world music with blues in a way that only Taj could pull off.

Taj Mahal has been recording and performing his unmistakable blend of blues and world music for more than 50 years, winning two Grammy Awards and collaborating with The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, and many more along the way. Meanwhile, Keb’ Mo’, who has often cited Taj as one of his musical heroes, is a three-time Grammy winner who has collaborated with everyone from Bonnie Raitt to Jackson Browne and Buddy Guy.