Live & Direct (Taj Mahal album)

Live & Direct
Live album by Taj Mahal
Released	1979
Recorded	10 May 1979, Crystal Clear Studios
Genre	Blues
Label	Crystal Clear Records
Producer	Taj Mahal, Ed Wodenjak
Taj Mahal chronology
Evolution (The Most Recent) (1977) Live & Direct (1979) Going Home (1980)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[2]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings	[3]

Live & Direct is an album by American blues artist Taj Mahal and the International Rhythm Band. ^[1]

Critical reception

Rolling Stone wrote that "the African-inspired songs here are slight, the Brazilian excursion sounds tired, and the funk and R&B numbers are simply not credible." ^[4]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Taj Mahal; except where indicated

1. "Jorge Ben" (Jorge Ben, Taj Mahal)
2. "Reggae Number 1"
3. "You're Gonna Need Somebody" (Buffy Sainte-Marie)
4. "Little Brown Dog" (Traditional)
5. "Take a Giant Step" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King)
6. "L-O-V-E, Love"
7. "And Who" (Robert Greenidge, Rudy Costa, Taj Mahal)
8. "Suva Serenade"
9. "Airplay" ^[1]

Personnel

• Taj Mahal - electric guitar, piano, lead vocals

The International Rhythm Band

• Rudy Costa - alto and soprano saxophone, flute, pan pipe, kalimba
• Robert Greenidge - steel drums
• Bill Rich - bass
• Jumma Santos - congas, timbales, assorted percussion
• Kester Smith - drums
• Ella Jamerson, Geri Johnson, Bianca Oden, Verlin Sandles, Ola Marie Tyler, Carey Williams - backing vocals ^[5]

References

1. Tim Sheridan (1974-10-15). "Live & Direct - Taj Mahal | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 2016-07-28.
2. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 26.
3. Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings . Penguin. p. 623. ISBN   978-0-140-51384-4.
4. "Taj Mahal: Live & Direct : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". 17 June 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-06-17. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
5. "photograph of back cover". Discogs . Retrieved 26 March 2025.