On The Groove

Some words of wisdom from bluesman Taj Mahal from an article in the October issue of Guitar Player magazine.

"...There's really only one groove," says Mahal, "And that's the groove that makes you dance. And I'm not just talking about the latest hip-snap, but the stuff that really has legs underneath it--unlike the music of many mainstream artists today--doesn't completely remove you from the thought process. I'm not saying you can't 'bling bling.' Bling all you want, but while you're doing it, why don't you bling something deeper into your music? Why don't you bling with the Africans, the Brazilians, the Cubans, and the Turks? Take the time to dip the ladle back into the primordial soup and put some hair on that animal."

And more on the groove...

"A good groove should be a release from all the crazy stuff that's coming at you all the time. It should be a place that is far away from all those things you can't do anything about."

Amen.