Taj Mahal has played and been an advocate of traditional blues for the past four decades, plus.
"People think of it as low-class music, but tell that to Mick Jagger," he has said.
What was once thought of as "low-class" has been embraced by the younger generations as perfectly respectable. Along with tattoos, blues music is now considered art.
That's why it would behoove the younger among us to attend a Taj Mahal concert, like the one this Saturday at Harrah's Tahoe.
He brings a wealth of experience to his performances, having played with just about everyone – Bonnie Raitt, Ziggy Marley, Ben Harper (whom he helped master the guitar as a teenager), and Jack Johnson, among others.
Taj Mahal (the name came to him in a dream, he has said; he was born Henry St. Claire Fredericks) has not reached the legendary status of, say, a B.B. King, but he has never been one to stay stuck in a genre.
He's always been open to innovation – and critical of the music industry for not being as receptive of new ideas. He once likened its approach to pre-chewed food.
Always a celebrant of global music, Taj Mahal has recorded that of India ("Mumtaj Mahal" in 1995), Hawaii ("Sacred Island" in 2006 and "Hanapepe Dream" in 2003), and Africa ("Kulanian" in 1999).
He's a two-time Grammy winner ("Senor Blues" in 1997 and "Soulin' in Key" in 2000).
However, for the best introduction to the music he always insists be "danceable," there is no better album than 2008's "Maestro: Celebrating 40 Years" which includes many of the artists with which he's worked (7:30 p.m. Saturday at the South Shore Room of Harrah's Lake Tahoe, 15 Hwy. 50, Stateline, Nev.; $40; (800) 427-7247 or SouthShoreRoom.com.
Around the Silver Circle
Many developments in the Reno hotel-casino scene hold promise to help renew area energy, including the just-approved construction of the world's tallest climbing wall, to be built at the site of the former Fitzgerald's Casino and Hotel on Virginia Street.
It's to soar to 197 feet and be open by June. Plans are also afoot to convert the now-closed Fitzgerald's to a boutique non-gaming hotel.
Also, the Grand Sierra (opened as the MGM Grand, then Bally's, then the Reno Hilton) has new owners once again, this time the Meruelo Group. The resort has 2,000 rooms, 200,000 square feet of meeting space, around 100,000 square feet of gaming, an RV park, 11 restaurants including three Charlie Palmer eateries, two nightclubs, a 2,000- capacity showroom, two movie theaters, a 50-lane bowling alley and a golf driving range.
The property may be upgraded with a water park and a return of the once-popular outdoor amphitheater for summer concerts.
The Siena Hotel Spa Casino in downtown Reno just held a job fair to prepare for its reopening April 21 after an extensive renovation to include three restaurants, four lounges, a wine bar, the spa and a 20,000-square-foot casino.
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