02:00 Demonstration – “Sitting on Top of the World”(solo guitar) 06:44 Demonstration – “Blue Light Boogie” (solo piano w/audience participation) 12:53 Parents were musicians. Music at home influenced Taj to produce several children’s albums recently. Music accompanied all aspects of family life, helps you know your roots. “It’s important to find out what kind of roots you got going for you, or if you can’t figure them out, find some good ones and go with that!” Father was a jazz arranger with vast record collection. Mother from south, father from West Indies gave him “wide angle lens on the world,” music connecting everyone. Grew up in Springfield,MA which had a diverse mix of ethnic groups, especially southern blacks. 17:44 Demonstration. Started singing working songs, wanted to play and sing indigenous music, go back to the raw players and oral tradition. Stay away from “corporate” music. 21:20 Involved in Cambridge, MA folk music scene. Mentions “You’re Gonna Need Somebody on your Bond” which came from growing up next to a church where people got “the holy ghost” and had to be carried out and given smelling salts. Folk music became popular and he cared about preserving that tradition. Miner says he was the only person doing this kind of music with reverence and a contemporary sound 24:55 Asks about “Mule Bone” on Broadway; Taj wrote and arranged the music for a 1930 Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes play. Also did sound track for “Sounder,” flimed in Louisiana. Keeps busy doing different musical projects. 27:50 Demonstration - Vocal “Wild Ox Moan” by Vera Hall on a Library of Congress recording. Taj recorded this in 1969, one of the great songs in American music. 30:10 Demonstration – Plays new version of Giant Step off new album 33:30 Plays variety of instruments and genres, been to 12 African nations on State Department tours; workshops, sharing, communication. Studied 13th century Malian music, still being played today. 35:40 Demonstration 37:00 Played on gourd instruments like the kora. Audience questions: about sounds your parents hated and he demonstrates. Q and A. Parting words: play quality music and get your kids into the music. Ends with a story about how to get kids into music; get a bunch of instruments, tune them up and put them under the bed and tell your kids not to touch them!
