LUCK FAMILY RECORD CLUB
Howdy……
Many years ago, a group of friends came together with a vision for a new kind of live music experience. We wanted to honor the cross-section culture that has long motivated creative tradition; to preserve traditions in music. We wanted to give fans like us, the people who do the legwork to find damn good artists, the chance to discover something special in an incredible setting.
Today the Luck Reunion is known for bringing together legendary artists and up-and-coming acts. It's become a sought-after opportunity to experience music in the rawest of forms: as the musicians want it heard.
As much as we love it live, we also love to take it in at home. There's nothing like listening to the story as an artist wants to tell it.
The Luck Family Record Club is our way of bringing you in to our listening and curation process. We've spent years in each other's offices, studios, and homes listening to vinyl; turning records; and falling in love with artist after artist. Welcome to the club.
With your subscription, expect to receive a beautiful vinyl record that the Luck Family thinks is a must in your collection. We can’t wait to listen with you.
APRIL FEATURE…
The Taj mahal swingin’ sextet,
“live at the church in tulsa”
Our deep love for music tradition fuels what we do and how we listen; so seeing the legendary Taj Mahal bring his iconic brand of cross-cultural soul to our Revival Tent Stage at Reunion this year was a turning point moment for us.
We are happy to introduce his recent project, The Taj Mahal Swingin’ Sextet “Live at The Church in Tulsa”, as our April Record Club Selection. It’s a spirited revue of some of our favorites, and a perfect Spring listen.
We can’t wait for this to land in your mailbox.
“Some of us were gifted by our ancestors to be in a long line of musicians,” says Taj Mahal. “It’s in your DNA. Others are lucky to find it and put in the dedication that it takes to be able to get there. So that’s my life as an 81-year-old—still playing music, still enjoying it, still getting to do the things I want to do.”
With his latest release, Swingin’ Live at the Church in Tulsa, Taj adds to his legendary legacy with an extraordinary set recorded at the Tulsa studio best known as the home base of the late, great Leon Russell. The ten songs reach across multiple genres that he has explored in his incomparable career, and feature his long-time quartet—bassist Bill Rich, drummer Kester Smith, and guitarist/Hawaiian lap steel player Bobby Ingano—augmented by dobro player Rob Ickes and guitarist and vocalist Trey Hensley.
“It was a great opportunity to capture this particular sextet, and also pay tribute to Leon and all that he did, and my friendship with him, at one of the premier studios on planet Earth,” says Taj. “Certain bands have a certain sound, so I was glad that I was able to not only play live, but have it be in the Church where we mix this stuff, too—when I saw that was what the possibility was, I was thrilled. It’s a great venue and it feels wonderful to be involved in it.”
In a career spanning seven decades and almost 50 albums, Taj Mahal has not only helped popularize and reshape the scope of the blues, but he has also personified the concept of “World Music” since years before the phrase even existed. From a base of traditional country blues, Taj has explored and incorporated reggae, Latin, R&B, Cajun, Caribbean, gospel, West African, jazz, calypso, Hawaiian slack-key, and countless other musical styles into his astonishing body of work.
Along the way, he has become proficient on about 20 different instruments and collaborated with a vast range of musicians including the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Etta James, Angelique Kidjo, Ziggy Marley, and masters from such countries as India and Mali. For his work, Taj has won four Grammy Awards (out of fifteen nominations), been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, and was a recipient of the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
“People don't pay me for the music,” says Taj Mahal. “They pay me for what it takes me to get there. I would gladly play music for free if I could be heard, but I found I can make a living at it. And then I can come to a place like the Church, and it's all the great things at one time.”
Track Listing:
Betty And Dupree
Mailbox Blues
Queen Bee
Lovin' In My Baby's Eyes
Waiting For My Papa To Come Home
Slow Drag
Sitting On Top Of The World
Twilight In Hawaii
Corrina
Mean Old World