TAJ MAHAL SIGNS WITH TONE-COOL, REVISITS HAWAIIAN TEMPOS WITH HANAPEPE DREAM, DUE OUT JUNE 10

All-Acoustic String Band Sound Features Taj's Signature Slack-Key Blend of the Blues and Pacific-Caribbean-Island Music

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 24, 2003

TAJ MAHAL SIGNS WITH TONE-COOL, REVISITS HAWAIIAN TEMPOS
WITH HANAPEPE DREAM, DUE OUT JUNE 10
All-Acoustic String Band Sound Features Taj's Signature Slack-Key
Blend of the Blues and Pacific-Caribbean-Island music

WELLESLEY HILLS, Mass. -- Based in Hawaii from 1981 until 1996, Taj Mahal returns to the island sounds of Kaua`i for the American release of Hanapepe Dream, his second CD with the Hula Blues. Hanapepe Dream, the Grammy® Award-winning artists debut joint venture between Tone-Cool Records and his own Kan-Du Records, will be released on June 10, 2003.

The follow up to 1998's acclaimed Sacred Island, Hanapepe Dreams 11 tracks feature Tajs all-acoustic string band sound along with his signature slack-key blend of the blues and Pacific-Caribbean-island music.

Album highlights include an extended Hula Blues version of "Blackjack Davey," a song from Taj's 1974 reggae-infused Mo Roots album, and the signature Taj Mahal sound of "Stagger Lee," "All Along the Watchtower," and Mississippi John Hurt's "My Creole Belle."

The American release of Hanapepe Dream will offer bonus video footage including live performances of "The Calypsonians" and "The New Hula Blues." Following Dream's release, the very first Taj Mahal and the Hula Blues U.S. tour will follow with three weeks of shows during summer, kicking off June 20 in Chicago.

Commenting on his custom blend of styles, Taj has said, "My perspective is cultural and world-based. It's always been a global perspective. Even in the early days when nobody knew me, they'd go, 'Well, that album is perfect, but what was that calypso song doing on there? What does that got to do with it?' I think that the way music is played [in America], it's terribly narrow cast. I relate to these various traditions that I feel are connected through family, extended family, and influenced by influence."

As part of "The Year of the Blues," Taj Mahal will be seen in Martin Scorseses film From Mali to Mississippi, which will launch the seven-film series entitled The Blues. This project carries the viewer to the root of the blues in African music, and its journey across the Atlantic to the Mississippi Delta. Performers will include African greats Ali Farka Toure and Salif Keita, and American legends Taj Mahal and Othar Turner.

Over the years, Taj Mahal has generated much respect from the media. Rolling Stone
wrote, "Taj Mahal's remarkable voice ranges from gruff and gravelly to smooth and his
music remains a well-seasoned gumbo, spiced with influences that originate in the Caribbean, West Africa, the southern states, and the inner-cities of America. Taj Mahal has been a tireless street preacher of American roots music."

BBC Radio said of him, "Taj Mahal is one of the most visionary and cutting-edge musicians of his generation."

And finally, Stereophile wrote, "Taj Mahal's genius is in seeing the unlikely connections between disparate genres, and on "My Creole Belle" he seamlessly adapts Mississippi Hurt's country blues to a ukulele arrangement. The beautiful melody has a swaying, antique character in this ingenious setting."

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For more information on Taj Mahal, please contact The Baker/Northrop Media Group:
Cary Baker (818) 986-5200 x 222 cary@bakernorthrop.com
Monica DAscanio    (818) 986-5200 x 223 monica@bakernorthrop.com

For the latest word on Taj Mahal, or to order the album, visit
http://www.tonecool.com
http://www.tajblues.com
http://www.bakernorthrop.com