Taj Mahal To Play Solo Run Of Bluesfest Sideshows In 2016

Legendary blues pioneer Taj Mahal may be getting a bit long in the tooth, but he's still got energy to burn, with the venerated composer/multi-instrumentalist today announcing a run of solo Bluesfest sideshows to run rings around his younger peers.

Taj Mahal will perform four headline shows as part of his southern sojourn for Bluesfest next year, kicking off in the hallowed halls of the Melbourne Recital Centre on Wednesday 30 March and encompassing shows in Newcastle (Lizotte's, 31 March), Sydney (Factory Theatre, 1 April) and Perth (Astor Theatre, 3 April, with Ruby Boots).

The shows mark Taj Mahal's first solo performances in Australia for more than 20 years, and — with the kind of career that has seen him collaborate and/or perform with everyone from Ry Cooder, Otis Redding, Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy to Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Blind Boys Of Alabama and The Roots, to name just a handful — it's safe to say that he'll be going to great lengths to make sure they're an occasion to remember.

Tickets for the Newcastle and Perth shows go on sale from 10am AEDT this Thursday, 26 November (Newcastle via venue; Perth via Moshtix); Sydney from 11am AEDT on Thursday (via Bluesfest Touring); and Melbourne as of this morning, via Melbourne Recital Centre.

For more information about Bluesfest, see our event page under the Festivals tab. For further details about Taj Mahal's solo sideshows, see theGuide or check The Music App.

See the full list of Byron Bay Bluesfest sideshows here.