Etta James and Taj Mahal - The Earthquake Relief Concert 1989 (2023)

Etta James was sixty-one at the time of this gig and after nearly a decade in the wilderness had just released a well-regarded come-back LP, Seven Year Itch. What she delivers in Oakland is raunchy R&B, power blues, a hits medley and a killer jazz finale. This is one of the 20th Century’s great voices in fine form. Like Etta James, in the late 80s Taj Mahal was making a comeback after a decade of self-imposed exile. His talent and eclecticism had been well established with a string of great albums in the 1970s combining blues, folk and Caribbean music. Here he starts with boogie piano before inviting virtuoso vocalist Bobby McFerrin to join him for three numbers. McFerrin's Don't Worry Be Happy had just hit the charts and he was on his way to international stardom. Equinox features two incredible performances on this double billed release, from the Earthquake Relief Benefit, Oakland, CA on 26th November 1989, broadcast by KQED-TV.

Tracklist
01. Etta James - Love and Happiness (Live)
02. Etta James - Breaking Up Somebody's Home (Live)
03. Etta James - I'd Rather Go Blind (Live)
04. Etta James - Come to Mama (Live)
05. Etta James - At Last / Trust In Me (Live)
06. Etta James - A Sunday Kind of Love (Live)
07. Taj Mahal - Big Legged Mamas Are Back in Style (Live)
08. Taj Mahal - Diving Duck Blues (Live)
09. Taj Mahal - Fishin' Blues (Live)
10. Taj Mahal - Light Rain (Live)
11. Taj Mahal - Sweet Home Chicago (Live)
12. Taj Mahal - Blue Light Boogie (Live)