New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, and the Americana Music Association Foundation have announced Taj Mahal will serve as the 2022–23 NYU Americana Artist-in-Residence. The three-time Grammy-winning blues musician will present, curate, and moderate a series of lectures, workshops, discussions, performances, and classroom visits throughout the 2022–23 academic year.
“Taj is a towering musical figure—a legend who transcended the blues, not by leaving them behind, but by revealing to the world their magnificent scope,” said Jed Hilly, Executive Director of the Americana Music Association Foundation. “A brilliant artist with a musicologist’s mind, he has pursued and elevated the roots of beloved sounds with boundless devotion and skill.”
Mahal’s residency will start on October 18th with a presentation titled 71 Generations: The Griot and Pan-African Tradition about the Griot, who have maintained a tradition of oral history in parts of West Africa for generations.
“I’m honored to take on this role,” Mahal said. “It’s an incredible opportunity to work with the diverse NYU student body and to explore and spread the word about the music and sounds from all over the world that’s at the heart of so much of what I do and who I am.”
Dean of NYU Steinhardt Jack H. Knott also expressed excitement about the residency, saying, “We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with the Americana Foundation. We can think of no artist more worthy of this honor than Taj Mahal and we eagerly anticipate his work throughout our Department of Music & Performing Arts Professions and, specifically, in our Songwriting Program.”
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