Reefer Man Taj

10/22/07
. (PR) Ropeadope has set its sights on one of the world's most famous neighborhoods with the latest release in their "city experiment" series. The Harlem House Band, Grammy Award-winning producer Aaron Levinson and special guests offer up a stunning audio montage of music that has shaped the world. 'The Harlem Experiment" CD and Vinyl Due Out October 30th

One of the album's many standout tracks is "Reefer Man," a sly ode to a local toker featuring the Harlem-born, two-time Grammy-winning blues man Taj Mahal. "Reefer Man" was originally recorded in 1932 by big band leader Cab Calloway, famous for "Minnie The Moocher" and his stints at the legendary Harlem venue the Cotton Club. His band, which included Dizzy Gillespie, Ben Webster and Milt Hinton, eventually shared house band duties with the big band led by Duke Ellington.

"Reefer Man" is a fun, jazzy ditty (see lyrics below) featuring the gravelly vocals of Taj Mahal, the Latin swagger of the Harlem House Band and Don Byron on clarinet. Byron is a New York jazz staple who has recorded with the Grammy-winning Klezmatics, Vernon Reid and Suzanne Vega and was named "Artist of the Year" by Down Beat magazine in 1992.

Watch a great video of Cab and his "Harlemaniacs" performing their version of the tune - here

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