LONDON (Reuters) – Maybe it’s the panama hat. Or the diamond earring. Or perhaps it is the eight-stringed ukulele on which he does constant little runs. Taj Mahal looks every bit the part of the U.S. music legend he is.

Chatting over a beer the day before a recent concert at the Africa Utopia Festival at London’s Southbank Centre, the Grammy award-winning bluesman is also remarkably laid back. He has no idea what he is going to play.