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Any Jorma Fans?

himm37

himm37

Well-Known Member
Or if you don't know Jorma, You don't know Jack!

All right, I read the sticky "calling All Aker's" while listening to one of my all time favorite's newer (2002) album "Blue Country Heart", a tribute to early country music, and figured I'd start this thread. I know there are many fans of his here, and even those who don't know who I'm talking about have heard his music! I've seen him live many times over the course of almost 30 years, he just seems to play better with age. There are links to a couple of great articles on his site, I love the way this one starts:

"He played on White Rabbit, that celebrated late 1960s LSD anthem. But instead of falling prematurely into his coffin or hobbling off the public stage as a drug-damage case, Jorma Kaukonen is a picture of sober professionalism at the age of 66......"

Link: http://www.jormakaukonen.com/Main.php?page=news
 
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Jorma gets so little recognition to be one of the best guitarists ever. I love the Airplane stuff and the Hot Tuna stuff. I don't know of other efforts. My favorite Jorma cut is The Jefferson Airplane at Woodstock playing Uncle Sam Blues. Jorma is wearing a swastika neclace at a peace gathering. I always get a chuckle out of seeing that. The most important thing is the awesome power of the band, especially the magic between he and Jack Cassidy. Phenominal!!

He has some kind of guitar school that people can attend I believe. Imagine getting to jam with Jorma and Jack!!!
 
I love Jorma. We got to see him live last year, and it was one of the best concerts I've ever heard. :thmbsp:
 
I hear him on Prairie Home Companion every now and then, he still sounds great. I have a few old Hot Tuna albums that I dig out every now and then.
 
He lives in the same county as I do. He shows up and plays at a yearly BBQ-Jam session at a friends house each summer.

Indeed he is a great guitarist who through the years has not gotten the recognition deserved. Kind of like Martin Barre.
 
I have seen Jorma and Jack many times, the best time being a double show at the Bayou in Georgetown in the late 80s'. I also attended 150 Grateful Dead shows but that show at the Bayou was one of the most psychedelic experiences ever. They had this screen behind the stage and up in the balcony of the Bayou it looks like they had raided a 1965 high school AV club. They had three or four 16 mil projectors each of which was projecting different stuff on a screen split into thirds. Like Gone with the Wind, Star Trek and Bonanza on three screens. Then they would turn that off and had a bunch of slide projectors projecting all kinds of weird slides. Like medical drawings and schematics and drawings of flowers snakes and stuff and they would change them really fast and they looked like they were morphing. Then they had opaque projectors with trays of multiclored oil that made these wild blobs and shapes. It is hard to describe here but it was incredible.

I also love the album Blue Country Heart.
 
Jorma. I was a Hot Tuna fan. Still like and listen to now and then. I play a simple version of Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning which got me into his guitar and music. My favorite song is The Water Song. Yes I agree he is one of those in the shade great guitar players. Seen live a couple times in 70's also. :thmbsp:
 
I got to see Jorma perform at Antioch College, his alma mater, last year in front of a very small crowd.

Of course, we arrived too late to get seats, but they let us watch quietly from the door off to the side of the stage. I think he only glanced at us in irritation once or twice.

As always, he put on a great show. He'd like you to come visit him in beautiful Meigs County, Ohio at his Fur Peace Ranch for a musicians' workshop or a concert. I haven't yet been there, but it looks like a good time.
 
Kaukonen is an excellent guitarist, a seriously committed blues revivalist and a hell of a swell guy to boot. :thmbsp:
 
I'm a huge fan of Jack and Jorma, and the rest of the related crew. The lack of attention these guys get from a historical perspective staggers me. Jorma's been one of the great guitarists and blues supporters for decades. And as far as I'm concerned Jack is nearly best bassist ever, certainly the best alive after guys like Jaco croaked.

I actually don't have Blue Country Heart or the more recent one he did, mainly because I'm not hardcore into early blues/bluegrass. But I have gotten my hands on some pretty odd stuff, like the Jorma Christmas album and the "Embryonic Journey" sessions CD (yup, that's all it is--same tune over and over again) he did with a keyboard guy from the Dead.

Anyone who's reading this owes it to themselves to see a Jorma gig live. Who knows how much longer they'll be doing it. I've seen acoustic Hot Tuna with Barry Mitterhoff twice in Newburyport, and a couple years ago I saw a killer split electric/acoustic show with the same cast in the Regent theater in Arlington, right before Christmas. They brought the house down.
 
I think I've heard of him. <cough>

"Stars In My Crown" is near the top of my 2007 All-Music Ten Best list for a lot of reasons.
 
"Jorma is wearing a swastika neclace at a peace gathering."

He talks/Jokes about this now, I believe it was in one of his "thoughts" posting on his website. The truth is he's Jewish, and has been re-learning and embracing his faith strongly over the last few years!!

"Anyone who's reading this owes it to themselves to see a Jorma gig live. Who knows how much longer they'll be doing it. I've seen acoustic Hot Tuna with Barry Mitterhoff twice in Newburyport, and a couple years ago I saw a killer split electric/acoustic show with the same cast in the Regent theater in Arlington, right before Christmas. They brought the house down."

Those are probably the same two tours I saw them at in Tampa at Skippers Smoke House. I was able to walk right up to the stage for the whole acoustical set, but pulled back for the sake of my 46 year old ears for the electric!
 
Jefferson Airplane & Hot Tuna! Love it and actually played Splashdown just a couple of days ago.
 
dmax99 said:
I would really love to see him live, he is indeed a great guitarist.
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His Fur Peace Ranch is about 300 miles away in SE Ohio and they have a concert series there.

Just thinking out loud, but maybe a SMAC road trip would be a cool idea???
 
Jorma

Jorma & Jack are really cool guys. After a show they are in no rush to leave the stage and will talk with any and all from the audience. Jorma's lasted CD
Stars in My Crown is pretty good. But my favorite Jorma is live Hot Tuna shows (especially from the 70s) which circulate (usually recordings made by Jorma himself.)
 
Did any else buy Jack's solo album? I liked it, although since it's more him playing with other fronting musicians and the music wasn't my style it's not a favorite.
 
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