Jorma Kaukonen

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Jorma Kaukonen (born Jorma Ludwik Kaukonen Jr. on December 23, 1940 in Washington, D.C.) is an American blues, folk and rock guitarist. Born to a Finnish American father and a Jewish American mother, Kaukonen was a founding member of the popular psychedelic San Francisco-based band Jefferson Airplane, which scored two Top 10 radio hits in 1967 with "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit."

A self-described blues purist, Kaukonen never had any ambition to play in a rock band. Under the name Jerry Kaukonen, he had been playing as a solo act in coffee houses since 1964, and he can be heard accompanying a young Janis Joplin on acoustic guitar on an historic 1964 recording known as "The Typewriter Tapes" because of the obtrusive sound of Kaukonen's first wife Margareta typing in the background. Invited to attend a Jefferson Airplane rehearsal by founding member Paul Kantner, Kaukonen found his imagination excited by the arsenal of effects available to electric guitar and later said, "I was sucked in by technology." The rest is history.

Kaukonen's electric guitar work was distinctive and widely emulated by other Bay Area guitarists, including Barry Melton (who is said to have recorded Jefferson Airplane performances on cassette to study Kaukonen's lead playing) and John Cipollina. His best work with Jefferson Airplane includes "Greasy Heart", "Hey Frederick" (which culminates in a staggering, extended lead guitar duet with himself), "Wooden Ships" and his original composition, "Feel so Good".

In 1969-70, Kaukonen and longtime friend Jack Casady, the Airplane's bassist, formed Hot Tuna, a spin-off group that allowed them to play as long as they liked, while fellow band members Grace Slick and Paul Kantner took a year off in preparation for the birth of their daughter, China. In its earliest incarnation, Hot Tuna was fronted by Airplane vocalist Marty Balin and featured Joey Covington on drums and vocals, but this version came to an end after an unsuccessful recording jaunt to Jamaica, the sessions of which have never been released. Pared down to Kaukonen and Casady, Hot Tuna lived on as a vehicle for Kaukonen to show off his considerable Piedmont style acoustic blues fingerpicking skills. The self-titled first album was all acoustic and recorded live, but with the dissolution of Jefferson Airplane in 1972, Hot Tuna went electric in a bid for wider commercial success, with Airplane fiddler Papa John Creach joining for the next two albums. Hot Tuna scored an FM hit with "Keep On Truckin'" from their third (and first studio) album, Burgers, which remains the band's definitive statement. Beginning with their fourth album, America's Choice (1974), the addition of powerhouse drummer Bob Steeler encouraged a rise in volume and a change of band personality -- a rampaging, Cream-like rock with often quasi-mystical lyrics courtesy of Kaukonen.

In 1974, Kaukonen recorded the first and most successful of several solo albums, Quah in which, according to fellow guitarists, he plays some of the best fingerpicking ever recorded, together with Tom Hobson. The curious picture in Quah's cover is on display at Donkey's, a coffee shop in Athens, Ohio. With Hot Tuna, Kaukonen toured vigorously in the late 1970's through the late 1980's. He also played solo at such venues as The Chestnut Cabaret in Philadelphia, Tha Capitol Theater in Passaic , New Jersey and in Port Chester New York. He is known for very long solo sets with a three hour acoustic set followed by a long intermission and then a three hour electric set. At a 1987 Hot Tuna performance, Kaukonen surprised fellow Airplane alumnus Paul Kantner, who was sitting in, with a surprise appearance by his estranged lover Grace Slick; the success of this performance helped to pave the way for a Jefferson Airplane reunion tour and record in 1989.

With his wife Vanessa, Kaukonen currently owns and operates the Fur Peace Ranch, a music and guitar camp in the hills of southeast Ohio. He is currently under contract as a solo artist to Columbia Records and still records and tours with Jack Casady and other friends such as Barry Mitterhof as Hot Tuna. Their Thanksgiving Eve show at Keswick Theater in Glenside, Pennsylvania has become a tradition.

External links

Jorma Kaukonen website: http://www.jormakaukonen.com/
Fur Peace Ranch website: http://www.furpeaceranch.com/
Tom Hobson website: http://tomhobson.com
[Jeff Tamarkin]
[Jorma searches for his Jewish Soul]

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