Jorma Kaukonen at City Winery

During his childhood in Washington, DC., Jorma Kaukonen and his family also lived in Pakistan, the Philippines and other locales following his father's career in the State Department. The young Kaukonen was devoted to rock-and-roll in late 1950s and early 1960s, but soon afterwards developed a love for the blues and bluegrass. He learned to play roots music on guitar and with his guitarist friend, Jack Casady, formed a band called The Triumphs. Kaukonen then learned to play fingerstyle on his guitar in the style of Reverend Gary Davis. Kaukonen relocated to New York City, then traveled overseas, settling in 1962 in San Francisco, California, where he performed in coffeehouses until he joined the new band Jefferson Airplane in 1965. When the band's original bass player was fired, Kaukonen recommended his friend, who still lived in Washington D.C., and Jack Casady joined Jefferson Airplane. In 1969, Kaukonen and Casady formed a side band, Hot Tuna, which outlasted Jefferson Airplane's demise in 1972. He also led a hard rock band called Vital Parts from 1979 to 1982. All along the way, Kaukonen also performed solo, and began recording solo albums in 1974. His 12th and most recent solo album, Ain't in No Hurry, was released in 2015.

At City Winery tonight, Jorma Kaukonen played acoustic guitar like few can. Accompanying himself only with six strings for two full sets, he finger picked his axe like the old-time blues players prior to the age of electric rock and roll. On every song, most of which were cover songs at least a half century old, he played lick after impressive lick, not in an attempt to discover something new but to explore more deeply something vintage and classic. Hardly looking up, seated on a chair for the entire performance, there was no flash or posturing, just a collection of the best obscure roots songs and some mighty fine guitar picking. To appreciate the great young guitar players of today, one might investigate the road going back to the origin, and there is not better study of old times blues than watching Jorma Kaukonen song and play acoustic guitar.

Visit Jorma Kaukonen at www.jormakaukonen.com.

Setlist

Set 1:

1. True Religion (Hot Tuna song)
2. Been So Long (Hot Tuna song)
3. Hesitation Blues ([traditional] cover)
4. Wolves and Lambs
5. River of Time
6. Barbeque King (Vital Parts song)
7. Let Us Get Together Right Down Here (Reverend Gary Davis cover)
8. How Long Blues (Leroy Carr cover)
9. Another Man Done a Full Go Round (Roy Book Binder cover)
10. Sea Child (Hot Tuna song)
11. Watch the North Wind Rise (Hot Tuna song)
12. Winin' Boy Blues (Jelly Roll Morton cover)
13. Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning (Blind Willie Johnson cover)

Set 2:

1. Ain't in No Hurry
2. San Francisco Bay Blues (Jesse Fuller cover)
3. Come Back Baby (Walter Davis cover)
4. Serpent of Dreams (Hot Tuna song)
5. In My Dreams
6. Oh Lord, Search My Heart (Reverend Gary Davis cover)
7. Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out (Jimmy Cox cover)
8. Sleep Song (Hot Tuna song)
9. Trial by Fire (Jefferson Airplane song)
10. Good Shepherd (Jefferson Airplane song)
11. Trouble in Mind (Richard M. Jones cover)
12. Water Song (Hot Tuna song)
13. I Know You Rider ([traditional] cover)
14. Genesis (Jorma Kaukonen with Tom Hobson song)