Jorma Kaukonen's Online Diary

Well, the so called holidays are over and the new year has begun. The children are back in school and I'm getting ready to go to Anaheim for the NAMM show in ten days or so and then it's off on the road with David Bromberg and Barry Mitterhoff. Indeed, with the relative quiet developing at home it's a grand opportunity to get some practicing done. Gotta bed sharp you know.

Onward...

It's cold and snowy here... I've plowed twice and will do so again I'm sure. There's more cold an snow coming and so be it I say. I love these moments at home and for some strange reason, I don't mind the winter at all. Must be that Finnish/;Russian blood or whatever. I'll be going to Anaheim next week to make an appearance at the Martin booth do debut my M-30 guitar and kiss the ring of other products I endorse like Fishman, Audix and Waverly tuners.

Gotta take our last little dog to the vet for a checkup and pick Izze up at school later this afternoon. We'll probably cook meatballs together. OK... a last cup of coffee and out the door.

Onward!

The snow finally let up this morning but it is bitter cold. I plough the driveway and the garage areas twice in the last 18 hours and it will snow again tonight. My Stihl leaf blower really did the trick as far as keeping the decks clear. I've been getting some good practicing done... guitar that is... and I'm looking forward to the next run with David Bromberg and Barry Mitterhoff. Hmm... I think I'll hit the studio again for a bit. Twang....

The folks at Martin Guitar do such a great job. I am here in Anaheim to help debut the Jorma M-30. First of all, as with all their guitars, they did a magnificent job on mine. This guitar loves me and I love it. If it had Mickey Mouse's name on it I would play it, but it doesn't, it has mine and that's even better. Anyway, the NAMM show (for those who have never been to one) is a music merchant's trade show and there are more better mousetraps than you can shake a stick at. There is also some really good stuff.

It's an intense experience. It is non stop input from the moment you land. It's tough to separate the wheat from the chaff but the good news is that there is a lot of wheat.

This is going to be a busy day for the old picker. I'll be on the floor at the Convention Center all day and then Myron and I will take the redeye back to Ohio so we can meet up with Barry Mitterhoff and David Bromberg in Morgantown, West Virginia for our Mountain Stage show. When I start to think about what a pain in the ass some of my running around might be, I remind myself that it is better than sitting in a retirement home knitting afghans... whatever they are. Anyway, off to breakfast and then the floor.

Last night was our first show together on this tour... that is, David Bromberg, Barry Mitterhoff and myself. We were part of a Mountain Stage episode in Morgantown at WVU and it was a great way to kick off our little tour. We got four songs and here they are:

1. Trouble In Mind
2. Love Changing Blues
3. There's A Bright Side Somewhere
4. Helpless Blues

Tommy Emmanuel was on the show... Mark O'Connor and others and at the end of the evening there was a gangtwang involving 'Working On A Building.'

We're now heading to the Ark in Ann Arbor for our first full show.

The Hazlett Theater here in Pittsburgh was sold to capacity last night. We love to see that. We're getting ready to drive so this entry will be mercifully short. Here is our set list... more or less...

Bromberg/Kaukonen Extravaganza 2
New Hazlett Theater
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Set One:
David’s set with Barry and me as follows:
1. Search My Heart
2. Come Back Baby
3. How Long Blues
Set Two:
1. New Song For The Morning
2. There’s A Bright Side Somewhere
3. I See The Light
4. A Walk With Friends
5. Sea Child
6. Full Go Round
7. A blues with David
8. 99 Year Blues with David
9. Sittin’ On Top Of The World
10. Death Don’t Have No Mercy
11. David C Blues
12. Let Us Get Together Right Down Here
13. Tongue… with David
14. Encore: Statesboro Blues with David

We're off to Wilmington... More anon

We found ourselves in David Bromberg's hometown for almost two full days... very nice! Last night Barry and David and I played at the Grand Opera House and a grand evening it was. Here is my/our set list as best I can reconstruct it:

Bromberg/Kaukonen Extravaganza 3
With Barry Mitterhoff
The Grand Opera House
Wilmington, Delaware
Thursday, January 21, 2010

Jorma’s First Set:
1. What Are They Doing In Heaven Today?
2. Serpent Of Dreams
3. Fur Peace Rag
4. River Of Time
5. Come Back Baby
6. Preaching On The Old Camp Ground
7. I Know You Rider
8. Whining Boy Blues with David
9. A Blues with David
10. How Long Blues with David
11. This Month with David
End of David’s Set with us:
1. More Than My Old Guitar with David
2. Blues Is Fallen with David
3. I Am The Light Of This World with David
4. I Belong To The Band with David
5. Barbeque King with David
6. Tongue with David
7. Encore: Midnight Hour Blues with David

We're falling in a nice collective groove and I look forward to tonight at the Music Hall in Tarrytown. Gotta get moving...

A sold out show for the three of us last night. We love that. An almost perfect world with three friends playing music together. here is our set list... sort of:

Bromberg/Kaukonen Extravaganza 4
With Barry Mitterhoff
The Music Hall
Tarrytown, New York
Friday, January 22, 2010

Jorma & Barry’s First Set:
1. Too Many Years
2. I See The Light
3. Sea Child
4. Blue Railroad Train
5. Things That Might Have Been
6. Come Back Baby
7. Been So Long
8. More Than My Old Guitar with David
9. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out with David
10. Luck Changin’ Blues with David
11. Prohibition Blues with David
12. This Month with David
Our Part of David’s set… with David:
1. Let Us Get Together
2. David
3. Hesitation Blues
4. David
5. How Long Blues
6. Tongue with David
7. Encore: Red River Blues

Bus call to Philly... gotta run.

Yow... another short but salient entry. David and Barry and I held forth at the Keswick Theater in Glenside, PA last night. We've had a string of good nights and we were blessed with another good one. Here is our set list... sort of...

Bromberg/Kaukonen Extravaganza 5
With Barry Mitterhoff
The Keswick Theater
Glenside, Pennsylvania
Saturday, January 23, 2010

Jorma’s First Set:
1. Parchman Farm
2. Keep Your Lamps Trimmed & Burning
3. True Religion
4. Izze’s Lullaby
5. 3rd Week In The Chelsea
6. Good Shepherd
7. That’ll Never Happen No More with David
8. Black And Tan with David
9. Trouble In Mind with David
10. Things I Used To Do with David
Our contribution to David’s set:
1. Come Back Baby with David
2. Make Me A Palette On Your Floor with David
3. Nine Pound Hammer with David
4. Dark Holler with David
5. Death Don’t Have No Mercy with David
6. C blues with David
7. Encore: Nashville Blues with David

We're bussing up and heading to Albany and the Egg.

Last night at the Egg was just a handful short of being a sell out. I only mention this because in this economy that's is indeed a big deal. Our shows with David are getting better every night and they weren't bad to start off. Here is our set list... sort of:

Bromberg/Kaukonen Extravaganza 6
With Barry Mitterhoff
The Egg
Albany, New York
Sunday, January 24, 2010

With David’s First Set:
1. Dime For Beer
2. Sitting On Top Of The World
3. Come Back Baby
4. Black & Tan
5. Hesitation Blues
6. Traveling Man

Our Set:
1. Too Many Years
2. I See The Light
3. I’ll Be All Right Some Day
4. I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave
5. Things That Might Have Been
6. I Know You Rider
7. How Long Blues with David Bromberg
8. Kansas City with David Bromberg
9. Operator with David Bromberg
10. Dictator Blues with David Bromberg
11. Keep On Trucking Mama with David Bromberg
12. Tongue with David Bromberg
13. Encore: Death Don’t Have No Mercy with David Bromberg

It is a typical Albany day here in Albany... It is bleak and rainy but at least it's fifty degrees and it's not snowing. We're off to Rochester. More anon...

A return to the German House after four or five years and a sold out show for us. Good stuff. Here is our set list... sort of:

Bromberg/Kaukonen Extravaganza 7
With Barry Mitterhoff
The German House
Rochester, New York
Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Our Addition To David’s Set:
1. Hesitation Blues with David
2. Broke Down Blues with David
3. Come Back Baby with David
4. Luck Changin’ Blues with David
5. More Than My Old Guitar with David
6. Tongue with David

Our Set:
1. What Are They Doing In Heaven Today?
2. Serpent Of Dreams
3. River Of Time
4. A Walk With Friends
5. Blue Railroad Train
6. Good Shepherd
With David Bromberg:
1. Let Us Get Together with David
2. I Belong To The Band with David
3. I Know You Rider with David
4. Midnight Hour Blues with David
5. San Francisco Bay Blues with David
6. Going To Kansas City with David
7. Encore: David’s Blues

Tomorrow is a very early bus call. We're off to State College, Pennsylvania. It's snowing tonight so we hope the roads will be OK in the morning. Not much more to say for now.

A Sold Out show for us at the State Theater here in State College, Pennsylvania! Yeah... and last night too! We love that. Anyway, the show is over obviously and I am at the laundromat washing clothes. And so it goes. In spite of that, here is our set list... sor of:

Bromberg/Kaukonen Extravaganza 8
With Barry Mitterhoff
The State Theater
State College, Pennsylvania
Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Our Addition To David’s Show:
1. How Long Blues with David
2. Every Day Of The Week with David
3. Come Back Baby with David
4. Summer Wages with David
5. Hesitation Blues with David
6. David’s Blues? With David

Our Set:
1. Too Many Years
2. I See The Light
3. River Of Time
4. 3rd Week In The Chelsea
5. Genesis
6. Good Shepherd
With David:
1. San Francisco Bay Blues with David
2. Nine Pound Hammer with David
3. Roll On John with David
4. Search My Heart with David
5. Trying To Get Home with David
6. Full Go Round with David
7. Blues in C with David
8. Let Us Get Together with David
9. Encore: Tongue with David

Tomorrow we have an eight hundred mile drive on our 'day off.' The dream continues.

Up here in the frosty North, things were warm inside the Barrymore Theater when David Bromberg, Barry Mitterhoff and I took the stage in our various configurations. It was just one of those great evenings, and I got to see lots of friends. Here is our set list... sort of:

Bromberg/Kaukonen Extravaganza 9
With Barry Mitterhoff
The Barrymore Theater
Madison, Wisconsin
Friday, January 29, 2010

Our Addition To David’s Set:
1. Hesitation Blues with David
2. Summer Wages with David
3. I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave with David
4. Long Tall Mama with David
5. Uncle Sam Blues with David
6. This Month with David

Our Set:
1. Been So Long
2. Serpent Of Dreams
3. I Am The Light Of This World
4. Sea Child
5. Living In The Moment
6. Follow The Drinking Gourd
With David B.
1. Re-Enlistment Blues with David
2. Brokedown Blues with David
3. Candy Man with David
4. More Than My Old Guitar with David
5. Tongue with David
6. Encore: Death Don’t Have No Mercy with David

We're getting ready to head out to the Old Town School Of Folk Music in Chicago. This always proves to be a great gig too. No hotel this evening... driving after show to Minneapolis. More anon...

A very long day yesterday. A short drive from Madison, Wisconsin to Chicago... No hotel. Load in to the Old Town School Of Folk Music at 1500. First two set show at 1900... more or less. Second two set show at 2200 more or less finishing about 0100. Load out and drive to Minneapolis where we are right now getting ready to go to the Cedar Cultural Center for a 1300 load in and a 1700 first show... Living the dream! Here is our set list form last night... sort of...

Bromberg/Kaukonen Extravaganza 10
With Barry Mitterhoff
The Old Town School Of Folk Music
Chicago, Illinois
Friday, January 30, 2010

7 P.M. Show:
Our Set:
1. Too Many Years
2. I See The Light
3. Come Back Baby
4. Sea Child
5. Good Shepherd:
With David:
1. Let Us Get Together
2. I Belong To The Band
3. How Long Blues
4. This Month
With David Second Set Firs Show:
1. Re-Enlistment Blue
2. Summer Wages
3. Uncle Sam Blues
4. Tongue
5. Encore: Midnight Hour

10 PM Show:
With David:
1. Nine Pound Hammer
2. Dark Holler
3. The Terrible Operation
4. Things I Used To Do
5.

Our Set:
1. Heart Temporary
2. River Of Time
3. I Am The Light Of This World
4. Follow The Drinking Gourd
5. Things That Might Have Been
6. Parchman Farm
7. Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning
With David:
1. Keep On Drinkin’
2. Hesitation Blues
3. Bed Bug Blues
4. Bread Line Blues
5. Helpless Blues
6. Encore: Death Don’t Have No Mercy

Time to clean up and make up today's set lists.