What a great night it was for me… I can only say that the sound on stage was perfect… which allowed me to draw sounds out of the guitar as I like to do when all my ducks are in a row… Here is the set list:
Jorma Kaukonen 26, 2015
Jorma Kaukonen
Solo
The City Winery
Chicago, Illinois
Thursday, April 9, 2015
First Set:
1. Re-Enlistment Blues
2. Search My Heart
3. Hesitation Blues
4. Ain’t In No Hurry
5. Where There’s Two There’s Trouble
6. Death Don’t Have No Mercy
7. River Of Time
8. I Am The Light Of This World
9. Living In The Moment
10. I See The Light
Second Set:
1. The Other Side Of The Mountain
2. Brother Can You Spare A Dime
3. I Know You Rider
4. Barbeque King
5. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out
6. Let Us Get Together Right Down Here
7. Sea Child
8. Good Shepherd
9. Bar Room Crystal Ball
10. Water Song
11. Dime For Beer
12. Keep Your Lamps Trimmed & Burning
13. Encore: That’ll Never Happen No More
On to the Dakota in Minneapolis.
@Kevin Cassidy
What a great story! “the doctor gonna fix her up, yes, yes, yes.”
Happy Birthday Jack
Yes that man from U.N.C.L.E. Angrily
Great review Rich I
Peace
Love All Ways
She’s not home all the time she travels. but she when she is in Brooklyn I see her in the restaurant and visit her at home. You can get her contact information from Joe in DC and she will answer your call and email.
Happy Birthday Jack. I like when you jump up and down when you play!@johno
Jack, happy birthday! You are the best! You bring so much joy & inspiration into my life. Long may you run.
Happy Birthday Jack !
Jorma about a year ago or so you said you were going to bring Hamar Promenade back and start teaching it. Are you still planning on doing so ?
Happy Birthday Jack, you don’t look a day over 50! May you have many, many more and continue to fill the world with light, something sorely needed right now.
Happy Birthday Jack – enjoy yourself today Jack!
Monday, April 13, 2015
Happy # 71 to John William, and many many more!
The mysterious Barbara – she never seems to be around.
Sorry Jorma. Start new blog subject when you get tired of reading this! We all see new pictures and story about where you are and what you are doing and we start all again. Then maybe we go off the topics again sometimes.@jim hitchcock
Don’t take personally. You can contact Joe in DC and he will give you her phone# email address anything you want. She wants to go to museums with you.@John B
Always good to get good suggestion for books. This one I can’t read by myself in English the whole book but there are sentences he writes (writeS, I’m trying to remember the S !) in Russian and Yiddish and also with translation into English. Very good for me. href=”#comment-30064″>@Steve Levenson
Barbara stood us up for the art museum tour back on December.
@andriy Andriy, thanks for the recommendation. I will walk over to the library at lunch and try to get it.
Jorma,
I came up from Denver for both nights. Thank you for sharing your beautiful music.
You are truly a treasure.
Lou
It was release at the end of arguably the most calamitous times in human history, a time when everybody had to sacrifice. We don’t have to do that anymore, we just watch it on TV.
Apologies again, Jorma, getting way to polemic here mm
I see the ad on the right side for Devens Rock For Warriors special concert.
I also see other places many photos from the end of WW2 when people celebrate in Times Square to thank the soldiers. Some end of wars are different from others but all have innocent people civilians on both sides they suffer.
Barbara has those David Robbins books. She also has German friends in Germany she know them many years. Her family suffer in that war and their family also suffer.
Support the soldiers because they serve and deserve help.@jim hitchcock
He was the author of ‘War of the Rats’, which became the movie ‘Enemy at the Gates’.
Tell her she might enjoy the books by David L Robbins. ‘The End of War’ she might particulary like.
I think it is o.k. to write about history books here we are reading.
I make correction to my comment before it was Gary’s mother she call him little failure. There is much history in the book about history of Russia. Stalin, Lenin, German siege of Leningrad. His grandfathers and grandmothers from Ukraine and his mothers side from Russia. He is chronicler of history in this book also tells with humor about his family.
Today is our Easter. I call Barbara to tell her there will be a parade she can see from her window. I come here we watch the parade cute little kids playing instruments marching band. The Mister Softee ice cream truck here at 10:30 this morning, now she know why. The Mister Softee truck keep playing the Mister Softee tune through the parade you could still hear it. She says thanks for suggestion she will read that book “Skeletons at the Feast”. She very interested in WW2.She interested in what is called “The European Theatre of the War”. “The Pacific Theatre” is where Jorma Sr. served. Jorma writes many times before on his blog about Jorma Sr. how he served in that war. Jorma Jr. now is here for chronicler.
I am told: “o.k. Andriy, you are dressed up for Easter so go out and stroll with your people and celebrate your holiday”. (I think she just want me to leave so she can do laundry).@jim hitchcock
Some say history is told by the winners. My feelingcis that history is told by the chroniclers.
Apologies that this is not quite appropriate to this wonderful blog,Jorma.
Close, close, but no cigar.
Am currently reading ‘Skeletons at the Feast. Absolutely one of the the most riveting books I have ever read about the horrors German citizens witness at the fall of Nazi Germany.
Thank you Jim.
Barbara says you can contact her by phone if you know Joe in DC he has her contact information.
Or,because there is another Jim (James) Hitchcock in Carson City area we don’t know if you are the Jim (James) with the 333 numbers in your address? She will send you a card with her contact information to that address if that is you. Then she will send you photos of us and also photo of the Fur Peace Station magnet on the espresso machine. Jorma has photos of me and that we sent to him.
In the book “Little Failure” there is the sentence “As an immigrant my job is to fucking learn.” Check it out it is a very funny book you don’t need to be Jewish or a immigrant from Russia to enjoy it. If any person here gets that book it is in the paperback publish in October 2014. You can get it from the library. You will laugh very much to read it.
You are my pal and Barbara also. We appreciate you. If you live near us in NYC we would visit you or you can visit us. We not going to Nevada.
This is the beautiful thing here on the Jorma blog comments. People can talk to other people and we see what things we have interested in together. This brings people together and is very nice.
@jim hitchcock
Andriy,
Barbara, you are both my pals 🙂
Jazz Them All High Pick It Tonight Jorma!
In My Dreams is the favorite for Barbara. She cry when she listen to that song. She tell me that maybe I am too young to understand why.@rich l
oh, the title is “Little Failure” that is what his father called him.
When he publish best seller books his father always ask him “Will this book be good for the Jews?” He answer “Dad, this book won’t be good for anybody!”
So many thanks to you Jim!
I don’t have any suggestion to offer but for you and Hamn’eggs and Steve (he miss his mother’s kasha) the autobiography of Gary Shteyngart is very good and fun for reading. Barbara says you will enjoy it. She says Jorma will love it.
@jim hitchcock
Blazing rock & roll, for Andriy:
m.youtube.com/watch?v=rmy2Tlj6b1A
Whoa there, cowboy 😉
Ok, you didn’t think I could see two Hot Tuna, (ok, Jorma in this instance), shows and not say anything. Unfortunately, I have never incorporated Mark Twains sagacious advice; “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.”
Twenty seven songs on Wednesday and 23 songs on Thursday evening still left me begging for more. Actually, Thursdays show was just under 2.5 hours. I think Wednesdays was about 2 hours and twenty minutes, even though he played four less songs. I just wanted everyone who attended Thursdays show to know you were not gypped!
So do you want to know Jorma’s secret? (to bad I’m going to tell you anyway) You have to think along the lines of the movie Spinal Tap. When a interviewer ask one of the crispy critters what the secret to the bands success was, he points to his amp. He notes most amps go up to 10. Spinal Taps amps went up to 11!
I had a good friend who played in a band covering a lot of Southern Rock and Doc Watson (yes!) back in my hay day. Jack told me, “The best guitarists can use there little pinky.” My seats on both nights were close enough to observe Jorma’s slender fingers and guess what – he uses his pinky, a lot. This of course confirmed Jack’s observation of so many moons ago.
Not only that though; Jorma uses his thumb to play the bass string on occasion! I didn’t know it was called a bass string until after Thursdays show. There was some younger kid and his mom and they were lamenting that they didn’t get to here Genesis. I told them J-dawg played it the night before and we struck up a conversation. The kid started talking about the sound emanating from the brown guitar that Jorma played two songs on each night. There was a clear distinction – the brown one sounded fuller, for lack of a better word. That is by no means saying the yellow guitar was inferior! But there was a noticeable difference. Is it because they are tuned different?
It was really fun to see the excitement in the younger lad. I said, “I’m guessing you play guitar, (calling the top string, the bass string was a good clue). He noted that he did – and he sure noticed “all” your fiery fingers in action that evening. Big smile on his and his moms face!
But the bottom line is this; Jorma using all five fingers is the equivalent of an amp that goes to volume 12!
Over the course of two evenings, Jorma played nine out of the eleven new songs from “Ain’t In No Hurry.” Seasons In The Field was a notable omission – maybe to many lyrics to remember. It seemed to me that the crowd really enjoyed The Terrible Operation – you know that doctor know just what to do. He played my favorite on Wednesday, In My Dreams and followed with River of Time which prompted some goof ball, who’s name will remain anonymous, to holler out “Keep making up songs!” Hey, I’m doing the best I can with what little God gave me.
i really like it when Jorma gives a little background on the songs he chooses to play. He gave a nice story about Suffer Little Children To Come Unto Me, which was influenced from some poetry he received from Woody Guthrie’s daughter. (on a side note, I have to tell a little story about the verse that inspired the song from Luke 18:16. When my son and daughter were about 4 and 6 respectively, I was reading that passage to them one evening. They were on either side of me, ensconced firmly by my side. We were all, snug as a bug, in a rug. Boy do I miss those days. When I got to the part about Jesus telling the apostles to let the little ones come to Him, I asked Taylor and Greg if they knew what Jesus told them. This really caught their interest and they kept earnestly inquiring what he might have said. In the loudest voice I could manufacture I screamed, “Go to bed!” When they overcame the shock of my scream, they laughed harder than any time in their life, even until this day. They made me go through the whole spiel about ten more times. “Do it again dad, do it again.)
Jorma also told the story of his wife Vanessa suggesting that he copy the song Ain’t In No Hurry on the album. Good call Mrs. K! Now I’m not saying women have an inordinate control over men, but Jorma also titled the new album after that great song written by a student at Fur Peace ranch, Jim Eagan! “I ain’t in no hurry, gonna take my time..” Amen
Although I missed Cassidy and Barry, getting a chance to hear Jorma just pick and sing for two and a half hours was about as close as you can get to pure bliss. It made me wonder if doing a solo show is more exhausting for Jorma – I’m guessing it is. There was one song on Thursday night that I wished he was accompanied on – Where There’s Two There’s Trouble. Teresa William’s vocals were sorely missed. It did give me a new found appreciation of what she brought to the new CD. I was a bit disappointed Jorma didn’t play Sweet Fern, but I’m guessing her and Larry Campbell’s missing voices would have left a huge hole in the song. Dang it Jorma, I practiced singing that song for a week!
Trust me when I say I savored every song both evenings, although there were a few of the songs that really hit home. “Living in the moment” and “Sea Child” were home runs. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Living In The Moment before, what a great surprise – I guess I’m going to have to buy the Stars In My Crown Album now. That song is dripping with nostalgia, warm fuzzies and welling up of the eyes. It was my favorite song of the two nights. The sweet little riff at the end of Bar Room Crystal Ball warmed the cockles of my soul also. That is an orgasmic riff Jorma.
Others I hadn’t heard at recent shows in the Chicago area were Hesitation Blues, Death Don’t Have No Mercy, Search My Heart, The Full Go Round-I was a bit surprised to see this is actually a Jorma and not Rev Gary’s song, That’ll Never Happen No More and Watch the North Wind Rise (YES!) Hell, even Whinin’ Boy sounded great
You might think this odd, but when I hear Jorma play Rev Gary Davis songs I want to holler out, “Preach!” What would a Jorma show be without such classics as “Keep Your Lamp, Trimmed and Burning, Search My Heart, Candy Man, Death Don’t Have No Mercy In This Land or Light of This World. I was surprised to find out True Religion, which I truly enjoy, was not a Rev Gary song – it seems it was influenced by him, hallelu.
I met a a guy sitting at our table and we talked about those Rev Gary songs a bit. They go back about 100 years, eh? Can you imagine being in a juke joint in the 1920’s and hearing him pick and sing? Pretty radical stuff! I’m sure the people in the juke joint would be singing and clapping and carrying on, along with the good Reverend. Which brings me to my last thought…
Jorma’s singing and voice seem to free my soul. I wanted to get up and dance a few times or sing along, but it seems everyone wants you to be subdued so they can hear every precious note that comes for the stage. I’ve always been more of an “Amen Corner” type of spectator. I debated whether or not to get up and throw it down, Soul Train Style, but was afraid I might be stoned by the reverent audience. but my body just doesn’t want to be still when I hear Jorma. i think I’ll get a seat in the back next time, way back in the Amen Corner. (Little Masters reference there>)
Bottom line, we’ll be in a hurry for you to come back to the City that works! And a shout out to my big sister Mary Therese for arranging the night. It took her an hour and a half to make it back to Rockford in the storm on Wednesday. She’ll be in attendance at the Stoughton Opera house on Sunday – look for the girl with the musical note shoes! I’m not so sure Love Is Strange Jorma, I’m beginning to think woman are. 🙂
Keep on trucking Jorma!
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. ?@Ham n Eggs
What a treat to see you Thurs night Jorma here in Chicago. City Winery is the perfect venue for your solo acoustic show.You were right there with everything. Hadn’t seen you live since about ’72 in Akron Ohio. Your playing has just gotten better and your licks tastier. Loved all the versions you did of all the Rev Gary Davis songs of course. And Water Song was just a joy to behold. Even though youtube lets us keep track of you it’s so much better to see you in person. You make it all look so (deceptively) easy. Come back soon.
Thank you.
Certainly makes me look forward to Towne Crier but does Illya Kuryakin know your playing with Napoleon Solo?
Peace
Love All Ways
..and, oh yes, she was OK.
Sorry for typos above. No edit feature.
I’m so glad I got to catch the performance last night and its nice to read that you enjoyed playing as much as you appeared to. Beautiful guitar playing. Thank you.
First time I saw you live since 1968 when you were with the Airplane at Chicago’s Electric Playground. The girl I was with hadn’t eaten anything that day and she passed out before the first set. A bouncer scooped her up and carried up some stairs to a large open room on the swecond floor of the building. He was asking me what she was on and was understandably skeptical when I told nothing. I was trying to attend to her but became distracted when the beautiful Grace Slick walked past in the company of the debonaire Paul Kantner. I was star struck and agape. That’s when this skinny guy with long black hair walked up to us and said “Is she OK?” Iy was the then young Jorma Kaukonen. I don’t know why I thought rock stars would be immune to common decency but I was so impressed thst you took a moment to check on us. I have always remembered it.
While the “Starship” stuff left me behind I remain an Airplane fan and have loved Hot Tuna since the first LP. Its good to see you going strong, playing better than ever and doing “good works” with Fur Peace.
Reading your description of the sound means it musta really been sumptin’ Jorma. All I can say is Sea Child-Good Shepherd-Barroom Crystal Ball-Watersong!
That rules!
It looks like two great nights of music in the great city of Chicago. Terrific set lists Jorma and it ceratainly looks and sounds like you nailed it in the windy city. See you soon.
What a show last night! Thanks for doing the Other Side of the Mountain. The wonderful acoustics at City Winery contributed to a magical night of music. As much as I love seeing Jorma play with Jack and Barry, it had been years since I’d seen Jorma play solo and it was wonderful hearing nothing but his picking and singing. The guitars were miked so well, it was a pleasure listening to that full guitar sound so clearly. A five star performance. Absolutely great playing and singing throughout. Hoping that the Chicago shows, the second in particular, will be considered for future release. A wonderful, wonderful night of music. Can you give some details on both of the guitars used last night? They sounded absolutely great!
Thank you so much for the wonderful evening. (April 9th) You sounded great as always. It’s not often that someone with your talent and repertoire comes to town and performs in such an intimate setting. You are a true legend! Thank you again for sharing your gift.
Great show at the Winery! I loved Other Side of the Mountain!