With apologies to Kris Kristofferson 🙂
Neighbor Donnie's field...
Foto by Jorma Kaukonen
Indeed life has been disrupted for the world in these days of World War C, but for some life just goes on. It’s little hard to see in the picture above taken from my back porch but here’s the deal. I was pottering around the Ranch getting ready for the live stream last night and I heard this noise. ‘What the heck is that?’ I thought. I looked down over my little road to the A-Frame and there was my neighbor Donnie on his John Deere discing the field. Part of that field is ours but we don’t do anything with it so we let him farm it. Anyway, those of us who live in the country immediately recognize the sound of a full sized tractor… not one of those fancy riding mowers with a hydrostatic drive. Yep… if the cows are going to eat, silage must be planted virus or no virus. It just reminded me yet one more time how fragile our time on this planet is. Yeah, it’s all well and good for those of us who have ‘non-essential’ jobs to shelter in place while someone else does our shopping for us, keeps the power and water on and delivers stuff from Amazon Prime. As we grains of sand get shaken in the cosmic sifter, it will be interesting to see who’s left at the end of the day.
In the meantime, I’ll take the win… and for us here at the Fur Peace Ranch the win was pulling of our first live stream concert during the Pandemic. Big thanks to our videographer, Andy Walla, who left her husband and infant son at home to direct the show from the ‘flight deck’ backstage. My good friend Myron Hart who is always there for us and our daughter Izze, who ran one of the cameras. As we all know here, the real captain of this ship is Vanessa and she was and always is everywhere making sure everything works. If you’re one of her Facebook buddies, then you know about the mask projects she has been into with the help of her sister Ginger and her mother Virginia.
Anyway, here’s the set list from last night’s show:
Jorma Kaukonen 1, 2020
#1 Of The Quarantine Concert Series
Live From The Fur Peace Ranch
Fur Peace Station
Darwin, Ohio
Saturday, April 4, 2020
1. San Francisco Bay Blues
2. Heart Temporary
3. Blue Railroad Train
4. Been So Long
5. Sea Child
6. In The Kingdom
7. Good Shepherd
8. Brother Can You Spare A Dime?
9. Let Us Get Together Right Down Here
10. Water Song…
oops, and Barbecue King in there somewhere… 🙂
Thanks for the good questions you sent me via Vanessa. Sorry we couldn’t get to them all… more next Saturday.
Big kudos to all those out there in the ‘real world’ keeping our society staggering along. Medical pros, first responders, folks on trucks, in the service sector… hey, I could go on and on. You are all appreciated.
That’s about it for now. As always…
More will be revealed!
A zissan Pesach to the Kaukonens and Tuna Nation.
I was turned on to Jorma by the same person who turned me on to John Prine. He was a finger picker from Mobile, AL. We were in the same squadron in the Navy back in 1974. We were deployed to the Mediterranean and at each port of call he always had a gig. He played mostly Jorma acoustic, John Prine and early Jimmy Buffet. He eventually put a band together called Flat Rock and opened for John on one of his tours. After I got out, I started collecting whatever I could on Jorma and John. I finally got to see him live at the Warner Theater in Torrington, CT where some years earlier I watched Hot Tuna and John Hammond, Jr., open for Leon Russel, another great musician we lost.
I had tickets to see John Prine in 1977 at Marietta College – he canceled.
I finally got to see his show in Minneapolis a couple years ago, with Larry and Teresa opening. To hear the three of them sing Paradise together was a real treat. RIP JP! m
I’m a big fan of yours Jorma. Saw you here in Grass Valley a few years ago at Center for the Arts and
loved it.
I wish I could have seen the streaming concert but can’t stream. Any DVD,d concerts? That is my
speed.
By the way Center for the Arts is all newly renovated so hope HOT TUNA will be back when we can
all be together again.
Also play your latest cd and love it. You are the best!
Joanne
R.I.P. John Prine. One of the true American treasures. I regret I never knew of his work until I heard “In Spite of Ourselves” with Iris DeMent. Still one of my favorite recordings.
Great suggestion by Gary Dion, above. I second it!
Found your show on late Saturday night,missed the live version.It was very late ,couldn’t sleep,then my energy level spiked and I was in the groove! Loved the inclusion of bbq king ! Heart Temporary, has a very special meaning to me.Ohio looks pretty,from the blog photos. We look forward to what comes next.Thanks to everyone! Stay well!Roberto
FYI – The panic on toilet paper has slackened and I managed to get another bulk pack along with a bulk pack of Bounty paper towels sunday…I had my virus-rated respirator…People were looking sideways at me but I was breathing filtered air…I went to Costco an hour before closing on Sunday and there was hardly anyone there…After in the parking lot I took two gallon jugs of water and washed my arms, hands, legs, and feet before getting in the car…Wrung my hands with sanitizer too…I hope I didn’t get it on this trip…Showered and washed my T shirt and shorts when I got home…A couple of men nodded when they saw my mask, as in showing respect for a good idea…The paper will go a long way and the food should keep me away for another 2 and a half weeks…Still taking my evening bike rides but steering clear of walkers and holding a folded T-shirt over my face when passing…There’s tribulation happening right now…Only 5 cases reported on Sanibel…
Jorma, thank you, Vanessa, Myron, Andie, Izze and anyone else that helped out to bring Saturday night’s show to us. Very special. My face hurt from smiling. Then I saw Jack’s post of the very musically distanced HT performance of Barbeque King. Smiled some more!
Do you have favorite causes for me and others to make donations to in appreciation of the show — and for me, of 50 something years of spirit supporting, wonderful music you have given me? If not, I’ll choose one of the causes I saw listed in Vanessa’s response to your pal, Michael, in Another County last week.
Thanks again!!!
Hi Jorma, we really loved the concert on Saturday. It was like you were in our apartment . Looking forward to this Saturday. Stay safe. Lucky you , you practically have your own forest to walk around in during our shelter in place.
Wonderful show, Jorma. Great to be able to see and hear this all the way over here in NW DC. Thank you very much – and thanks to your excellent video and production crew. As someone above said, it was a definite uplift. Not the first time great music has helped us get through tough times. We really appreciate it.
Man that was fun the other night. Thank you
After some review of last Saturday night’s show, I think when you thought you sped up that one part, Jack was also playing fast too. You can check with him, but let’s try to not let that happen again.
The “cosmic sifter” metaphor is great! What a cool lens to view through as this all shakes out.
Jorma – Major thanks to you, family and friends for the great show on Sat. night. The audio was crystal clear here in the DC area. Friends here and in NY were tuned in and it meant a lot in though times. Music is pretty essential and since no tip jar, I’ll just have to pick up a couple of items from the Company Store (and hope others will too). As I used to hear at the Palladium…. Hot &%^%&# Acoustic! See you again on Sat night – stay safe and healthy!
THANK YOU!!!! This is giving me such a lift. Best wishes to everyone.
Thanks Captain and crew. I too dug the show.
I thought the video and sound were impeccable. How about playing Embryonic Journey on the old Gibson on which it was written? That would be a treat. Cant wait for the next one
Thanks a bunch from The Bronx for the show last night! It was a really happy way to wrap up a crazy stressful week! Best wishes and Happy Passover to you and your family. Oh, yeah, give Vanessa a mic next week! Thanks, again!
That was a terrific show Jorma! Thanks so much for for taking the time and effort to once again bring some joy and comfort into our lives . And thanks to Vanessa and all the “roadies” that gave their time as well. Two things I do every evening before calling it a night is to read the NYT evening briefing to catch up on the news. The second is to religiously check your blog for new entries which always calms my spirit no matter what is happening in this crazy world. Thank you so much for that…..
Greetings Jorma and the FPR family .Many thanks for the great show from all of us isolated in NYC. The spirit of the ranch is still alive in all of us . Cheers and good health to all
Thanks so much for last night’s wonderful performance. Everything was top notch. It was great to see both your hands up close — guitar geek stuff! The sound was very rich and clear (albeit slightly out of synch) and the visuals crisp. It was such a treat to sit at home on the sofa and watch this live. BTW: I was clapping enthusiastically between songs. Really. Hot shit, Jorma!!!!!!
Some things get better with age Jorma, like yourself. As a SF expat it’s been a pleasure watching your talent over the years. You and Jack continue to amaze and entertain. Looking forward to next Saturday!
Thank God we are all ok here physically, but I have to admit that this whole situation is starting to get to me. That was what made last night so special. Music has the power to heal and I know that I speak for many when I say that last night helped people forget about all the bad shit that is going down all around us.
Thanks to you and of course Vanessa, Myron, Andie, Izze and anyone else that helped make last nights concert such a special occasion.
Yep, that was a great show, thanks. Hope you got a chance to see Jack’s video of him playing along to Barbecue King. How about a simulcast next Saturday — you in Ohio and Jack in LA (or wherever). Should be do-able, technically. Also, kinda missed a tip jar; I suspect most of us would be willing to put some dough into one for shows like that. Could buy more fabric for the face mask effort! And in the spirit of DennisK’s question about future workshops — how about an audio recording one? I’ve taken a couple of workshops at SFJAZZ, but they tend to be pretty generic. I would much prefer to have one focused specifically on THIS kind of music — acoustic guitar (with or without bass) and vocals. Playing around with mic placement, dealing with room acoustics and instrument dynamics, recording software, etc. Just a thought.
It’s all good brother!
Happy Passover! Great gig last night. Thank you
Thank you for the show last night. I woke up this morning still talking about it, and telling my wife how much I appreciated the performance. She said that’s all well and good, but perhaps you could actually show your appreciation by buying something from the FPR online store. So I bought a tee shirt…LOL! Hopefully others are doing the same.
Jorma,
Our family enjoyed your show last night. It was just great! Norm
I agree with the above comments x2. Thanks, For the fantastic performance. Knowing that Jack was sitting home halfway around the world playing along was very cool. Happy Birthday Jack. Stay well! I am really looking forward to next Saturday. I am going to float a question in advance…. Any plans to offer a workshop for harmonica players at the FPR.??? I would be there! Dennis.
Great show last night! Wonderful selection of tunes. Btw- I think of Vanessa as more of an Admiral.
Hey Jorma
You forgot ‘Barbeque King’.