Jorma Kaukonen on Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna, Dylan, McCartney, Santana, Little Richard, quarantine concerts, new music, and rocking the Suffolk Forum in the 70s
Hello and welcome to the Boston Harold Video Podcast.
My very special guest today is Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Jorma Kaukonen, best known as a founding member of both Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna.
It was an honor to speak with Mr. Kaukonen, someone whom I've admired since the early 1970s. When Jorma appeared on my Zoom feed for the interview, he immediately put me at ease. This was one of the most enjoyable interviews I've ever conducted.
Jorma was up for anything, so not only did we discuss some of his current projects (The new album The River Flows with John Hurlbut, the Fur Peace Ranch, his Quarantine Concert Series on You Tube, and his Psylodelic Gallery), but we also took a deep dive into the past. Jorma talked about the Airplane, Tuna, jamming with Little Richard and Carlos Santana, hanging with Paul McCartney c. 1966, playing a rooftop gig just weeks before the Beatles did, touring with Bob Dylan in 1999 as part of Phil & Friends, recording with Al Schmitt (Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Neil Young's On the Beach, and Bob Dylan's standards albums), rocking the Suffolk Forum (a.k.a. the Commack/Long Island Arena) in the 70s, and the GOP coopting a legendary 1969 album cover image. ("Paul (Kantner) would have loved that!")
Dig!
As long as my lettuce is crisp"
- CRACKS IN THE FINISH (Jorma's Blog)
- FUR PEACE RANCH (Jorma actually built a city on Rock and Roll!)
- FUR PEACE YOUTUBE CHANNEL (Home of the Quarantine Concerts)
- PSYLODELIC GALLERY (Facebook)
- BREAKDOWNWAY.COM (Online lessons)
- TOUR DATES