Jefferson Airplane

On this day, January 11th, 2024, we at Grateful Web celebrate what would have been Albert Hofmann's birthday. His serendipitous discovery of LSD not only revolutionized the field of psychopharmacology but also left an indelible mark on the cultural and musical landscapes of the 20th century.

Jorma Kaukonen, a luminary in American rock and blues, boasts a career that intertwines with significant musical movements and personal artistic endeavors. Celebrating his 83rd birthday today, December 23rd, 2023, it's an opportune moment to delve into his rich and varied journey in music, emphasizing his pivotal roles in Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna, as well as his commendable solo ventures.

Last Thursday night, the Paramount Theatre in Denver, Colorado became the setting for the world to bid farewell to the electric configuration of the legendary group Hot Tuna. Forming in 1969 and powered by the renowned chemistry of Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, Hot Tuna originally came together as a side project to the duo’s full-time gig in Jefferson Airplane.

On Saturday, October 14, a loving and celebratory, 200-guest Station Hall audience at Jorma Kaukonen’s famous eastern Ohio guitar camp, Fur Peace Ranch, cheered on the guitar legend and his Hot Tuna bandmates Jack Casady and Justin Guip through a passionate, late-afternoon concert of electric blues, ballads and tougher stuff.

For the lovers of classic San Fran rock, echoes of history, and the spirit of giving, December 2nd, 2023 is a date to mark on your calendars. In a stirring tribute to a moment that shaped music history, Jack and Jorma will return to the Fillmore in San Francisco, the very stage where, 58 years prior, they ignited the audience as members of the Jefferson Airplane during Bill Graham's inaugural show.

When you hear the name Jorma your mind completely overloads with memories of a distant time and place. You cannot help but relive the sounds of the '60s and '70s. This was an era of movement through music that has left an undeniable and unforgettable impression on humanity, social awareness, and musical culture that spans this big round spinning sphere. I really have no idea where to begin other than to convey my deepest respect to Jorma Kaukonen. He is a pioneering father figure of the San Francisco psychedelic musical awakening.

Even by his usually busy standards, 2023 looks to be a pretty chunky year for the pioneering West Coast rock guitarist Jorma Kaukonen. Usually, he and his stellar faculty of musical masters are holding a full schedule of workshops by now at the music camp, Fur Peace Ranch, which he runs with his wife Vanessa out of Pomeroy, Ohio.

Mercury Studios will release on July 7 a special three-CD boxed set of Hot Tuna, in-concert from the ‘90’s. Complete with full acoustic band—no drums—at The Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, California two nights in a row, and at Stove’s in Yokohama, Japan. Originally released by Relix in the ‘90s, then reissued/remastered with bonus tracks by Eagle Records in 2004, the box will house for the first time all three shows in one sterling package complete with poster.

Mercury Records will release A Night At The Family Dog (1970), Go Ride The Music and West Pole (1969), three psychedelic trips down memory lane, on May 12 as a 2 DVD package, complete with new artwork and ‘60s-styled poster. All three films were originally produced and created as groundbreaking television documentaries by Ralph J. Gleason [1917-1975] who did more than any other journalist to hip the world to what was shakin’ in San Francisco in the late ‘60s.

In a career that has already spanned a half-century, Jorma Kaukonen has been one of the most highly respected interpreters of American roots music, blues, and rock. A member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a Grammy recipient, Jorma was at the forefront of popular rock and roll, one  of the founders of the San Francisco sound and a progenitor of Psychedelic Rock. He is a founding member of two legendary bands, Jefferson  Airplane and the still-touring Hot Tuna.

Archived news