Jorma Kaukonen Quah CD

By 1974, Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen had already started on his own path with his blues-rock side project, Hot Tuna, but with the Airplane's final flight behind him, he moved definitively beyond electrified psychedelic rock with his first solo album, QUAH. Most of the album is just Jorma and his acoustic guitar, and while this sparse format is ostensibly similar to some of the later Hot Tuna releases, it focuses much more on folk-tinged singer-songwriter balladry than on the country blues favored by Tuna. Those familiar with Jorma's Airplane ballads, such as "Good Shepherd," will recognize the sensibility at work here. Of course, there are some tracks where Jorma showcases his mastery of blues fingerpicking, and even some of the most overtly folkie tracks bear a bluesy tinge, but on the whole, QUAH is of a piece with the troubadour movement that was still all the rage in the mid-'70s.

On its first Sub Pop release, 2008's SUN GIANT EP, the heralded Seattle group Fleet Foxes presents a mesmerizing five-song set. Often recalling My Morning Jacket on the British folk kick, the young indie-pop act offers up plenty of sonorous vocal harmonies (most notably on the spare title track) and jangly acoustic-guitar lines (see the chiming "English House"), perfectly setting the stage for its highly anticipated full-length debut, RAGGED WOOD.

Quah -- Jorma Kaukonen's (guitar/vocal) solo debut effort -- was recorded and issued shortly after the dissolution of Jefferson Airplane in 1974. In contrast to the sonic indulgences of Grace Slick's Manhole or Paul Kantner and Jefferson Starship's Blows Against the Empire, Kaukonen retreated back to his folk-blues roots along with vocalist Tom Hobson -- who contributes to "Blue Prelude" and "Sweet Hawaiian Sunshine" -- to create this intricate acoustic masterwork. From the highly original artwork -- courtesy of Kaukonen's then-wife Margareta -- to the stark and beautiful melodies within the grooves, Quah is unlike any other recording from the era. Much of the album's vibe is strikingly similar to the final contributions that Kaukonen made to Jefferson Airplane. The most obvious and direct correlation being "Third Week at the Chelsea," which maintains much of the same intimacy as the tracks "Genesis," "Flying Clouds," and "Song for the North Star." Likewise, his admiration for folk, blues, and gospel -- which had first surfaced on the self-titled Hot Tuna debut release -- informs the content of this disc on his cover of Rev. Gary Davis' "I Am the Light of This World" as well as the haunting traditional blues "Another Man Done Gone"and Blind Boy Blake's understatedly ribald "Police Dog Blues." Tom Hobson's inimitable vocal delivery stands apart from Kaukonen's in a somewhat theatrical manner. His take on the noir torch song "Blue Prelude" could not be more dissimilar to the practically g

Recorded at Wally Heider Studios, San Francisco, California between 1972 & 1974. Originally released on Grunt (BFL1-0209). Includes liner notes by Jeff Tamarkin.

Personnel: Jorma Kaukonen (vocals, acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar); Tom Hobson (vocals, acoustic guitar); Daniel Kobialka, Anne Kish, Mischa Myers, Eva Karasik, Carl Pedersen, Nathan Rubin, Tom Haplin (violin); Edward Neff (fiddle); Mary Jo Ahlborn, Don Ehrlich, Miram Dye, Thomas Heimberg, Nancy Ellis (viola); Teressa Adams, Melinda Ross (cello); Arthur Krehbiel (French horn).

Liner Note Author: Jeff Tamarkin.

Recording information: Wally Heider's, San Francisco, CA (02/12/1973-05/20/1974).

Photographer: Jim Marshall .

Arranger: Jorma Kaukonen.

Personnel: Jorma Kaukonen (vocals, acoustic, electric & 12-string guitar); Tom Hobson (vocals, acoustic guitar); Tom Salisbury (arranger, conductor); Gene Tortora (dobro); Nathan Rubin, Thomas Halpin, Daniel Kobialka, Carl Pederson, Eva Karasik, Anne Kish, Mischa Myers (violin); Nancy Ellis, Miriam Dye, Mary Jo Ahlborn, Thomas Heimberg (viola); Melinda Ross (cello); Arthur Krebiel French horn).Entertainment Weekly (2/21/03, p.150) - "...The music encompasses glistening instrumentals, bucolic blues covers, and a few of Kaukonen's own square-jawed ballads..." - Rating: A