Get your own Free HomepageThe following is the press release for the grammy nomination.
"He is producing uncompromising music of spry grace and dignity." Washington Post
Jorma Kaukonen's critically acclaimed Columbia Records debut, Blue Country Heart, has been nominated for a GRAMMY in the Traditional Folk Category. On Blue Country Heart, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Kaukonen-a charter member of Jefferson Airplane and the equally legendary (and still active) Hot Tuna-engages the tradition of early country music. Recorded with a crew of all-star Nashville players including Sam Bush on mandolin, Jerry Douglas on dobro, Byron House on upright bass and special guest Bela Fleck playing banjo on two tracks, Blue Country Heart is a stunning collection of rural blues songs from the 1920s and 1930s. After 4 decades of performing and recording Jorma Kaukonen is in peak form producing what the Philadelphia Daily News hails as a "striking album accomplishment.a new beginning of sorts. Historic minded yet remarkably fresh sounding."
Exploring a little known chapter of American music history, Kaukonen offers what Billboard Magazine calls "masterful renderings of vintage fare" played as the London Times says "with perfect lightness of touch by a stellar acoustic band.the mood is as warm and easygoing as the music." Written mostly by white tunesmiths including Jimmie Rodgers, The Delmore Brothers, Slim Smith, Washington Phillips, Cliff Carlisle and Jimmy "The Singing Governor" Davis, the songs offer a timely look at how black and white people, especially musicians, were actively intermixing despite the time's rigid racial segregation. "It's not really blues in the traditional blues sense," Kaukonen explains, "It's a lot of this singer-songwriter stuff from the Depression era that has stuck with us over time." Perhaps the difficulty in categorizing this music speaks to its roots. "Stylistically it's very eclectic stuff but the tunes really register with people in the way that great folk songs do," says Kaukonen. "A lot of these tunes are just part of our cultural subconscious as Americans." ."
The 45th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday February 23, 2003 and will be broadcast live on the CBS Network at 8PM (ET/PT). Kaukonen continues to tour in support of the record joined by Blue Country, a rotating ensemble which includes Grammy winning slide guitarist Cindy Cashdollar (Asleep at the Wheel), renowned banjo player Tony Trishka, and mandolin virtuoso Barry Mitterhoff.
The Grammy was won by "Legacy" by Don Watson and David Holt.
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