CD of the Week February 10-February 17, 2001

Hot Tuna

Hot Tuna

RCA

I have been a big Hot Tuna fan for quite a few years now and I own many of their albums, but somehow I never picked up their self-titled 1970 debut until recently. Hot Tuna is basically comprised of Jorma Kaukonen on guitar and Jack Casady on bass. Over the years several other players of note have come though the Tuna circle including Papa John Creach and Pete Sears, but the heart of Hot Tuna remains Jorma and Jack. Both Jorma and Jack played in Jefferson Airplane, but they had known each other for years before that in Washington D.C. They had a mutual love of the blues and old time music and they worked up a sizable repertoire while jamming in hotel rooms on tour with the Airplane.

On this release bay area harmonica player, Will Scarlett, joins Jorma and Jack. The whole disc was recorded live at the intimate New Orleans House, which was a coffee house in Berkeley.

The discs features lots of material that would show up again and again on future Tuna live albums, but these early versions have a special energy to them. In a lot of ways Hot Tuna was an escape from the hectic super stardom of the Airplane and Jorma and Jack seem to be having tons of fun on this recording. Most of the tunes are old blues standards with a few originals sprinkled in. Jorma has a special connection with the music of Rev. Gary Davis and he covers several of Davis’ songs here including "Candy Man" and "Death Don’t Have No Mercy". No one does Gary Davis better than Jorma except maybe the Reverend himself. Jorma is one of the best guitar players out there and these acoustic songs are a great showcase for his intricate fingerpicking style.

Another thing that makes this CD so fun is that the recording is so good. There is a real ambiance to the sound that makes you feel like you are there at this little coffee house in Berkeley back in 1970 listening to an embryonic version of Hot Tuna. At one point at the beginning of "Uncle Sam Blues" you can hear somebody in the audience drop a glass. You might think that this would be a distraction, but it only adds to the warm atmosphere of the recording.

If you decide to check this CD out, be sure you get the newer reissue which was released in 1996 and features superior sound along with 5 bonus tracks.