Ain’t In No Hurry

A Rock and Roll Hall of Famer already, Jorma Kaukonen has nothing left to prove. For the past 45 years—first with Jefferson Airplane and then for four decades as a solo artist as well as with his band Hot Tuna—the man has celebrated the American roots and blues classics of such forebears as Reverend Gary Davis and Jesse Fuller, while simultaneously penning and performing a substantial treasure trove of his own acoustic and electric compositions. Today, Kaukonen, 74, operates his home life and music endeavors on his own terms from his Fur Peace Ranch, in the rolling hills of southeastern Ohio. On his latest solo release, the all-acoustic Ain't In No Hurry, Kaukonen and a cast of friends (including Hot Tuna/Jefferson Airplane band mate Jack Casady) offer some sweet new tunes that show off his lyrical wisdom and still-spry guitar-picking (e.g., “The Other Side of the Mountain,” “Seasons in the Field”), plus a handful of covers of classic American blues and rock songs, including a reverent version of the standard “Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out” and even a twangy update of Hot Tuna's “Bar Room Crystal Ball.”