As some of you may know, I’ve been photographing and writing about live music for ParklifeDC for several years. Combining my love for photography and live musical performance is a real treat and a wonderful privilege.
Last week I saw Hot Tuna perform at the Lincoln Theatre in Mt. Vernon, Washington. Although I’ve seen Jorma Kaukonen perform a couple times over the past 40 years, I had never seen the original Hot Tuna, Jorma and Jack Casady, play.
In my review for ParklifeDC I wrote: “The duo, both now in their 80s, may be more grizzled, more lines drawn on their faces, but they play with the disciplined abandon of virtuosos, the joy evident in their body language and a pleasure the audience clearly shared. Jorma and Jack have been friends (and off and on bandmates) since 1958…But throughout the concert, I was drawn less to the songs and more toward the interactions of the two artists onstage. The two friends would chuckle at interesting or unexpected song variations, Jorma forgetting a lyric, or playing a bum note that only they heard-the audience none the wiser… The performance encapsulated nearly everything for which Hot Tuna (acoustic or electric) is renowned: faithfulness to the blues, marvelous improvisational skills, and an uncanny telepathic connection between the musicians.”
The entire review and more images can be found here. Thanks for reading and sharing. Jorma and Jack will be continuing their acoustic Hot Tuna tour into early next year. Far from a reunion or (shudder) a farewell tour, these performances will be just what they’ve always been: two longtime friends playing the music that they, and so many of us, love.
All photographs @ Mark Caicedo/PuraVida Photography)
