Jorma Kaukonen
Quah

Voice and acoustic guitar, nothing more.

 That was enough for Jorma Kaukonen to create, in 1974, this little masterpiece, as well as his solo debut.

Historic guitarist of Jefferson Airplane, he left them in '74 to return to his musical roots, the sweet sounds of blues and country, leaving the harder and psychedelic sounds he experimented with previously.

 With the help of his friend Tom Hobson, also a guitarist and singer, Jorma churned out eleven extraordinary tracks, which were re-released in 2003 by BMG Heritage, with the addition of four unreleased tracks.

 "Quah" is an album that hits the mark from the very first listen: starting with the famous "Genesis", the roots of which are traced back to the troubled marriage with his first wife Margareta (who also created the album cover). It's a sad and dreamy love song, a perfect blend of Kaukonen’s enveloping and nasally voice and the splendid guitar arpeggios, with a touch of strings in the background.

From here, the sweet descent into the magical atmosphere the album creates: passing through "I'll Be All Right", "I Am The Light Of This World", "Another Man Done Gone", and "Police Dog Blues", tributes to the great bluesmen of the past and particularly to Reverend Gary Davis, who most influenced our Jorma, and also the inspirer and master of the fingerpicking technique, extensively showcased on this album.

 And how can we not mention the intense "Song for The North Star", also dedicated to his (ex-) wife? Or "Blue Prelude" and "Sweet Hawaiian Sunshine", two little gems for the exceptional guitar work, this time sung by Tom Hobson?

Originally, the work closed with "Hamar Promenade", inspired by the snowy Norwegian landscapes and described by Kaukonen as a stream-of-consciousness song ("What does it mean? I don't know, whatever it meant to me at the time"): two interwoven guitars for a unique, thrilling emotion.

Emotions, however, always alive, even in the unreleased tracks, which integrate perfectly with the atmosphere of the whole album, without breaking its harmony: we have two beautiful entirely instrumental pieces, "Lord Have Mercy" and "Midnight In Milpitas", and two blues once again sung by Tom Hobson, who delivers his best vocal performance.

What can I say, an excellent work, complete, magical, where each track has that extra something that pushes you to listen to it over and over again, never disappointing, never tiring.

A must-have.

[And when we came out into view
And there I found myself with you
And breathing felt like something new
Along with you
Going along with you

- Genesis -]