Hot Tuna at the Highline Ballroom

More than 50 years ago, Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady met as teen-agers living in Washington, D.C., and soon began jamming together. Casady was a lead guitarist and Kaukonen was a rhythm guitarist then. While in college, Kaukonen became enamored of Rev. Gary Davis' finger picking style and began imitating it, while Casady, still in high school, began applying his guitar style to the bass. Kaukonen moved to San Francisco, California, and performed in folk clubs. He was invited to help form Jefferson Airplane, and he recruited Casady as bassist. The Airplane, one of the most successful bands of the 1960s psychedelic scene, went on hiatus in 1969 while vocalist Grace Slick recovered from throat node surgery, so the remaining members began playing live as Hot Tuna. The early sets consisted of Jefferson Airplane songs and covers of American folk and blues songs. Although originally an offshoot of Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna's live album in 1970 helped establish the group as a fixed entity of its own, even as the group frequently changed personnel and alternated between acoustic blues and electric rock.

The two night engagement at the Highline Ballroom was billed as "Hot Tuna Acoustic Duo feat. Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady." Tonight, the second night, Hot Tuna performed two sets of a dozen songs each. The two sat on stools as Kaukonen sang and played acoustic guitar and Casady played electric bass. The repertoire featured songs from Hot Tuna and Kaukonen solo albums and even two Airplane songs, "Trial by Fire" and "Good Shepherd." Leaning in the direction of Kaukonen's forthcoming acoustic solo album, the evening's set focused more on songs by Rev. Gary Davis (seven songs!) and other traditional folk and blues songs than on Hot Tuna originals. Virtually all of the songs were nearly a half century old and many of the songs, including "Hesitation Blues", "Mama, Let Me Lay It on You" and "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" were first recorded before any members of Hot Tuna were born. Their performances were classic, however. Kaukonen had a natural voice for down-home blues and his finger-picking skills were extraordinary. The only ambience missing was a wooden porch and a swing.

Hot Tuna returns to the Beacon Theatre on December 13, 2014. That show is billed as "Jack Casady's 70th Birthday Bash - Electric Hot Tuna w/ Marty Balin and special guests G.E. Smith, Larry Campbell, Teresa Williams and Justin Guip." Visit Hot Tuna at www.hottuna.com.