When you think of the name Jorma, you might think of Jorma Ollila, the chairman and former CEO of Nokia Corporation. Or, you might think of Jorma Taccone, a writer/actor/director who is part of the music group The Lonely Island. But most people in music think of Jorma Ludwik Kaukonen, Jr, the blues guitarist of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna. He turns the ripe young age of 71 today, 4 years older than his beloved bassist Jack Casady. Both of them were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 as members of Jefferson Airplane. In the spirit of the season, let’s take a look at Jorma’s seventh solo studio album, simply entitled Christmas (sorry, Casady fans-he’s not on this one).
The opening track, “Downhill Sleigh Ride”, is a bouncy instrumental country/blues song that really shows the give and take between the guitars of Jorma and Michael Falzarano. Of course, the sleigh bells are a nice touch. Jorma tells a lovely story of Santa having to recruit someone to deliver the presents in a pickup truck in “Christmas Rule,” a ‘talking’ blues number. While the lyrics should make you laugh, don’t forget about the nice catchy music underneath. The first traditional number is “What Child Is This?” even though the electric guitars are trying their hardest to play over the melody. It’s almost too much to concentrate on. Luckily, we get a typical Jorma tune in “Christmas Blues” and it’s one of only times one will ever hear Jorma on keyboards.
“Journey of the Three Wise Men” has more keyboard effects that definitely give the instrumental number a wintery feel. The next traditional number is “Baby Boy” and although the musical accompaniment is sparse, the three-part harmony between Jorma, Falzarano, and Fred Bogert is a joy to hear. The guitars get plugged back in for “You’re Still Standing” and this country party tune has great piano fills to accompany the group vocals. The last traditional tune is “Silent Night” and this time, everybody gets in on the fun of singing over Jorma’s acoustic guitar. The soft keyboard harmonies are a perfect touch.
Unusual for a Christmas album, next we hear an 11-minute jam session in “Holiday Marmalade,” with many guitar solos and keyboard solos over some blues changes and even “Silent Night” again. It’s a great number that normally wouldn’t be found on a seasonal record, but Jorma fans will love it anyway. The bells playing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” for the final “Holiday Segue” is just the cherry on top of this Christmas classic.
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