You Don't Have To Be Jewish,To Love The Jefferson Airplane

++Bob Dylan,Mike Bloomfield,Dave Bromberg. But wait --Jorma Kaukonen is Jewish? 

++This past weekend the Dailykos on their blues post had a string of Jorma playing the blues from the Jefferson Airplane days through today. Even at 74, Jorma's finger-picking style remains in fine form. 

++This year he has just released "Ain't in No Hurry" and resides in Athens, Ohio at his Furpeace Ranch with his wife. You can still take lessons with Jorma and Jack Cassidy if you want to wander over there.

++In today's Times of Israel, Jorma talks about his rediscovery of his Jewish roots that occurred when his wife converted to Judaism. It is a fun read with Jorma going to the synagogue in West Virginia and being greeted by a man wearing cowboy boots and a hat saying, "Shalom, you'll." 

++Many of us know about Jorma growing up in Alexandria as the son of a State Department official. But I certainly didn't know anything about his grandparents who came from Russia and Norway. 

++Jorma bought his first electric guitar by selling his Israel Bonds his grandfather gave him as a gift. 

++Jorma recounts his revisiting with relatives to recall his grandparents' days in Connecticut. 

++No, there will be no reunion of the Jefferson Airplane this year--their fiftieth anniversary. That's because Grace Slick doesn't sing anymore.

++The interviewer for the Times of Israel pushes it when he tries to interpret spirituality in the Plane's songs. Jorma points out that some were Rev. Gary Davis' songs and that the zeitgeist of the 60s was infused with religious sentiment. 

++I wish Jorma would return this year as he has done with Jack over the last decades to play at the Birchmere. He's still great after 50 years. 

++Enjoy the article. It's a rare view of a fine musician.