Those Good Shepherds of Classic Blues: Hot Tuna Returns

Those Good Shepherds of  Classic Blues: Hot Tuna Returns
Jorma Kaukonen, 81, and Jack Casady, 77, no longer look the way they did on this album cover for Hot Tuna from 1998, but their voices and playing still sound as sweet. Photo from Amazon.com

This year has already been marked with the deaths of many beloved entertainers and public figures (up to and including the death of fashion icons Andre Leon Talley and Thierry Mugler and spiritual guide Thich Nhat Hanh).

Rather than just finding it all depressing, there is a carpe diem message here: Sieze the day and if you’ve ever wanted to see someone perform a live show, now is the time. For many of us, the musicians we love the most are aging out. Buy those tickets, see that show.

Since we’re dwelling on death anyway: Most venues are requiring that you have proof of vaccines, and many shows are being canceled at the last minute.

There seems to be hope that the worst of omicron will be over by the end of January. Certainly (is anything certain anymore?) a show in April should be safe. Worst case, you’ll get a refund.

The particular performance  I’m steering you toward is scheduled for Saturday, April 30, at Infinity Hall in Hartford, Conn. On stage will be aging but still legendary acoustic and electric blues performers Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, who came together as teens, then helped create the original Jefferson Airplane and have continued to sing and play under the name Hot Tuna.

In Chicago, where I come from, the most authentic blues musicians always seemed to be the ones who were the most aged, who had seen a bit of life and whose voices had developed a whisky rasp. Jorma’s voice remains velvety, whether he’s singing the entire blues canon (much of it from the Rev. Gary Davis) or telling funny stories. And these two fingerpickers remain fit, fast and flexible on the strings.

Don’t miss them while you have the chance. Tickets are $60 to $85. Get information, watch a YouTube video of a Hot Tuna performance of “Good Shepherd” and pick your seats at www.infinityhall.com.

Latest News

Joseph Robert Meehan

SALISBURY — Joseph Robert Meehan the 2nd,photographer, college professor and nearly 50 year resident of Salisbury, passed away peacefully at Noble Horizon on June 17, 2025. He was 83.

He was the son of Joseph Meehan the 1st and his mother, Anna Burawa of Levittown, New York, and sister Joanne, of Montgomery, New York.

Keep ReadingShow less
Florence Olive Zutter Murphy

STANFORDVILLE, New York — It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Florence Olive Zutter Murphy, who went home to be with the Lord on June 16, 2025, at the age of 99.

She was born in Sharon, Connecticut on Nov. 20, 1925, and was a long time resident of the Dutchess County area.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chore Service hosts annual garden party fundraiser

Chore Service hosted 250 supporters at it’s annual Garden Party fundraiser.

Bob Ellwood

On Saturday, June 21, Mort Klaus, longtime Sharon resident, hosted 250 enthusiastic supporters of Northwest Corner’s beloved nonprofit, Chore Service at his stunning 175-acre property. Chore Service provides essential non-medical support to help older adults and those with disabilities maintain their independence and quality of life in their own homes.

Jane MacLaren, Executive Director, and Dolores Perotti, Board President, personally welcomed arriving attendees. The well-stocked bar and enticing hors d’oeuvres table were popular destinations as the crowd waited for the afternoon’s presentations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bach and beyond
The Berkshire Bach Society (BBS) of Stockbridge will present a concert by cellist Dane Johansen on June 28 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
Provided

The mission statement of the Berkshire Bach Society (BBS) reads: “Our mission is to preserve the cultural legacy of Baroque music for current and future audiences — local, national, and international — by presenting the music of J.S. Bach, his Baroque predecessors, contemporaries, and followers performed by world-class musicians.”

Its mission will once again be fulfilled by presenting a concert featuring Dane Johansen on June 28 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 29 Main Street, in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Keep ReadingShow less