Happy Birthday Jorma Kaukonen | Jamming With John Bell
By Scott Bernstein Dec 23, 2014 • 2:00 pm PST
We’d like to wish a very happy birthday to Jefferson Airplane/Hot Tuna guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, who turns 74 today. The Washington, D.C. native co-founded Jefferson Airplane and was a key member of the band through their “dissolution” in 1972. In 1969 Jorma founded Hot Tuna with fellow Airplane member Jack Casady and the pair have kept the group going through the present day. 
On July 4, 2000 Jorma sat in with Widespread Panic (as well as Merl Saunders) at The Warfield in San Francisco on a number of songs including one of Kaukonen’s most beloved originals -“Genesis.” Panic first covered “Genesis” way back in 1987 and have continued to perform the song every once in a while ever since. Brothers Geoffrey and Christopher Hanson documented Widespread Panic’s Summer Tour 2000 for the riveting 2002 film The Earth Will Swallow You. Within the movie, we get to see Jorma and John Bell team up backstage at The Warfield for a gorgeous rendition of “Genesis.” Check it out:
