Jorma Kaukonen With Tom Hobson – Quah 1974 (USA, Contemporary Folk,Acoustic Blues)

Jorma Kaukonen With Tom Hobson – Quah 1974 (USA, Contemporary Folk,Acoustic Blues)

Jorma Kaukonen’s first solo album was originally intended to be a duo record with Tom Hobson. Although the latter was credited on the cover, *Quah* is considered Kaukonen’s solo debut. Hobson and Kaukonen had known each other since the time before Jefferson Airplane. Hobson never really established a recording career of his own; in that sense, his contributions to *Quah* served as his debut. Ten years later, he released his only solo album, *Anyplace I Hang My Hat Is Home*.

The two had planned for each of them to fill one side of the record. The sessions took place in the autumn of 1972 and early 1973, but the project stalled when RCA refused to release the material, arguing that Hobson’s contributions lacked commercial appeal. Consequently, Kaukonen had to return to the studio to record enough additional songs to fill an entire album. Hobson’s role was reduced to providing vocals on "Blue Prelude" and "Sweet Hawaiian Sunshine," as well as guitar on "I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave."

Both Kaukonen and Hobson were deeply interested in country blues and fingerstyle guitar; the original concept was for the pair to perform everything themselves, using only acoustic guitars and vocals. Kaukonen brought in his kindred spirit, Jack Casady, to produce the album. Eventually, subtle arrangements for strings and woodwinds—composed by Tom Salisbury—were added to a few of the tracks.

Kaukonen wrote five of the songs himself, several of which were inspired by his marriage to Margareta Kaukonen, which was in the process of falling apart. Margareta also created the album cover, which depicts an angel leaving its nest. These five songs rank among some of the very best material Kaukonen had ever written. "Genesis," "Song for the North Star," and "Flying Clouds" were beautiful tracks featuring timeless melodies, atmospheric arrangements, and vocal performances at a level he had never approached before. In these, he stood firmly on par with Nick Drake and Neil Young during their finest acoustic moments. The three songs revolved around the difficulties in his relationship with Margareta, carrying a wistful tone that perfectly suited the stripped-back arrangements.

The aforementioned "I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave" was an engaging country-blues number that demonstrated the two musicians' profound grasp of the genre. The same held true for "I’ll Be All Right" and "I Am The Light Of This World"—both drawn from the repertoire of Kaukonen’s hero, Reverend Gary Davis, to whom he frequently returned. He also delivered fine versions of the traditional song "Another Man Done Gone" and Blind Blake’s "Police Dog Blues."

Casady and Kaukonen’s interest in speed skating was sparked during the 1972 Olympics, leading the two hippies to travel to Norway—to go ice skating (!). A stay in Hamar—where the weather was far too warm to maintain the outdoor ice—resulted in the laid-back, slightly bit