Talks & Entertainment

The name Hot Tuna invokes as many different reactions as there are Hot Tuna fans — millions of them. To some, it’s a reminder of some wild and happy times. To others, that name will forever be linked to their own discovery of the power and depth of American blues and roots music. To newer fans, Hot Tuna is a tight, masterful duo that is on the cutting-edge of great music.

Jorma and Jack, two kids from 1950s Washington, D.C., knew that they wanted to make music. They played, and they took in the vast panorama of music available in the nation’s capital, but found a special love of the blues, country, and jazz played in small clubs. In the mid-1960s, Jorma was invited to play in a rock‘n’roll band and summoned Jack to play bass. The striking signature guitar and bass riffs in the now-legendary songs by the Jefferson Airplane were the result.

Through the years both Jorma and Jack have undertaken projects with other musicians and done solo projects but Hot Tuna has never broken up,  nor have the two boyhood pals ever wavered in one of the most enduring friendships in music.

Jorma and Jack certainly could not have imagined where the playing would take them. It’s been a long and fascinating road to numerous, exciting destinations. Two things have never changed: They still love playing as much as they did as kids in D.C. and there are still many exciting miles yet to travel on their musical odyssey.