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Jorma Kaukonen: Revisiting Americana

As a founding member of Jefferson Airplane, Jorma Kaukonen helped define psychedelic rock in the '60s with his masterful guitar work. Now, with more than a dozen solo albums on his resume, he adds a new collection of acoustic blues and country called River of Time. In a session with host David Dye, Kaukonen performs and discusses the record's mix of original material and covers — and talks about Fur Peace Ranch, a guitar camp in which he instructs anyone from novices to accomplished musicians.

The new album, which features drummer Levon Helm, explores the root of Kaukonen's love for music by revisiting elements of blues and country. Featuring six originals and several interpretations of classic tunes, he links each track with glowing instrumentals and nostalgic themes of family and friendship. River of Time displays some of Koukonen's strongest songwriting to date, backed by playful musical arrangements.

This story was originally aired on May 5, 2009.

Copyright 2009 XPN