Founding member of Jefferson Airplane to play at MUH

How to go

Who: Jorma Kaukonen

When: 7:30 p.m. April 16

Where: Parrish Auditorium, Miami University Hamilton, 1601 University Blvd.

Cost: $22 adults; $20 seniors, faculty and staff; $15 students and youth, plus per-ticket fees. (513) 529-3200

HAMILTON — When Jorma Kaukonen plays a concert at Miami University Hamilton next week, he won’t need to fly the Jefferson Airplane.

That’s because the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and founding member of Jefferson Airplane is a Buckeye, living in Darwin, not far from Athens. When he comes to Parrish Auditorium, he will play songs by Jefferson Airplane — they just won’t be the best-known tunes.

“You won’t hear ‘White Rabbit’ or ‘Somebody to Love,’ but you’ll hear more of those acoustic Jorma-type songs,” Kaukonen said.

Indeed, the whole show will have an “unplugged” feel to it.

“I’ll be playing with my buddy Barry Mitterhoff, who will play mandolin and other instruments. If you don’t like the sound of a plucked string, this is not going to be the show for you. But if you do like it, it’s going to be a dandy,” Kaukonen said.

The concert will plumb not only the Jefferson Airplane catalog, but also that of Hot Tuna, with whom Kaukonen still tours.

“I’ve been doing this for so many years — decades — so there’s a lot of material to draw from,” he said.

Howard Epstein, coordinator of the Miami Artist Series, said, “We wanted someone who could do country, blues and other kinds of acoustic music.”

In addition to playing music, Kaukonen also teaches it, through his Fur Peace Ranch guitar camp in Meigs County. He’s actually a native of Washington, D.C., but has strong ties to Ohio, having attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs.

“I wasn’t in Ohio for a long time, but I had a connection with the place. I fell into the piece of property (in Darwin.) I came from upstate New York in 1989 and said ‘I’ve got a good feeling’ on this. I’m a small town kind of guy, and I love the sense of community,” he said.

Contact this reporter at (513)

705-2836

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erobinette

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