The guy who taught me my first chords was taking lessons from Jorma at Santa Clara University. That when and where the Airplane started. I was talking to Jorma in the early 1990s when he was in town. He was looking at a cassette tape of these songs and told me it would have been 1962.
It's crazy how he already had it completed and sounding so nice so early on. I guess Jorma's glad this made it into surrealistic pillow. And we all are. Thanks to Marty and Paul to have pushed him to record this majestic piece to make that masterpiece of an album the perfect masterpiece.
He said it was during a break in the studio he was playing it and the engineer had kept the tape rolling. Marty and Paul actually to get Jorma to join the band had to pay him a wage or no deal. He was doing quite well attending college and giving music lessons after class then playing coffee houses for tips and pay. Electric guitar was all new to him as was trying to riff when he had been finger-picking old time music for a while. I asked him if he had noticed that he had now actually come full circle and is doing now what he did in the 1950s! And he is a lucky SOB... I told him to write a book too, he said he didn't think so, maybe... Now I see he has written his autobiography
So, when you first heard the song on “Surrealistic Pillow” when it was released in ‘67, and you thought, “Wow, that guy must have practiced that for a long time…” now you know it was even longer…
SJ born and raised, my first recollection of Embryonic J. was through Surrealistic Pillow LP, 45 yrs later.. still one of my faves. This tune has infinite staying power. Thanks Jorma!
The piece of music has been bringing me pleasure for 54 years, Thanks for posting this early recording. Somehow I got a very slight “Living in the Country” by Pete Seeger vibe that I never got off of the Surrealistic Pillow version. Happy Birthday Mr. Kaukonen!
One of my favourite Airplane songs. And this incredible rendition blows the famous version away. The details of the picking are so much more precise. Wow.
Yes, 3 low strings in a drop D then become a D chord. Using the thumb you can play an alternating walking bass line and fingers can play a melody. Some greats on guitar can do some really complicated but excellent stuff!
interprétation? No. It is the real guy that wrote the actual song and was also a member of Jefferson Airplane, in fact named the band then he went on to form Hot Tuna with his lifelong friend Jack Casady not an interpretation! Gracias
Ahhh, drop D Tuning; nice. Ive experimented around with the unorthodox D tunkng Jimmy Page uses in "Black Mountain Side" and it seems to lend itself (the tuning) really nice to playing all sorts of cool phrases and passages; if I could recall offhand I'd post it here for you other guitar players, but I can't remember... You can look it up in about 10 seconds nowadays, lol 🙂
Yes it is. It was when he attended Santa Clara University and was giving lessons. Airplane was just about to start which would have been 1965 they started performing locally. I recall a bumper sticker, the first psychedelia I had ever seen-wavy lines with "Jefferson Airplane" intertwined. Jorma passed through here in the 1990s and I visited him backstage and brought him a copy that had 12 songs from the same gig. I asked if he recalled it and he said No but he looked at the song titles and said "This woulda been 62." I assumed the songs were the clue to him and which ones he was performing at the time. He was a very busy guy going to classes and teaching guitar and gigging almost full time. When The Beatles broke out finding an available guitar instructor was actually hard to do in San Jose. Every young guy had a guitar it seems overnight. Jorma hesitated about starting up with Paul and Marty then agreed only if they paid him! Plus fingerpicking was almost an unknown style at that time. It was something my grandfather did and he was doing his best to imitate the star of his era which was Chet Atkins who had numerous songs on radio in the late 1940s. The style never struck me as interesting until Hot Tuna. I am going to shut me up in a manner of speaking but if I am wrong then Jorma is wrong but you can hear his youthfulness in his voice!
@@cravinbob CB, I don't recall Airplane ever playing in San Jose in the early days. I went with Jorma to his first performance and it was at the Pearce Street Annex in San Francisco. At this time, The Syndicate of Sound, The Otherside, Chocolate Watchband and The Count Five were the main local bands with Credence Clearwater coming down from Berkeley for a few gigs here and there. I will say, I first met Jorma in 63-64 but there was no airplane there. Seems to me, Paul was giving banjo lessons by SJSU.
I did the entire thing except the photography which was images from an image search on google. The color non-Jorma pics were screen shots from G-Force by Sound Spectrum. The performance recording was mine and an older friend's by the name of C F Anderson in San Jose. Reel-to-reel on 3M tape and this was a portion transferred to a budget reel tape then later to cassette. There exists 2 reels worth but their location is unknown at this time.
He was my guitar teacher and he taught me this song in 1964, so yes, it's 1962.
Now that's about as loaded a RUclips comment as I've ever read!
unbelievable for me. wow wow wow.
The guy who taught me my first chords was taking lessons from Jorma at Santa Clara University. That when and where the Airplane started.
I was talking to Jorma in the early 1990s when he was in town. He was looking at a cassette tape of these songs and told me it would have been 1962.
It's crazy how he already had it completed and sounding so nice so early on. I guess Jorma's glad this made it into surrealistic pillow. And we all are. Thanks to Marty and Paul to have pushed him to record this majestic piece to make that masterpiece of an album the perfect masterpiece.
He said it was during a break in the studio he was playing it and the engineer had kept the tape rolling. Marty and Paul actually to get Jorma to join the band had to pay him a wage or no deal. He was doing quite well attending college and giving music lessons after class then playing coffee houses for tips and pay. Electric guitar was all new to him as was trying to riff when he had been finger-picking old time music for a while. I asked him if he had noticed that he had now actually come full circle and is doing now what he did in the 1950s! And he is a lucky SOB... I told him to write a book too, he said he didn't think so, maybe... Now I see he has written his autobiography
@@cravinbob Been So Long Jorma's book. Its good
@@lastnamefirst4035 Did you go to the link and download more of his old recordings i have?
@@cravinbob no. What link? If u can give it to me Ill check it out
@@lastnamefirst4035 app.box.com/shared/20o9rl1dp8
When Jorma plays, he lights up stars!
Nice that you explained his tuning.
So, when you first heard the song on “Surrealistic Pillow” when it was released in ‘67, and you thought, “Wow, that guy must have practiced that for a long time…” now you know it was even longer…
SJ born and raised, my first recollection of Embryonic J. was through Surrealistic Pillow LP, 45 yrs later.. still one of my faves. This tune has infinite staying power. Thanks Jorma!
He’s absolutely amazing and brilliant!
The piece of music has been bringing me pleasure for 54 years, Thanks for posting this early recording. Somehow I got a very slight “Living in the Country” by Pete Seeger vibe that I never got off of the Surrealistic Pillow version. Happy Birthday Mr. Kaukonen!
Yes! Good call
Beautiful song
Always loved this track/album ("Surrealistic Pillow" I think)
I used to listen and this everyday...
One of my favourite Airplane songs. And this incredible rendition blows the famous version away. The details of the picking are so much more precise. Wow.
I concur. Audial gifting for decades.
I really love this tuning
Yes, 3 low strings in a drop D then become a D chord. Using the thumb you can play an alternating walking bass line and fingers can play a melody. Some greats on guitar can do some really complicated but excellent stuff!
@@cravinbob is it standard tuning with drop D?
early jorma!!!!!....nice!!!!
nice, thanks
1 of My favourite pieces of acoustic instrumentals by anyone, I can imagine Lyndsey Buckingham pulling this off, I'd love to hear him try it
Excellente interprétation !
interprétation? No. It is the real guy that wrote the actual song and was also a member of Jefferson Airplane, in fact named the band then he went on to form Hot Tuna with his lifelong friend Jack Casady not an interpretation! Gracias
@@cravinbob Sorry , Thanks but I Know !
This song is about 61 years old now!
Ahhh, drop D Tuning; nice.
Ive experimented around with the unorthodox D tunkng Jimmy Page uses in "Black Mountain Side" and it seems to lend itself (the tuning) really nice to playing all sorts of cool phrases and passages; if I could recall offhand I'd post it here for you other guitar players, but I can't remember... You can look it up in about 10 seconds nowadays, lol 🙂
When passion embraces brilliance, this is the result. Absolutely stunning. Thanks for posting!
Glad you enjoyed it!
thanks for sharing :) would love to premiere this on my YT channel. LMK if that is a possibility
Go ahead!
epic
First I’ve heard of this .
Of "this"? What do you refer to?
I like the pic at the end. Like the one of Johnny Cash😂
Why does the title say Jerry?
He was billing himself that way in his early coffee house days.
Are we certain this is from 1962?
I am also skeptical of the year on this one.
Yes it is. It was when he attended Santa Clara University and was giving lessons. Airplane was just about to start which would have been 1965 they started performing locally. I recall a bumper sticker, the first psychedelia I had ever seen-wavy lines with "Jefferson Airplane" intertwined.
Jorma passed through here in the 1990s and I visited him backstage and brought him a copy that had 12 songs from the same gig. I asked if he recalled it and he said No but he looked at the song titles and said "This woulda been 62." I assumed the songs were the clue to him and which ones he was performing at the time. He was a very busy guy going to classes and teaching guitar and gigging almost full time. When The Beatles broke out finding an available guitar instructor was actually hard to do in San Jose. Every young guy had a guitar it seems overnight. Jorma hesitated about starting up with Paul and Marty then agreed only if they paid him! Plus fingerpicking was almost an unknown style at that time. It was something my grandfather did and he was doing his best to imitate the star of his era which was Chet Atkins who had numerous songs on radio in the late 1940s. The style never struck me as interesting until Hot Tuna.
I am going to shut me up in a manner of speaking but if I am wrong then Jorma is wrong but you can hear his youthfulness in his voice!
@@cravinbob CB, I don't recall Airplane ever playing in San Jose in the early days. I went with Jorma to his first performance and it was at the Pearce Street Annex in San Francisco. At this time, The Syndicate of Sound, The Otherside, Chocolate Watchband and The Count Five were the main local bands with Credence Clearwater coming down from Berkeley for a few gigs here and there.
I will say, I first met Jorma in 63-64 but there was no airplane there. Seems to me, Paul was giving banjo lessons by SJSU.
Very, very nice. Good recording and a very nice collage. Who recorded this?
I did the entire thing except the photography which was images from an image search on google. The color non-Jorma pics were screen shots from G-Force by Sound Spectrum. The performance recording was mine and an older friend's by the name of C F Anderson in San Jose. Reel-to-reel on 3M tape and this was a portion transferred to a budget reel tape then later to cassette. There exists 2 reels worth but their location is unknown at this time.
@@cravinbob Thanks for the info, a good story.
Folkier and woodsier.