RST – I was just reviewing what you did last year. You had a great year last year.
Jorma – We did have a great year last year.
RST – Could we walk through some of the highlights?
Jorma – go right ahead
RST – Starting in January, you performed at The Bottom Line with Merl Saunders. Can you talk about these shows and your relationship with Merl?
Jorma – Well, Merle and I have known each other peripherally for years. But I really loved that. That was a fun evening. I had never heard Merle play solo before. I keep forgetting what a resume of expertise Merle has and what he does. I’ve heard him doing his B-3 thing, and playing with bands and stuff, but to hear him play piano solo! And that kid playing horn was unbelievable! That was really a treat, and we got to do some stuff together, it was really fun, ‘cuz I’ve never seen Merle like that before.
RST – And then in April you were in Vermont and you played with Trey Anastasio.
Jorma – Oh right, at Higher Ground. That was fun. Trey is married to a friend of mine’s sister…. it’s a small world….I had no idea. We’re up there playing the show, he says he’s gonna come by and I said “great!” He’s a real sweet guy, and we said “you wanna sit in and play a song, what do you wanna play?” I think he wanted to….I think we did Genesis and ah…
RST – AK-47
Jorma – Yeah, AK-47, and I think we might’ve done another, maybe we just did two…
RST – Rider I think? (Note – referring to the traditional Know You Rider)
Jorma – Yeah, yeah we did Rider, it was really neat.
RST – Are you familiar with his career with his band?
Jorma – No, you know something, I’m really not, ‘cuz I pretty much only listen to blues and country music. But I know that they’re huge. I know that they’re absolutely huge, and he’s a great guitar player. I was (watching him play) and thinking, “oh, that’s great.” Not everybody that’s huge is great, but he is great.
RST – So, he just came down on his own.
Jorma – His brother-in-law is one of the honchos with the club, and he pretty much just came down on his own. We got to talking’, nice guy, we got along…. And, let’s play.’
RST – And then later in April, correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe it was your first trip to the Merlefest.
Jorma – My first, and I’m goin’ again this year.
RST – Yeah, six sets, right?!
Jorma – Yes.
RST – What was your experience there? You played with Rowan (former Bluegrass boy, legendary performer Peter Rowan), with Bookbinder (one of the granddaddy’s of finger style blues guitar, Roy Bookbinder)….
Jorma – …you know, we got onto Merlefest because of Roy’s inter-session on our behalf. Over the years my…ah…very colored rock and roll background has sometimes hampered me with the more authentic festivals, you know. Although, John Hartford was just at our camp doing a show recently, and we were talking about rock ‘n roll. He says my rock ‘n roll will be old timey music before long. I said, “you’re right, that’s true.” And then I’ll get to go to all the festivals, you know, because he’s playing all that old timey stuff. But anyway, when Roy heard the “Too Many Years” album. Roy and I have been friends for a many years, and he’s always been kind of critical of my work. It’s not this. It’s not that, you know. He listened to that all the way through, and I was like, man Roy listened to the whole CD! What’s up with this?!? He says, “you finally sound like you always wanted to.” And I was like, “wow, I can’t believe this!” And I really like the CD too. So, I tended to agree with him. Well, Roy has something to do with the booking of the blues stage. I don’t know what it is, whether he’s a “booker emeritus” or if he actually has a job, but he got us on the show. I was absolutely thrilled. I’m from the DC area. I grew up listening to bluegrass music. I love it; I was just in heaven. It was a pleasure to play with these guys, you know. Roy, and I got to do some stuff with Sam Bush. I mean, I got to play with Jerry Douglas for God’s sake!
RST – He’s incredible! He gets some sounds out of that dobro that are unimaginable.
Jorma – I know!
(Both laugh)
RST – Then in June you were on the Conan O’Brien show. Do you know Jimmy Vivino, is that how that happened?
Jorma – Jimmy is a friend of Michael’s. It was the first time I had met him but what a sweet guy he is – excellent guitar player. That was funny too, they have their rehearsal, you know, and Jimmy and guys in the band, their little green room thing says “the cats” on it. And they really are the cats by the way, these guys can really, really play. I got in there and they said, “what do you wanna play?” I said, “I don’t know what do you want to play?” He mentioned a couple of things, he said “do you remember ‘Come Back Baby I Wish You Would,’” and I said, “kind of, I know two riffs” and he said “that’s all you need, you’ll be fine, if you forget something just pretend you’re B.B. King and sing and don’t worry about it.” So, we did some stuff that I kind of knew, but they all knew it perfectly because that’s how the band is. It was great. I relearned a couple of songs playing on that Conan show with Jimmy and the boys.
RST – Somebody To Love, (classic Grace Slick sung Jefferson Airplane tune) when was the last time you played on that?
Jorma – with Jimmy
RST – Well, before that.
Jorma – Oh, who knows? Probably on the Furthur Festival or something like that, but, years ago.
RST – I noticed you even played White Rabbit at The Bottom Line (another Slick sung Airplane song, I believe Jorma had not performed since 1989, excepting Furthur Festivals).
Jorma – Not only did we play it, we had a singalong with it.
RST – with the crowd singing?
Jorma – Yeah, Michael led a singalong of White Rabbit. (Laughs) Where do you get all of this stuff?
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