DESCRIPTION:
Thanksgiving Tuna is a New York tradition. For nearly four decades, Hot Tuna, in various iterations, has been coming to town to kick off the holiday season. In addition to Jorma and Jack, the current core members include Barry Mitterhof on mandolin, Skoota Warner on drums and, when available, G.E. Smith. Hot Tuna shows, however, have always been parties at which friends are welcome. The 2010 weekend celebrating Jorma's 70th birthday attracted a long list of stellar musicians with whom the band has crossed paths over the years. John Hammond, Steve Earle, Warren Haynes, Bruce Hornsby and Bob Weir were among the guests appearing over two spectacular nights. Subsequent years kept the tradition going, with David Bromberg, Steve Kimock, Bob Margolin and husband and wife Larry Campbell and Theresa Williams joining the jam.

The 2013 shows were more about back to basics, with only Larry Campbell and Theresa Williams on hand. Rather than two nights at the Beacon, the Friday show was an intimate acoustic set at the nearby Concert Hall. Larry's multi-instrumental talents -- fiddle, guitar and pedal steel -- more than compensated for any lack of personnel, and Theresa's vocals softened the edges while still hitting major highs. After a Friday night of folky gospel and blues, the Saturday show at the Beacon confirmed Tuna's range with a powerful electric performance. From Jack's opening bass solo to a rare cover of the Airplane's "Someday To Love," the energy and musicianship were exceptional, with special shout-outs to Skoota's drums and Theresa's vocals.

Jorma has meticulously maintained live recordings of all Hot Tuna shows, hundreds of which are available through iTunes. The soundtrack here [all music legally purchased] is from the 2010 70th birthday show, available on CD and DVD.