Jorma Kaukonen - Christmas (Candy Cane Edition) [Red & White]

Hot Tuna and Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen gives the holidays a bluesy, back-porch makeover on Christmas, here in the Candy Cane Edition on red and white vinyl.

Originally released in 1996 on Relix Records, the album sits a world away from glossy seasonal fare. Kaukonen recorded it with longtime friend and collaborator Michael Falzarano, who adds guitar and sleigh bells, and the pair wrote most of the material together rather than leaning on the usual standards, giving the album a personal, lived-in feel.

Three traditional pieces anchor the set. "What Child Is This?" becomes a delicate, intimate meditation, while "Silent Night" stretches out with patient, glowing reverence. Between them, Falzarano's "Christmas Blues" brings some wry, down-home grit, and the epic "Holiday Marmalade" unspools across more than eleven minutes, the kind of free-roaming ramble Hot Tuna fans live for.

Jorma also plays keyboards here, a rarity in a career defined by six strings, and it adds a homely warmth to the arrangements without crowding the guitars or the easygoing mood.

Equal parts carol book and blues session, it's a December record for listeners who like their eggnog with a little mud on the boots, and the candy-striped colours suit it perfectly, like a bow on top.