For years now I have had this dream in my head: to go to Nashville and record great, old country songs with some of America's finest bluegrass musicians. Songs from back when country borrowed extensively from its across-the-railroad-tracks accomplice, the blues. It all came true last Janaury, when my campadres and I courted some of the best tempo, balance, musicianhip, and mood from the first chord struck to the fade on the very last note played. When I listen to the finished songs with my eyes closed . . . it fills my blue country heart.
Jorma Kaukonen, April 2002, CD cover notes for Blue Country Heart
. . . a great mixture of the old country, blues and bluegrass music that influenced Kaukonen as he was growing up, served up by some of the best pickers in Nashville these days. . . . Jorma Kaukonen's Blue Country Heart combines two generations of musicians who all have a great time with the classic material, and deliver a CD that's a real pleasure.
George Graham, 2002
. . . a magnificent blend of bluegrass, country, and country blues that is full of fine picking. The album has more dimensions than Kaukonen's familiar fare with Hot Tuna yet retains enough elements to appeal to faithful fans.
Mike Skidmore, The Boston Globe, July 5, 2002