It was an inevitable event,albeit laced with political ramifications and tainted with less deserving inductees but when Jefferson Airplane entered the pantheons of music immortality but it came as no surprize to all who know Paul Kantner and the music of the band. He is an enigma, not self indulgent as to his legacy nor is he dismissive when discussing the glory days when psychedelia reigned supreme and White Rabbit resonated across the globe. He isn't listed in The 100 greatest guitarist of all time nor is he adist those perceived as the ultimate singers in the history of the genre. He is however, an orchestrator, a lyricist and without his uncanny ability to coordinate musicians of various skills, the odyssey of Jefferson Starship would have reached a dramatic conclusion in the mid-seventies. Now, with the dawning of 2008 on the horizon, Paul is at the pinnacle of his musical genius, playing with Prairie Prine, Diana Mangano, Slick Aguilar, Chris Smith,David Freiberg, Linda Imperial, occasionally Marty Balin and Darby Gould. Some would digress in thought, some would say they cling to nostalgia but my contention is regardless of the genre, what band can verify musicians with greater abilities than those who now play with Paul? Who knows the longivity of this configuration but while he walks this planet, there will always be some version of Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship, and as it should be. He is whimsical, charming and defiant, political, opinionated and poignant and yet, knows the values of flower power, the counter culture and the cheers that ran rampant during the days of "free" concerts in The PanHandle & Golden Gate Park. He is a survivor and above everything else, we are lucky to have him with us. It is a touring time capsule for the most part but, those are the memories that defined all of us and we should all be aware that as long as he plays,and sings, the legend continues to grow. Occasional conversations will ultimately evolve in reference ot the migration sixties "hippiedom" but when the question arises as to is the last "true" hippie on the planet, Paul would have to be in the running.

Chet Helms, Terry Haggerty, David Nelson, Stanley Mouse, Dickie Peterson, all have the credentials of that communal aspiration and although Chet is now crossed over hie River Styx, there are but a handful of those who could carry that torch. He is a leader,a musical guru who knows who he is and his mission while on this planet. Most of us from the baby-boomer genre follow the musicians of the day and the music that The pundits of the era remember through books and movies, the denizens of the suburban area known as Haight Ashbury dream of those days of old, that augmented our personal life styles. For all that have succeeeded in their personal goals, it is a credit to Paul kantner & the music of his chosen bands that we give thanks. We continue to live vicariously through the tunes and, there is not a better way to see reality than through the songs of perhaps the world's greatest "rock" band and it's orchestrator, i.e., Paul Kantner.




Cheers

Don

Don Aters

www.haightstreetmusicnews.com