JEFFERSON STARSHIP: ‘JEFFERSON’S TREE OF LIBERTY’
EVANGELINE RECORDS: GELM 122
RELEASE DATE: out now
BAND FOUNDER PAUL KANTNER REINVIGORATES FOLK CLASSICS THAT FIRST SPARKED LEGENDARY CAREER MORE THAN 4 DECADES AGO
(New York, NY) The legendary Jefferson Starship is at it again. Moving forward by reaching back, and in doing so, daringly casting a light for a new generation of change-makers riveted by the group’s first new studio album in a decade, Jeffersons’ Tree Of Liberty. The eighteen song CD finds the group harnessing rare gems from the great folk tradition that inspired the rock n’ roll hall of fame band more than four decades ago.
The brainchild of singer/songwriter/band co-founder Paul Kantner (and co-produced by band manager Michael Gaiman, recurring Jefferson Airplane/ Jefferson Starship fixture and Quicksilver Messenger Service founder David Freiberg and Paul Kantner), the album mixes it up with Jefferson’s trademark knack for defying fans’ expectations as well as their own, introducing a soaring new female voice on many of the songs, Cathy Richardson, and tapping rock icon and original Jefferson treasure Grace Slick to appear on the album’s mesmerizing, bonus track Easter Egg.
The album includes immortal compositions by folk trailblazers such as Woody Guthrie, Pastures Of Plenty, (with a memorable Freiberg arrangement first heard in 1963) Bob Dylan, Chimes Of Freedom, Phil Ochs’, I Ain’t Marching Anymore,” (with additional lyrics added by Richardson), and a deeply moving acoustic mashup of John Lennon’s Imagine and Bob Marley’s Redemption faithfully delivered by Richardson. Kantner also shares his lifelong affinity for the Weavers, the revered folk quartet founded by Pete Seeger whose insightful and harmonic stylings were topped off by lone female Ronnie Gilbert. “It’s no accident that we have three female singers on this album,” says Paul. “The Weavers were one of the reasons I ever wanted to sing with a woman in the first place.” Originally envisioning a folk-inspired/Weavers’ laced album years ago, the disc includes heartfelt interpretations of Weavers classics like the poignant Kisses Sweeter Than
Wine and a rollicking Wasn’t That A Time.
Producer Michael Gaiman (who helped select tracks and created the Lennon/Marley acoustic mash) says the chemistry between original band members, newcomers and featured players made Jefferson’s Tree of Liberty one of the more flowing Jefferson concoctions.
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