''Jefferson's Tree of Liberty'' is the tenth album by Jefferson Starship, released on September 2, 2008.[] It is the band's first studio album since 1999's ''

Windows of Heaven ''Windows of Heaven'' is Jefferson Starship's first studio album since reforming in 1992 and ninth album overall. It was first released in Germany, but the band told fans to wait for a new American remixed version. The single "Let Me Fly" was re ...

''. The new album includes cover songs from Irish, American, English, and Latin-American traditions. The title is a reference to

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

's quotation, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." The idea began in 2003 as "The Cuba Project", which was to include classic protest and folk songs recorded in Cuba. In 2008 the album was finally recorded but in California. About half of the songs planned for The Cuba Project were used on the final cut, with other songs coming from Jefferson Starship's previous repertoire and another project band member

Paul Kantner Paul Lorin Kantner (March 17, 1941 – January 28, 2016) was an American rock musician. He is best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist, and vocalist of Jefferson Airplane, a leading psychedelic rock band of the counterculture era. He con ...

had planned called "On the Threshold of Fire." The promotional tour for the album began in late June with shows at

Larkspur, California Larkspur is a city in Marin County, California, United States. Larkspur is located south of San Rafael, at an elevation of . As of the 2020 Census, the city's population was 13,064. Larkspur's Police Department is shared with that of the ...

followed by tours in the US and Europe before the album's release, and continued through December 2008 with a further tour in the US and a tour in Japan. On February 1, 2009, more tour dates and venues were announced by the band's manager Michael Gaiman, with additional plans to continue the tour through 2010 and bring it to Australia and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

.
/ref> David Grisman joined the band for the April 2009 tour dates. The band's promotion for the album ended in June 2009 as the band changed their set-list to Jefferson Airplane's

Woodstock Festival Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aquar ...

material and started touring with the " Heroes of Woodstock" through the end of October.

Planning and production

The Cuba Project

In 2003, Paul Kantner published a book of Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship lyrics, entitled ''Lyrica: Paul Kantner's Theory of Everything''. In the book, a new album is mentioned as "es posible?", entitled "The Cuba Project: Flores de la Noche." Marty Balin had been pushing for a classic style Jefferson Starship album, but Kantner and manager Michael Gaiman pushed for the idea of recording older protest songs in Cuba. A song list and Gaiman's notes were published along with the Lyrica book, which included 21 songs selected by Kantner, Balin and Gaiman. Manager Michael Gaiman had visited the

University of Havana The University of Havana or (UH, ''Universidad de La Habana'') is a university located in the Vedado district of Havana, the capital of the Republic of Cuba. Founded on January 5, 1728, the university is the oldest in Cuba, and one of the firs ...

to set up recording for the band, but the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

wouldn't allow the venture. The next plan was to record in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

, but the financing could not be put together and the project was left in limbo as the band continued to tour.

Personnel changes

In 2007

Marty Balin Martyn Jerel Buchwald (January 30, 1942 – September 27, 2018), known as Marty Balin (), was an American singer, songwriter, and musician best known as the founder/leader and one of the lead singers and songwriters of Jefferson Airplane and J ...

began to tour less with the band, turning a majority of his time to taking care of his disabled daughter.

Prairie Prince Charles Lempriere "Prairie" Prince (born May 7, 1950) is an American drummer and graphic artist. He came to prominence in the 1970s as a member of the San Francisco–based rock group The Tubes, was a member of Jefferson Starship from 1992 to 2 ...

decided to leave after being with the band since 1992. Diana Mangano also left around the same time and was replaced by vocalist Cathy Richardson. Once Richardson joined the band, Gaiman and Kantner decided the time was right to record the album, partly to have an album ready in time for the 2008 US presidential elections. The album would be recorded in California. As the band's personnel continued to change, it was uncertain who would participate in the new album. At the time studio sessions began, the band consisted of Paul Kantner, Slick Aguilar, Chris Smith, Cathy Richardson, Donny Baldwin, and David Freiberg. The band made the decision that the album would be mostly acoustic, so band member

Slick Aguilar Mark "Slick" Aguilar (born 1954) is an American guitarist. He has worked with a number of notable musicians but is probably best known as a member of Jefferson Starship. From 1974-1980 he was an in house guitar player for TK studios in N. Miami ...

did not contribute on most of the songs included. Although

Donny Baldwin Donald Baldwin (born June 22, 1950/1951) is an American drummer best known as a member of Jefferson Starship (1982–1984; 2008–present) and its continuation Starship (1984–1989). Early life Baldwin was raised in Palo Alto, California. He att ...

now handled the drums on tour, Prairie Prince returned for the studio sessions.

was to have recorded lead vocals for a cover of

Bruce Cockburn Bruce Douglas Cockburn ( ; born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. His song styles range from folk to jazz-influenced rock and his lyrics cover a broad range of topics including human rights, environmental issues, p ...

's "

If I Had a Rocket Launcher "If I Had a Rocket Launcher" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn, from his 1984 album '' Stealing Fire''. The song was inspired by Cockburn's visit, sponsored by Oxfam, to Guatemalan refugee camps in Mexico following the coun ...

" and

Buffalo Springfield Buffalo Springfield was a rock band formed in Los Angeles by Canadian musicians Neil Young, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin and American musicians Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. The group, widely known for the song "For What It's Worth", rele ...

's "

For What It's Worth "For What It's Worth (Stop, Hey What's That Sound)" (often referred to as simply "For What It's Worth") is a song written by Stephen Stills. Performed by Buffalo Springfield, it was recorded on December 5, 1966, released as a single on Atco Reco ...

" but his art touring schedule conflicted with studio sessions and he could not attend. Instead, manager Gaiman took the track "Maybe for You" that had appeared on the German version of ''

'' and substituted it for Marty's contribution. Richardson and

David Freiberg David Freiberg ( ; born August 24, 1938) is an American musician best known for contributing vocals, keyboards, electric bass, rhythm guitar, viola and percussion as a member of Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane, and Jefferson ...

recorded vocals for other songs that had been planned for Balin.

Jack Casady John William "Jack" Casady (born April 13, 1944) is an American bass guitarist, best known as a member of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna. Jefferson Airplane became the first successful exponent of the San Francisco Sound. Singles including " S ...

appears on "Maybe for You" but did not participate in the recording of the album. Kantner and

Grace Slick Grace Slick (born Grace Barnett Wing; October 30, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter, artist, and painter. Slick was a key figure in San Francisco's early psychedelic music scene in the mid-1960s. With a music career spanning four decades, ...

's daughter China attempted to convince Slick to sing again, but she did not want to return to performing. Gaiman convinced Slick to let the band use a previously unreleased recording from 1970 and Slick's vocals appear on the hidden track at the end of the album. Previous Jefferson Starship vocalists Diana Mangano and

Darby Gould Darby Marie Gould (aka Darby Venegas) is an American vocalist best known for her work with Jefferson Starship and World Entertainment War. Over the years she has developed a loyal following based on her passionate, soulful vocals and intense stag ...

also contributed vocals to the album.

Final cut

The final cut of the album includes about half of the songs originally planned. Other material included on the album include songs that Jefferson Starship has been performing since 1992 but had not committed to an album previously, including "Frenario" and

World Entertainment War World Entertainment War was an American funk rock band, formed in 1986. They recorded four records before disbanding in 1993, and then played reunion concerts in 2000 and 2001, and again in 2009. The band describes itself as “a benevolent medi ...

's "In a Crisis." Also included are several songs that Kantner had learned from

The Weavers The Weavers were an American folk music quartet based in the Greenwich Village area of New York City originally consisting of Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman. Founded in 1948, the group sang traditional folk songs fr ...

, adding his own lyrical twists to them, "Wasn't That a Time", "Follow the Drinking Gourd", "Santy Anno", and "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine." "Santy Anno" had been planned for a solo project entitled ''On the Threshold of Fire.'' Kantner folded several songs he had been writing together to create his new version of "On the Threshold of Fire." "Cowboy on the Run", a song from Freiberg's previous band,

Quicksilver Messenger Service Quicksilver Messenger Service is an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. The band achieved wide popularity in the San Francisco Bay Area and, through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe, ...

is also included. "The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood" was not intended for the album until Darby Gould on the first day of mixing wanted to redo her vocals for "Genesis Hall." Gaiman instead suggested that she record another song, but it would have to be a cappella. They settled on covering

Sandy Denny Alexandra Elene MacLean Denny (6 January 1947 – 21 April 1978) was an English singer who was lead singer of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention. She has been described as "the pre-eminent British folk rock singer". After briefly w ...

's version of "The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood." In a nod to the band's past the album features a small image of the cover art to the 1974 Jefferson Starship album '' Dragon Fly'' on its rear cover.

Bill Thompson / Grace Slick lawsuit

Around March 2007, the band performed some concerts to advertise

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washin ...

's product,

Windows Vista Windows Vista is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was the direct successor to Windows XP, which was released five years before, at the time being the longest time span between successive releases of ...

and were paid $100,000. Although Kantner had been using the name Jefferson Starship since 1992, it was in fact a violation of the agreement he had signed in 1985 when he had left the band. Bill Thompson as manager of Jefferson Starship sued Kantner for using the band name.

was named as plaintiff along with Thompson. The album was in production at the time the case was going to court, and Slick remains uncredited on the album. The case was however settled in April 2008, with Kantner agreeing to pay a license fee to Thompson and Slick to be able to use the name Jefferson Starship indefinitely.

Promotion and tour

The album was promoted in several different ways. In addition to the band's own website, a Myspace page was started with several tracks from the album available for listening. The band also posted a live performance of "Chimes of Freedom" to

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

, and later added a video montage of the studio sessions set to the studio version of the same song. In June, 2008, 3 days of concerts featuring Kantner, Freiberg, Richardson, and Smith were held in Larkspur near

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

with performances of Kantner's previous albums ''

Blows Against the Empire ''Blows Against the Empire'' is a concept album by Paul Kantner, released under the name Paul Kantner and Jefferson Starship. It is the first album to use the "Starship" moniker, a name which Kantner and Grace Slick would later use for the band J ...

'', ''

Baron von Tollbooth & the Chrome Nun ''Baron von Tollbooth & the Chrome Nun'' is a collaborative studio album by Jefferson Airplane members Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, and David Freiberg, released in May 1973. All of the trio's then-fellow Jefferson Airplane members, John Barbata, ...

'' and all the tracks from the new album. In addition, several "listening parties" were held where fans in attendance along with press could hear the album in its entirety before the band itself performed. After the June concerts in Larkspur, several concerts in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

including listening parties followed. In late July, a tour of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

began. Slick Aguilar could not tour outside of the US, so Jeff Pevar and John Ferenzik took over guitar duties, and Tony Morley joined the band playing rhythm guitar, mandolin, and percussion.
/ref> The European tour ended shortly before the album's release and the American tour resumed on the release date of the album, with Aguilar returning and with

joining the band for some of the American concerts. The band decided to tour in two different configurations: for the most part they would perform as an acoustic ensemble with Kantner, Freiberg, Richardson, and Smith; and occasionally they would play a full electric set and include Aguilar, Baldwin, and sometimes Balin. The tour continued throughout 2008 with a tour of the East Coast, West Coast, and Midwest of the United States. In November, Kantner, Smith, Richardson, and Freiberg left the mainland and performed in Hawaii followed by a tour in Japan, with Tony Morley joining again in Japan. Balin was scheduled for the Hawaii concerts, but did not attend. A further tour was announced in February 2009 covering several US states, the UK, and Holland. In April, the electric version of the band joined David Grisman as "The Jefferson-Grisman" project for a series of performances in April. In June, Jeff Pevar joined the band as bassist, and the band changed its focus from the album to Jefferson Airplane's Woodstock Festival material touring in the electric configuration with

Tom Constanten Tom Constanten (born March 19, 1944) is an American keyboardist, best known for playing with Grateful Dead from 1968 to 1970, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Biography Early career Born in Long Branch, N ...

Canned Heat Canned Heat is an American band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1965. The group is noted for its efforts to promote interest in blues music and its original artists and rock music. It was founded by two blues enthusiasts Alan Wilson and Bob ...

Ten Years After Ten Years After are a British rock group, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Between 1968 and 1973, the band had eight consecutive Top 40 albums on the UK Albums Chart. In addition, they had twelve albums enter the US ''Billboar ...

Big Brother & the Holding Company Big Brother and the Holding Company is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965 as part of the same psychedelic music scene that produced the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Jefferson Airplane. After some i ...

, and

Country Joe MacDonald Joseph Allen "Country Joe" McDonald (born January 1, 1942) is an American musician who was the lead singer of the 1960s psychedelic rock group Country Joe and the Fish.Richard Brenneman"Country Joe McDonald Revives Anti-War Anthem", ''Berkeley ...

for a tour known as " Heroes of Woodstock."

Track listing

Track listing and author list from liner notes

Personnel

Personnel information from official page and liner notes

The Main Ten

– vocals, 12-string acoustic guitar, banjo, glass harmonica, 'George Harrison' lead guitar, 12-string electric guitar *

– vocals, acoustic guitar, washboard guitar * Cathy Richardson – vocals, harmonica, acoustic guitar *Chris Smith – piano, bass, squeezebox, drone, pennywhistle, string synthesizer *

– tremolo and 'Soldano' electric guitar on "Genesis Hall", lead guitar on "Maybe for You" *

– drums, snare, kick, bodhran *

– drums (supporting tour) *

– vocals on "Genesis Hall", "In a Crisis", and "The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood" *Diana Mangano – vocals on "Royal Canal" and "Commandante Carlos Fonseca" *

– acoustic guitar and vocals on "Maybe for You"

Featuring

* David Grisman – mandolin on "Frenario" and "Pastures of Plenty" *

– vocals on "Surprise Surprise" (uncredited)

Additional personnel

David LaFlamme David LaFlamme (born May 4, 1941 in New Britain, Connecticut) is an American singer and violinist best known for his longstanding association with the San Francisco band It's a Beautiful Day. LaFlamme's mother was from a Mormon family in Salt La ...

– violin on "Wasn't That a Time" *Michael Gaiman – flat-picked acoustic guitar on "Wasn't That a Time" *Michael Eisenstein – acoustic guitar on "Wasn't That a Time" *

Barry Sless Barry Sless (born December 22, 1955) is an American musician from Baltimore, Maryland. He is plays both traditional six-string guitar and the pedal steel guitar. Performances with *Section 8 * David Nelson Band *Phil and Friends *Moonalice * Ki ...

– pedal steel guitar on "Cowboy on the Run" and "In a Crisis" *The Wailin' Cowgirls (Cathy Richardson, Linda Imperial) – vocals on "Cowboy on the Run" *

– bass on "Maybe for You" *

T Lavitz Terry "T" Lavitz (April 16, 1956 – October 7, 2010) was an American keyboardist, composer and producer. He is best known for his work with the Dixie Dregs and Jazz Is Dead. Biography Born on April 16, 1956, Lavitz grew up in New Jersey. He s ...

– keyboards on "Maybe for You" *The I-Jays (Paul Kantner, David Freiberg, Darby Gould) – vocals on "Imagine Redemption" *Alexander Kantner – electric bass guitar on "On the Threshold of Fire" *Paul Lamb – French horn on "On the Threshold of Fire" *Jack Traylor – vocals on "Surprise Surprise" (uncredited)

Production

*Michael Gaiman – manager, producer, mixer, art & booklet design, layout & direction, liner notes *David Freiberg – producer, mixer, additional recording, liner notes *Paul Kantner – producer, mixer, liner notes *Paul Lamb – engineer, mixer *Cathy Richardson – additional recording *John Ovnik – additional recording *"Surprise Surprise" recorded at Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco, October 27, 1970 *"Maybe for You" recorded at Coast Recorders in San Francisco, 1998 *Recorded at Renegade Studios in San Rafael, March 16–30 and May 14–18, 2008 *Additional recording at FreeMountain studios and in Chicago *Paul Stubblebine – mastering *Rebecca Baltutis, Jesse Obstbaum – art & booklet design, layout & direction *Mike Thut – photography

Release history

References

External links

*
Jefferson's Tree of Liberty on myspaceJefferson Starship YouTube page
{{Authority control Jefferson Starship albums 2008 albums Folk albums by American artists Covers albums