Jimi Hendrix - Godfather

Jimi Hendrix is a godfather of 20th century music. He was an innovator, pushing musical boundaries and expanding horizons. His stature is equal to other greats like Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Santana, Herbie Hancock, DJ Premier, Rakim, etc. Originally from Seattle, he went on to play all over the states and abroad. Most of us know him for his popular commercial albums but there is a giant archive of material which was never properly released. Many of these studio sessions and live shows were lovingly transferred and restored by reel to reel collectors. Distributed mostly among a small network of die-hard fans., much of his musical experimentation remains in obscurity. That only a few major albums came out during his lifetime is partly due to his early demise, but it's also the same sad evidence for ever-present mismanagement of talent in the music industry. This kind of ham-fisted bungling also amounted to a significant detraction from hip hop's glorious rise in the early/mid 90's. It's nothing new and continues to this day.

That's why we at T.R.O.Y. are dedicated to bringing to your attention contemporary artists whose talent is real and who deserve exposure whether or not the music industry is on the train. This kind of grassroots attention is also very much the thrust of our new effort, Steady Bloggin'.

Contrary to common perceptions that his style was mostly acid rock, in his many studio sessions, Jimi reveals himself to be something of a jazz virtuoso, an acoustic philosopher of exceptional depth and clarity. At times he is a salty blues man, a swaggering comic. During his live shows crowds often wanted to hear the hits, leading to him to pursue radically different avenues off the stage. Had he lived it is highly likely he would have been involved in the budding genre of hip hop as well. Even though he died too young, his imprint on our cultural psyche is mythical and iconic. Many hip hop artists have sampled Jimi. While purists charge that this defaces his music, the more sane among us see such sampling as a way of paying homage to his far-reaching influence. The mans legacy was only partly known to be generous.

It is a shame that so gifted a musician had such limited releases. This in spite of the avalanche of output between 1968 and his untimely death in 1970. The young and brilliant have a way of being snatched by the jaws of death at the doorstep of opportunity. We have to ask ourselves what the world be like if Hendrix had lived? Tupac? Is the passing of Tony D another manifestation of how helpless we are to the vagaries of human frailty ? Music expresses more than language has ever been capable of.

This compilation I assembled contains some very rare gems. There are also a few of his more well known studio jams which have circulated on small independent labels putting out his unknown catalog to collectors, fans, suckers and fanatics for the last 30+ years.

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01 (03:33) jimi hendrix - driving south
02 (03:44) jimi hendrix - untitled jam (record plant 5-15-69)
03 (05:09) jimi hendrix - pali gap
04 (03:00) jimi hendrix - gypsy sunset (unreleased studio outtake)
05 (07:07) jimi hendrix - little one take 2 (olympic studios 1-26-68)
06 (06:46) jimi hendrix - third stone from the sun
07 (04:58) jimi hendrix - tax free
08 (01:20) jimi hendrix - wah wah
09 (05:38) jimi hendrix - beginnings
10 (01:43) jimi hendrix - funky blues jam (date, location unknown)
11 (03:04) jimi hendrix - look over yonder (rough mix, ttg studios, 10-68)
12 (04:43) jimi hendrix - straight ahead
13 (03:21) jimi hendrix - come down hard on me
14 (01:41) jimi hendrix - farther on up the road

I hope y'all dig the change of pace. If you want to hear some more of Jimi's mostly unheard archives leave some comments and I'll do my best to fill your requests!

--Schenectadyfan

Editor's Note: Schenectadyfan's musical tastes run wide and deep, and his painstaking regionally-themed compilations must be heard to be believed. If you dig this post and just happen to be interested in the hip hop music from Seattle that Schenectady recommends, click here.