JIMI HENDRIX

THE FIRST TIME I HEARD JIMI HENDRIX WAS HIS SONG"FIRE", HE FREAKED ME OUT WITH HIS SINGING AND GUITAR WORKS-LEONG.

THE LEGACY OF JAMES MARSHALL HENDRIX 1942-18/9/1970 WRITTEN BY CHARLES SHAAR MURRAY

JIMI HENDRIX WAS A TALL SKINNY BLACK MAN WITH A HUGE MESS OF HAIR- LIKE DYLAN'S-ONLY A YEAR LONGER- AND HE WAS PLAYING A LEAN WHITE STRATOCASTER, LEFT HANDED AND UPSIDE DOWN- PLAYING IT FROM HIS CROTCH LIKE IT WAS GROWING OUT OF HIM.
HIS VOICE WAS SOFT AND DRAWLED, AS UNLIKE THE EMPHATIC THEATRICALITY OF THE GREAT BLUES MEN OR THE FRENETIC SCORCHING HISTRIONICS OF THE SOUL SINGER AS IT WAS DISTANT FROM THE SNEERING FRUSTRATION EVINCED BY MICK JAGGER OR ROGER DALTREY.
HELL HE SOUNDED LIKE A BLACK DYLAN AND AS HE SANG, HE COAXED AND TWISTED AND CARESSED THE STRAT SO THAT IT HOWLED AND YELPED AND PURRED AND GROWLED AND THEN HE LIFTED THE DAMN THING TO HIS MOUTH AND WENT DOWN ON IT AND BIT THE NOTES OFF LIKE RAZOR BLADES AND THEY FLOATED UP LIKE DOVES ,THE NOTES FLOATED - HELL YES-LIKE BUTTERFLIES AND STUNG LIKE BEES.
JIMI HENDRIX WHERE DID YOU COME FROM AND HOW COULD ANYBODY PLAY THE GUITAR LIKE THAT?
AT THE ISLE OF WRIGHT FESTIVAL IN AUGUST 1970 HE ANNOUNCED HOW HE WANTED TO THANK US FOR A GREAT FOUR YEARS AND THAT HE WILL SEE US ALL AGAIN....SOMEWHERE ,SOMETIME.
HE HAD IT ALL. HE PLAYED AS MEAN AND TOUGH AND DERANGED AS PETE TOWNSHEND, AS SPEEDY AND SNEAKY AND CRAZY AS JEFF BECK AND AS FUNKY AND BLUESY AND EMOTIONAL AS ERIC CLAPTON,PLUS HE HAD STUFF GOING FOR HIM THAT NOBODY ELSE EVEN THOUGHT EXISTED.
HE USED THE TREMELO BAR ON THE STRAT- A GADGET THAT HAD BEEN SCORNED AND DISCARDED BY EVERYBODY SINCE HANK MARVIN- TO BEND AND MELT NOTES AND CHORDS LIKE SO MUCH MUSICAL CANDLE WAX.
JIMI HENDRIX STOOD AMONG GUITAR PLAYERS LIKE A TITAN AMONG ANTS.
IN THE MOVIE "WOODSTOCK" HE GAVE A EPIC, HEROIC STAGGERING PERFORMANCE OF "THE STAR SPRANGLED BANNER" A UNIQUELY POWERFUL STATEMENT. A PASSIONATE STATMENT OF LOVE, HATE AND CONFUSION FOR THAT ENTITY WITH WHICH A MAN UNDERGOES HIS DEEPEST AND MOST COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP - HIS COUNTRY.
THE CORPOREAL BODY OF JIMI HENDRIX REACHED TERMINAL MALFUNCTION IN MONIKA DANNEMAN'S APARTMENT.
IN THE BEST AND TRUEST SENSE JIMI HENDRIX LIVES. HE LIVES IN MY BRAINS AND MY SOUL, AND IN THE BRAINS AND SOUL OF ALL THE PEOPLE THAT HIS MUSIC AND HIS SPIRIT TOUCHED AND I'M SURE, AS SURE AS I AM OF ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD THAT, THAT SPIRIT IS STILL OUT THERE SOMEWHERE.....
STONE FREE.