The greatest rock guitarist that ever lived passed away in 1970, but his music lives on. Literally: According to Jimi Hendrix archivist John MCDermott, a 1969-1970 team-up with CSNY vet Stephen Stills might soon see the light of day. Throw in a sweeping exhibit on Hendrix's towering influence at Seattle's Experience Music Project (EMP), and you've got two more reasons to stop calling Clapton, or any other guitarist, God.
Now the bad news: There's more Stills than Hendrix in the forthcoming collaboration. A source close to the project told MusicRadar.com that "we have tapes in our archive -- Jimi on guitar and bass -- plus Stephen had some from his 1970 solo album that he wanted to finish, fix and mix. From a musical point of view, it's definitely Stephen with Jimi helping -- as opposed to a joint collaboration. But it is still a very nice project."
To be sure, any project with Hendrix on a guitar of any kind qualifies as "nice." But if you want to get a closer look on how the Seattle guitar legend shaped the course of popular music, check out the Experience Music Project's ongoing exhibit "Jimi Hendrix: An Evolution of Sound." You'll have plenty of chances: The exhibit, which features the ax master's guitars, timeline, cultural influence, innovations, sound effects, films and much more in passive and interactive installations, is staying put until 2010.
It's full of insight. A mock stage shows the sci-fi buff reading Philip Jose Farmer's 1966 book Night of Light, from which Hendrix divined the lyrics for "Purple Haze." An interactive display shows off his groundbreaking use of sound effects, which set the table for further experimentation in rock. Better yet, EMP is offering iPod audio guides, rather than its clunky old-school gear.
It's a brave new musical world, thanks to Hendrix. Do you agree? Was Jimi the finest rock guitarist to ever turn a right-handed six-string upside down, re-string it, and change the course of music history?
Photo: EMP/Peter Riches
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