Band of Gypsys

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Performer: Jimi Hendrix
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Following the breakup of the Experience, Hendrix took a sabbatical in Woodstock, New York, hooked up with bassist Billy Cox, his old Air Force running mate, and began jamming with a wide variety of musicians, including R&B drummer Buddy Miles. Hendrix had become self-conscious about his image as a showman and rocker, and about the limitations of thrashing through the same repertoire night after night. BAND OF GYPSYS was an attempt by Hendrix to redefine himself, and in a way heralded his return to the ethos of the blues and R&B, a return assisted by a powerhouse, groove-oriented rhythm section. During their brief tenure as a band, Band Of Gypsys performed New Year's Eve at the Fillmore East, and this live recording captures some of Hendrix's most monumental solos, particularly his long, intensely emotional improvisation on "Machine Gun" (including the screeches of bombs and gunfire) and his pithy blues work on "Who Knows." Buddy Miles's "Them Changes" illustrates Hendrix's mastery of funk, while "Message of Love" and "Power of Soul" demonstrate his remarkable ability to provide a simultaneous rhythm accompaniment and melodic counterpoint to his vocals, in the blues tradition of Robert Johnson. BAND OF GYPSYS was markedly different from Hendrix's work with Experience, but rivals it in terms of scope, vision, and beauty.

Rolling Stone (5/28/70, p.48) - "...Hendrix really gets into his guitar playing....This album is Hendrix the musician. With just bass and drum support he is able to transfuse and transfix on the strength of his guitar work alone..." Down Beat - 3.5 Stars - Very Good

Of all the artists to emerge in the late 1960s, none inspired greater awe than Jimi Hendrix. After touring with numerous R&B bands, the guitarist moved to London in 1966 and assembled the Jimi Hendrix Experience. His U.S. return at the Monterey Pop Festival, an intense star-making performance, began a rollercoaster of fame, drugs, and musical triumph that ended with his death at 27. In his short lifetime, Hendrix completed three remarkable studio albums and brought a fire and emotion to rock music that no one had heard before, leaving the world to wonder what he might have done had he had a little more time.

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