Band of Gypsys - Jimi Hendrix (1970)
a selection of live albums I love
Even though he was only really in the spotlight for 4 years, Hendrix had a massive impact on popular music in a way that very few artists have.
The three studio records he released in his lifetime were with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, the trio featuring two UK musicians who were (hot take incoming) not nearly talented enough to properly support Hendrix’s amazing abilities. Nearly every second of the famous studio tracks is all Hendrix, with Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell trying admirably to keep up and do something noticable.
After a return to the States and when things were mostly done with the Experience, Hendrix started jamming with a new trio of Buddy Miles and Billy Cox, who were much more in line with the man’s talents and interests.
This recording is from Jan 1, 1970, one of only a handful of Band Of Gypsys shows, although Cox would end up in the final band that was on tour when Hendrix died later in 1970.
This isn’t the best or most memorable material Hendrix recorded, but I love it because it’s one of the few times caught on tape that he both showed his influences of soul and spiritual jazz shining through, and had a band that was nimble enough to follow where he wanted to go.
This is everything a live record should be: a moment frozen in time of a once-in-a-lifetime talent doing what he loved.
