40th Anniversary Of Jimi Hendrix's Death
Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 9:18 pmhttp://news.opb.org/article/13450-40th-anniversary-jimi-hendrixs-death/
OPB News
40th Anniversary Of Jimi Hendrix's Death
Marcie Sillman
September 17, 2010
Seattle, WA
Jimi Hendrix was only 27 when he died 40 years ago, on September 18th, 1970. But the Seattle-born musician left an undisputed legacy.
Many observers consider him to be the greatest electric guitarist in rock history. Hendrix’s career is memorialized at Seattle’s Experience Music Project.
The EMP will observe the anniversary of Hendrix death this weekend. KUOW’s Marcie Sillman has more.
“Purple Haze” could be Jimi Hendrix’s biggest commercial hit. It’s only one of a string of influential Hendrix tunes: Foxy Lady, Manic Depression, Are You Experienced, Voodoo Chile.
Jimi Hendrix - Photo Courtesy EMP
The list goes on and on. But Jacob McMurray says Jimi Hendrix’s legacy goes well beyond his song catalog.
Jacob McMurray: “The last year of Hendrix’s life he was expanding out in many directions. He opened up his own recording studio, which was really a first for a black musician.”
McMurray is Senior Curator at the Experience Music Project.
Jacob McMurray: “Hendrix was really focussing on how to use the studio as an instrument, to expand the meaning of what music could be.”
McMurray says Jimi Hendrix pioneered the use of special effects like amplifier feedback and the wah wah pedal, to bring his music a distinctive new sound.
Countless musicians, from the late guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughn to Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, have built on Hendrix’s electronic experiments. Jimi Hendrix died young, but walking through the EMP gives you a taste of what the musician achieved during his short life.
From guitars, to costumes and even an address book, the EMP has the world’s largest collection of Hendrix memorabilia, more than 8 thousand artifacts.
Jacob McMurray: “That’s a classic piece, the Hendrix guitar that he broke and set on fire at Monterrey Pop Festival in 1967.”
Most of these items were collected by EMP founder Paul Allen, and donated to the museum. Senior Curator Jacob McMurray says, to help commemorate the 40th anniversary of the musician’s death, the EMP pulled some rare Hendrix objects out of the vault.
Jacob McMurray: “We have 11 different sheets of music for the song Black Gold. It’s a song, also an album he was working on in 1970.”
The handwritten lyrics are on display, along with the 1968 Martin guitar Hendrix used when he was writing the song.
The well-worn acoustic instrument is almost overshadowed by everything else in the exhibit. Like the flashy orange costume Hendrix wore at his last Seattle appearance.
These two artifacts hint at the influences that shaped Jimi Hendrix. Curator Jacob McMurray says they range from Little Richard to Georg Friedrich Handel:.
Jacob McMurray: “Jimi was a Handel fan. We have his personal record collection in our collection and there are Handel records there. His collection was amazing, his breadth of interest was huge. He had Ravi Shankar records, he had Elmore James records, he had Frank Zappa records. He was widely listened.”
And listened to, even though Hendrix released only a handful of albums during his lifetime. Hendrix fans welcomed a posthumous recording last spring.
Jacob McMurray says there are tentative plans to remaster more archival tapes, now that control of the Hendrix estate has been settled.
For years, Jimi’s brother Leon and his stepsister Janie waged a legal battle over the rights to the guitarist’s legacy.
Janie Hendrix won. She’ll be at the EMP this weekend to introduce a new documentary film about her stepbrother. Senior Curator Jacob McMurray says watching footage from the new documentary, and listening to Hendrix’s music, it’s hard not to think about an artistic life cut short.
Jacob McMurray: “In a way it’s like Hendrix was frozen at his best moments. He never had a chance to do a bad album. Maybe he never would have, but we’re always stuck looking at what he could have done, and where he was going.”
Jimi Hendrix died on September 18th 1970 in London.
OPB News
40th Anniversary Of Jimi Hendrix's Death
Marcie Sillman
September 17, 2010
Seattle, WA
Jimi Hendrix was only 27 when he died 40 years ago, on September 18th, 1970. But the Seattle-born musician left an undisputed legacy.
Many observers consider him to be the greatest electric guitarist in rock history. Hendrix’s career is memorialized at Seattle’s Experience Music Project.
The EMP will observe the anniversary of Hendrix death this weekend. KUOW’s Marcie Sillman has more.
“Purple Haze” could be Jimi Hendrix’s biggest commercial hit. It’s only one of a string of influential Hendrix tunes: Foxy Lady, Manic Depression, Are You Experienced, Voodoo Chile.
Jimi Hendrix - Photo Courtesy EMP
The list goes on and on. But Jacob McMurray says Jimi Hendrix’s legacy goes well beyond his song catalog.
Jacob McMurray: “The last year of Hendrix’s life he was expanding out in many directions. He opened up his own recording studio, which was really a first for a black musician.”
McMurray is Senior Curator at the Experience Music Project.
Jacob McMurray: “Hendrix was really focussing on how to use the studio as an instrument, to expand the meaning of what music could be.”
McMurray says Jimi Hendrix pioneered the use of special effects like amplifier feedback and the wah wah pedal, to bring his music a distinctive new sound.
Countless musicians, from the late guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughn to Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, have built on Hendrix’s electronic experiments. Jimi Hendrix died young, but walking through the EMP gives you a taste of what the musician achieved during his short life.
From guitars, to costumes and even an address book, the EMP has the world’s largest collection of Hendrix memorabilia, more than 8 thousand artifacts.
Jacob McMurray: “That’s a classic piece, the Hendrix guitar that he broke and set on fire at Monterrey Pop Festival in 1967.”
Most of these items were collected by EMP founder Paul Allen, and donated to the museum. Senior Curator Jacob McMurray says, to help commemorate the 40th anniversary of the musician’s death, the EMP pulled some rare Hendrix objects out of the vault.
Jacob McMurray: “We have 11 different sheets of music for the song Black Gold. It’s a song, also an album he was working on in 1970.”
The handwritten lyrics are on display, along with the 1968 Martin guitar Hendrix used when he was writing the song.
The well-worn acoustic instrument is almost overshadowed by everything else in the exhibit. Like the flashy orange costume Hendrix wore at his last Seattle appearance.
These two artifacts hint at the influences that shaped Jimi Hendrix. Curator Jacob McMurray says they range from Little Richard to Georg Friedrich Handel:.
Jacob McMurray: “Jimi was a Handel fan. We have his personal record collection in our collection and there are Handel records there. His collection was amazing, his breadth of interest was huge. He had Ravi Shankar records, he had Elmore James records, he had Frank Zappa records. He was widely listened.”
And listened to, even though Hendrix released only a handful of albums during his lifetime. Hendrix fans welcomed a posthumous recording last spring.
Jacob McMurray says there are tentative plans to remaster more archival tapes, now that control of the Hendrix estate has been settled.
For years, Jimi’s brother Leon and his stepsister Janie waged a legal battle over the rights to the guitarist’s legacy.
Janie Hendrix won. She’ll be at the EMP this weekend to introduce a new documentary film about her stepbrother. Senior Curator Jacob McMurray says watching footage from the new documentary, and listening to Hendrix’s music, it’s hard not to think about an artistic life cut short.
Jacob McMurray: “In a way it’s like Hendrix was frozen at his best moments. He never had a chance to do a bad album. Maybe he never would have, but we’re always stuck looking at what he could have done, and where he was going.”
Jimi Hendrix died on September 18th 1970 in London.