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Why Jimi Hendrix is so Important

#101
To the OP: Amen.
That said, i would not say no one comes close to him. I think today other musicians playing guitar could have the same impact, but are less popular because in styles that are less present in mass media. I think about Pat Metheny, which is to me one of the greatest musicians of all times, and his guitar work is terrific. Had the chance to see him two times, and last friday was the second one. That was just Awesome in the Awesomeness.. Indescriptible, all that my soul can express. And i think possibly Jimi could have reached this kind of world if he would have lived until today..
 
#103
king_biscuit said:
Neither Billy Gibbons nor Buddy Guy are rock guitarists, and neither did anything at all unique with the instrument. Eddie Van Halen influenced more kids to take up the guitar than anybody in history -- with the possible exception of the Beatles Ed Sullivan appearance.
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This could only have been written by someone who grew up post-Hendrix. Billy Gibson is clearly a rock guitarist, Buddy Guy started in the blues, but is now as much or more rock than blues, and Hendrix paved the way for Eddie.

It's easy to misunderstand Hendrix's contribution if you don't remember rock BEFORE him.
 
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#106
See this Dwayne, it'a a Jimi Hendrix DIME. Trumps your Nickleback every time.:spit::D "In Jimi We Trust"
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#108
It's roughly 45 years after his death and his music still sounds fresh - can say that about very few guitarists. I remember picking up Are You Experienced when it came out, I wasn't overly impressed but then I was 8 years old (also had Tommy Roe, Arthur Brown, James Brown, and Herb Alpert at the time). When I was older and working hard on bass and guitar (around 13) I picked up Hendrix in the West and that blew me away - to this day it's one of my favorite albums. Jimmi isn't the best technical electric guitarist of all time but it's his combination of songwriter, guitarist, sound transformer (feedback, wah-wah, etc), and showman bearing his sole bare on every tune that for me was unique at the time and so invititing. It's was makes him still relevent today. Many can play his tunes, but no one can emote the way he did. Listen to Little Wing on Hendrix in the West - nothing finer
 
#109
I would say that Hendrix was the most important influence on me in my music life. Even though I have played bass most of the 22 years I have been playing, he affected my style as strange as that sounds. I tend to be very upfront and assertive with tempo in the
bands I've played in. Not flashy, but I tend to drive everything. I also love the songs he played bass on as well as Redding and Cox. Cox's style is also a huge influence

I overdosed on Hendrix in my early years and am just now revisiting some of it. How one could say that he isn't one of the greatest is mind blowing to me.

Billy Gibbons is also in my top 5 along with Freddie King, Clapton, and Duane Allman. I also would add Jerry Garcia, Page, Kath, Mick Taylor, etc. to a list as well.

EVH: cool when I was 13, haven't listened since. He ushered in the worst decade of rock guitar in the history of rock guitar. I blame him for
that.

Also on Charlie Daniels.. Those who haven't heard his stuff from the 70's, then you don't know what your talking about. Very outside of the box for a country band. Listen to Billy the Kid, Saddle Tramp, Birmingham Blues, No Place to Go, etc.

I still think Billy the Kid is like a country Iron Maiden song with the speed, twin leads, and killer bass. But since it was 1976, I guess it's pre Iron maiden :)
 
#110
Another thing about Hendrix.. Not a single one of my music friends listens to him. I am the only one. I just don't think the average person gets it. Oh well, doesn't matter to me at all.

Actually, my tastes are well outside the box of my band buddies. I have been listening to the Dead Europe 72 and gushing about it.. They think I'm crazy. I also recently discovered CTA's first album. I'm on cloud 9 musically and no one knows or cares lol
 
#111
denton57 said:
Another thing about Hendrix.. Not a single one of my music friends listens to him. I am the only one. I just don't think the average person gets it. ...
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That's (almost like) what happen to me too,..my 'non-musical related' friends don't know JH music and perhaps don't like it if they hear them.
But when I play some of JH songs with an acoustic guitar and sing them, they -my friends- most of the time take notice and ask what song are they..and they like them. Also when they listen to some of JH songs covered by other artists. At first I thought it was because they don't like rock music. But later I found out they also like it when I (purposely) played them my JH tribute CD by various artists including rock musicians.... So perhaps - for the average listener - there's something like 'Raw energy" or something in JH music that they don't easily accept, although essentially they like the song, the lyric etc.
IDK,..it's still a question mark for me.

But if I talk about my 'music friends', any genres :),..most of them know, like and appreciate Jimi Hendrix so much.
 
#112
If God, who went through the 60s under the pseudonym Eric Clapton, felt insecure of his skills after seeing Jimi play for the first time at a London tavern, then Hendrix was really one badass gunslinger.

Sometimes I wish Jimi had survived the 60s. It would have been interesting to listen to the library of works that he could have created had he had more opportunities to collaborate with various talent that came before, during and after his so called "time" (Try to imagine Jimi, Jaco and Carter Beauford of the Dave Matthews Band on the same stage).
 
#114
I respect your opinion, but I still assert you cannot define "world's greatest <insert instrument here> player". It is just too subjective.
Yes, he was an innovator. The makers of effects pedals should make burnt offerings to him daily. He made Marshall amps famous, He invented the use of feedback, and he was a great showman and player. As with some others here, I respect him and I like some of his material, but he isn't even my personal favorite. And really, that is all you are doing is telling us who your personal favorite is and why you like him. That's cool.
 
#115
king_biscuit said:
I can see all of them live I want on youtube. They are not rock guitarists and they do not play in rock bands. I think one of the reason people get so jazzed up about guys like them is that they are approachable. Any kid with a guitar can lean any ZZ Top song -- or Hendrix song for that matter -- rather easily -- if a bit crudely. What kind of chance would those kids have with Al DeMeola or Eric Johnson?
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Sounds like a jazz elitist talking. Very few of those kids would even know who Al DeMeola or Eric Johnson is. If Billy Gibbons got the kid's attention and got him started on guitar he may or may not move on to more "sophisticated" music.
 
#118
sowilson said:
It's roughly 45 years after his death and his music still sounds fresh - can say that about very few guitarists. I remember picking up Are You Experienced when it came out, I wasn't overly impressed but then I was 8 years old (also had Tommy Roe, Arthur Brown, James Brown, and Herb Alpert at the time). When I was older and working hard on bass and guitar (around 13) I picked up Hendrix in the West and that blew me away - to this day it's one of my favorite albums. Jimmi isn't the best technical electric guitarist of all time but it's his combination of songwriter, guitarist, sound transformer (feedback, wah-wah, etc), and showman bearing his sole bare on every tune that for me was unique at the time and so invititing. It's was makes him still relevent today. Many can play his tunes, but no one can emote the way he did. Listen to Little Wing on Hendrix in the West - nothing finer
Click to expand...

Oh man! That recording is my favorite album. You know, a lot of the songs were from The Isle of Wight festival, so very late in Jimi's career. People tried to say he was on a downslide towards the end, but that's not at all true. His playing on that album is amazing, particularly Little Wing and Red House.
 
#119
Jimi was a guy who broke rules - those folks move art forward.
That said, he is one of many guys who moved their particular art forward. I'm willing to concede that he was to guitar what Bird was to sax or Jaco was to bass - but his overall impact the art of music was not nearly so profound as say Jellyroll Morton, Miles Davis, Stravinsky, Elvis, etc.
 
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#120
Gravedigger Dav said:
I respect your opinion, but I still assert you cannot define "world's greatest <insert instrument here> player". It is just too subjective.
Yes, he was an innovator. The makers of effects pedals should make burnt offerings to him daily. He made Marshall amps famous, He invented the use of feedback, and he was a great showman and player. As with some others here, I respect him and I like some of his material, but he isn't even my personal favorite. And really, that is all you are doing is telling us who your personal favorite is and why you like him. That's cool.
Click to expand...

But I didn't say "worlds' greatest <insert instrument here>," and that's where people are getting confused.

I said, "Jimi Hendrix is the greatest rock guitarist of all time." I used the word "rock" in there, so Jazz, Country and other forms are not included. I used the word "greatest," and not "best," for a reason.

In the way I used the word "greatest," it cannot be disputed.

great
/greɪt/
adjective, great·er, great·est.
1. unusually or comparatively large in size or dimensions: A great fire destroyed nearly half the city.
2. large in number; numerous: Great hordes of tourists descend on Europe each summer.
3. unusual or considerable in degree, power, intensity, etc.: great pain.
4. wonderful; first-rate; very good: We had a great time. That's great!
5. being such in an extreme or notable degree: great friends; a great talker.

greatest (ˈɡreɪtɪst)
— adj
1. the superlative of Link Removed
— n
2. slang the greatest an exceptional person

I mean the rock guitarist who did the most to further the instrument's use. I mean the rock guitarist who had the greatest effect on the form. I mean the rock guitarist most frequently cited by other great guitarists as having the most influence. I mean the rock guitarist who played in a manner combining technical skill, (he did have it,) raw emotion, (one of the best ever,) technical innovation, and fitting the composition.

There has never been, nor will there ever be, a player who comes close.
 
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