Ok not that kind of memory, but in a way the memories that we will discuss in this post are stored in a similar manner. Cue: Bob Hope.

If we are lucky enough to have the part of our brain that deals with memory functioning properly we have a place to go from time to time. Memories can rage from the very pleasant to the tumultuous and sometimes memories have the ability to change over time depending upon how honest we might want to be with ourselves or those around us.

The subject of my mini-rant today is of course: Music. To be honest with you all, I’m afraid, very afraid.

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From the upcoming (March 5) new album — People, Hell and Angels from Experience Hendrix/Legacy, the Billboard #1 Sales Single ‘Somewhere’. Check out John McDermott’s liner notes below:

“Somewhere” was created during Hendrix’s first session in America where he assumed the dual role of artist and producer outside the direct control of Chas Chandler—his co-manager and producer of both Are You Experienced and Axis: Bold As Love. Jimi seized an opportunity in March 1968, squeezing in time at New York’s Sound Center Studios between performance dates on the extensive North American tour that the Experience had undertaken. Hendrix called upon friends Stephen Stills and Buddy Miles for this recording. This would not be a Jimi Hendrix Experience session, but instead an opportunity to explore new creative possibilities.

Work on “Somewhere” began with just Hendrix and Miles and no bass guitar. Stills, normally a guitarist, accepted Jimi’s request to play bass. The trio ran through the song numerous times in an effort to perfect the arrangement and tempo Hendrix desired. This effort led to more structured takes and an exceptional song began to take shape. Jimi then separately overdubbed lead guitar and vocals before work concluded.

Despite its obvious promise, “Somewhere” was not put forward for inclusion as part of Electric Ladyland when sessions for that album resumed at the newly opened Record Plant in April 1968. The master reels created at Sound Center [which would also include “My Friend,” later featured as part of Cry Of Love and more recently, First Rays Of The New Rising Sun] were simply tucked away within the guitarist’s fast expanding tape library.

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 Hendrix 70: Live At Woodstock

Legendary 1969 Woodstock Performance For Global Theatrical Release From November 26 2012

In Celebration of the 70th Anniversary of Jimi Hendrix’s birth, for the first time ever, see Jimi Hendrix’s unforgettable August 1969 Woodstock concert in select cinemas globally.

This special edition theatrical presentation, under the auspices of Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. has been carefully reassembled from the extensive archive of film footage helmed by Academy Award winning director Michael Wadleigh and his hand picked team of skilled camera operators and support personnel under the auspices of Experience Hendrix, LLC, the Hendrix family owned company. What they captured was a Jimi Hendrix performance unlike any other. Jimi premiered a new band and his extraordinary performance on that August morning included unforgettable renditions of such signature Hendrix songs as “Voodoo Child (Slight Return),” “Fire,” “Purple Haze” and “Foxy Lady” as well as his dramatic interpretation of the “Star Spangled Banner”.

Jimi’s fascinating road to the Woodstock festival is revealed by way of never before seen footage and interviews with his band members such as Billy Cox and Mitch Mitchell, engineer Eddie Kramer and Woodstock’s promoter Michael Lang. Directed by Grammy Award winner Bob Smeaton [Beatles Anthology, Band Of Gypsys, Festival Express], the documentary, which precedes the performance footage, reveals the struggle to stage the legendary festival and secure Hendrix as its headline artist.

Jimi Hendrix Woodstock performance stands as one of the finest ever in rock music history. This presentation features the original 16mm footage digitally restored together with a new 5.1 audio surround mix by legendary engineer Eddie Kramer. Kramer originally recorded the Woodstock festival and also served Jimi Hendrix as his recording engineer throughout his entire career.

Songs performed in original sequence
Message To Love
Spanish Castle Magic
Red House
Lover Man
Foxy Lady
Jam Back At The House
Izabella
Fire
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Star Spangled Banner
Purple Haze
Woodstock Improvisation
Villanova Junction
Hey Joe

Hendrix 70: Live At Woodstock will see a worldwide theatrical release by Omniverse Vision with limited screenings from November 26. Tickets for the theatrical screenings will be available at jimihendrix.com.

Janie Hendrix, Jimi’s sister and CEO of Experience Hendrix: “All of us at Experience Hendrix are thrilled with the fact that ‘Live At Woodstock’ will be shown in theaters. This film reflects a legendary event in our history as well as a true pinnacle of Jimi’s career. We celebrate his 70th birthday as we continue to celebrate his legacy”.

DJ Polished Solid brings us a great mix for the Freedom Fighter in you! Make sure to checkout DJ Polished each and every Sunday from 4pm to 6pm on her show No Turn Unstoned right here.

Checkout the playlist after the jump. (more…)

From the press release:

The 2012 edition of the critically acclaimed Experience Hendrix concert tour, will launch with a three week run of dates starting March 6th featuring an all-star lineup of musical greats paying homage to the abiding genius of Jimi Hendrix. Presented by Fender Musical Instruments, this year’s tour will include performances by Buddy Guy, Dweezil Zappa, Billy Cox, Robby Kreiger [The Doors], Robert Randolph, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, David Hidalgo & Cesar Rosas [Los Lobos], Keb’ Mo, Eric Johnson, Brad Whitford [Aerosmith], Living Colour, Chris Layton [Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble],The Slide Brothers as well as other special guests to be announced. The announcement coincides with latest issue of Rolling Stone wherein Jimi Hendrix was, predictably, designated “The Greatest Guitarist of All Time.” The tour will alight in twenty markets including Baltimore, Nashville, Atlanta, Miami, Orlando, , Houston, Austin, Denver and more.

In terms of format, the tour offers multiple opportunities for performers and audiences to witness unique collaborations among the participating artists such as Dweezil Zappa with Billy Cox, Buddy Guy with Robert Randolph, Jonny Lang with Brad Whitford and will highlight these artists and the others performing their favorite Hendrix signature songs including “Little Wing,” “Fire,” “Purple Haze,” and “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”. As has been the case with previous Experience Hendrix outings, special guests are expected to sit in at many of the dates, making the concerts all that much more memorable for both new and veteran Hendrix fans. Past special guests have included Paul Rodgers, Joe Satriani, Hubert Sumlin, Steve Vai, Carlos Santana and others. The tour’s presence has been made known on national TV with Robert Randolph performing classic Hendrix on the Late Night With Conan O’Brien, and Jonny Lang on Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Tonight Show and Kenny Wayne Shepherd playing Jimi Hendrix’s actual Woodstock guitar on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Shepherd, a veteran of several Experience Hendrix tours remarked, “Jimi Hendrix’s music has really inspired me to push the limits of my own music. He didn’t observe any boundaries musically. He was an amazing player and a tremendous showman so I incorporated some of his showmanship in what I do.” As far as having been part of the Experience Hendrix touring phenomenon, Shepherd noted, “It touches you on the inside and gets you fired up.”

The Experience Hendrix Tour is presented by Experience Hendrix, LLC, the Hendrix family-owned company founded by James A. “Al” Hendrix, Jimi’s father, entrusted with preserving and protecting the legacy of Jimi Hendrix.

March, 2012 Experience Hendrix Tour confirmed dates (additional dates to be added)

6 – Tue – Baltimore, MD – Strathmore Theater

7 – Wed – Greensboro, NC – War Memorial Auditorium

8 – Thu – Knoxville, TN – Civic Auditorium

9 – Fri – Nashville, TN – Tennessee Performing Arts Center

10 – Sat – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theater

11 – Sun – Charleston, SC – North Charleston Performing Arts Center

14 – Wed – Hollywood, FL – Seminole Hard Rock

15 – Thu – Clearwarter, FL – Ruth Eckerd Hall

16 – Fri – Saint Augustine, FL – Saint Augustine Amphitheatre

17 – Sat – Orange Beach, AL – Warf Amphitheatre

22 – Thu – Houston, TX Arena Theater

23 – Fri – Thackerville, OK – Winstar Casino

24 – Sat – Austin, TX – ACL Live @ Moody Theater

B.B. King in Atlanta

In the ever present hustle of life, I often have to make the consciouses effort to step back and breathe in the moment. I’ve found that the fruitless pursuits of mirages and mirrors can  insidiously make you lose sight of  God’s most precious blessings. For some,  it may be the infectious giggle of your child and for others, it may be the moment you said “I do”. Life is filled with a number of magical flashes and can surprise you with phenomenal people along the way. However if you’re not careful, you can easily fall into the trap of taking  things for granted when greatness is right before your eyes. This past Sunday at Chastain Park, I’m glad I didn’t miss my moment and had a chance to literally kneel before music royalty. Who am I referring to you ask? None other than Chicago blues great, Buddy Guy and Lucille’s old man, B.B. King. (more…)

*Cue Kriss Kross* The subject of this editorial has been on my mind for a minute… wrote a song about like to hear it? Here it go!!!

Add me, confirm me, follow me please
If you have a little time can you rate how I sing?

I had to stop after those two lines to write this. But seriously, what I’m ranting about today is the ever present (especially as it relates to music) “I’m about to do this or that” that you cannot escape from on any social network whether it is a “celebrity” or someone who aspires to be. I have certainly been guilty of using that phrase, I still probably use it from time to time but my problem is the incessant “I’m about to-ers”. You know the folks that out of the 24hours in each day that we’ve been allotted 18 of those hours they are on Twitter or Facebook talking about what they are going to do musically. Oh they are out there… some successful and some not so, some talented and some not so. (more…)

40 years ago today the music world lost one of the greatest guitarist ever to pick up the axe. Although Jimi Hendrix is no longer with us his legacy lives on in almost everyone who has ever plugged in to a Marshall Stack.

Hendrix has always represented to me a continuation of the lineage of musical greatness that this country has produced often under less than accommodating standards. The spirit of the first virtuoso banjoist or fiddle player to play for an audience on these shores was fully present in all of Jimi’s playing, yes it’s that deep. Jimi’s rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” wasn’t blasphemous, it was so real that many couldn’t handle it then and some still can’t handle it now.

We would not be GFM if we did not take out some time today and pay homage to this musical giant. Thank you Jimi for the music!

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