The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    As much as I consider myself a dedicated student of the music that is, for practical purposes, called Jazz (and blues), and of the guitar aspect of the music, I don't think I have ever heard an electric guitar player in the entirety of modern contemporary music play with as much fire breathing intensity, raw emotion, expression and spiritual conviction and depth as Jimi Hendrix.
    It's the closest I've heard a guitar come to John Coltrane level divinity.

    I know thousands of players of many styles like and are influenced him and it's no surprise. But to me he's still the O.G. and I have a hard time believing there will be anything like him for a long time.

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  3. #2

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    Foolish mortal, you deign to post about JIMI HENDRIX in a jazz forum? In the PLAYERS section?

    <waits for thunderclap and lightning to strike...>

  4. #3

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    OK, I’ll take the bait. He isn’t jazz, though he can play jazzy. I think what he did was to use outrageous technique to express sexual energy. As such, he was perfectly emblematic of his time.

    As far as expressing “fire breathing intensity, raw emotion, expression and spiritual conviction and depth”, hmmm I think there are a lot of people who fuse incredible technique with great emotion. Paco de Lucia immediately comes to mind, also Django, Segovia, McLaughlin both in his more traditional jazz roles, fusion and acoustic work with Shakti. Jim Hall has a depth of expression that is unbelievable.

    I will say Hendrix definitely played some iconic songs, like Little Wing, The Wind Cried Mary, 1983, Voodoo Chile that got about as much emotion out of the electric guitar you’re going to get.

    And let’s not forget about Stevie Ray Vaughn’s versions of Little Wing and Voodoo Chile.

  5. #4
    joelf Guest
    I loved him when, as teens, we had all the records and saw him live at the Fillmore (I was at that New Year's Eve show w/the Band of Gypsies) and Woodstock. He had roots in blues and R & B---you can hear he got things from Curtis Mayfield's rhythm playing---and put something almost undefinable on top of it. Just amazing mind, ears, and fire. And he was jazz-influenced as hell, and polyrhythmic, naturally superimposing all kinds of meters on top of the basic 4/4.

    I still feel the same way, and want to get the recordings again. And I'm considered a traditional jazz, archtop, and acoustic player. So what? Great is great...

  6. #5

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    Great pentatonic and blues scale player.

    Great rhythm player.

    Very creative user of effects.

    Greatest guitarist ever as promoted by guitar magazines? Not hardly.

    What a shame he died so young.

  7. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Drumbler
    Great pentatonic and blues scale player.

    Great rhythm player.

    Very creative user of effects.

    Greatest guitarist ever as promoted by guitar magazines? Not hardly.

    What a shame he died so young.
    With all respect, I think the fact he is still idolized 50 years after his death means he is one of the greatest guitarists in our lifetime.

  8. #7

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    I think his time is great, miles ahead of most rock players. Also the rhythm section of his band essentially plays jazz/fusion. You can't talk of a player and leave his era outside the conversation. He was also the first one to do the singing overdrive type of sound, like Sabbath were the first band to put distortion power chords on the map, so for me that's his number one contribution to the guitar language. Lots of modern jazz players elaborated on that.

    I must have 20-25 vinyls, i love his playing. And he had so much more to play, hadn't he died so young..

  9. #8

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    He was a tone colourist, and we rarely get that in jazz.

  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff

    And let’s not forget about Stevie Ray Vaughn’s versions of Little Wing and Voodoo Chile.[/FONT][/COLOR]
    Oh, I'll happily forget that self indulgent Little Wing where the rhythm section is relegated to being a 10 minute guitareoke backing track. Guitar player music. Yuck.

    Jimi was a force of nature. A true original. I was just listening to Band of Gypsies the other day...its as raw, vital, and grooving as anything ever released.

  11. #10

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    Hard to believe its been 50 years since Hendrix walked among mere mortals. I was in my early teens at the time, very into Beatles, Stones, and Dylan, just beginning to know about Jeff Beck and Clapton, but I hadn't yet picked up a guitar. My buddies and I went nuts when we first heard Hendrix, and I jumped into guitar playing soon after. Though there have been many flashy, fire-y, brilliant rock players to come along since then, there was no one doing what he did at the time he did it. Chatting with a friend years ago we speculated on how Hendrix's style might have evolved, my guess was jazz fusion, maybe a collaboration with Miles Davis or some such. He definitely sold more Strats than any Fender sales rep could imagine. I read somewhere that Fender had considered ceasing production of Strats, then Hendrix set one on fire at Monterey. Wonder how many Strats and copies have been produced since then? Great that the guy's star is as bright as ever.

  12. #11
    joelf Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
    ....where the rhythm section is relegated to being a 10 minute guitareoke backing track
    Guitareoke?


    GUITAREOKE?!!


  13. #12

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  14. #13

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    Besides all the great sonics, Hendrix was a composer that was unlike anything before or after IMHO. His compositions took turns that were dramatic, poetic, driving, dynamic, etc. They also weren't epics in terms of part of completely thematic concept albums, although he may have gone there at some point if he had lived longer. They were just his and actually a bit restrained when you think of it that way. Great compositions nonetheless.

    And SRV's Little Wing? It shows that he could play the song and play it well with a lot of feel. It also shows a lot of self-indulgence by the shear repetition of what he plays. Hendrix may have been self-indulgent, too, but maybe more so in his live performances. The recordings are pretty restrained as I mentioned above. Note that his version of Little Wing is probably the shortest of anyone that has ever covered it. I think that even when he played it live he kept it short.

  15. #14

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    This picture says it all. In 1967, even Eric Clapton wanted to be Jimi Hendrix.


  16. #15

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    To me, from a guitarist's perspective, Jimi was a real mystery as well.

    The first record of his I bought was the New Years Fillmore Band of Gypsies, which I have always considered his peak and one of my favorite records... magical, transcendent, complete mastery. But later I bought a record made just a few years earlier (1966) and was shocked at how poor was his playing - sounding very much like an average youngster about the two year pentatonic wanking stage... I only played it once, discarded the record and saved the cover to put on my dorm room wall because it unfolded into a big portrait of him composed of concentric red circles.

    I could not understand how his playing could change so much so fast, but it did serve as a suggestion and reassurance about the merits and possibilities of focus and practice.

  17. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
    With all respect, I think the fact he is still idolized 50 years after his death means he is one of the greatest guitarists in our lifetime.
    Glad you agree.

    One of the greatest? Certainly.

    As much as I like Elvis, he is not THE GREATEST singer of all time.

    One of the greatest? Certainly.

  18. #17

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    hendrix was huge influence..even on jazzers

    all the early fusion guys dug him

    ever hear mclaughlins lp devotion?? cut at electric ladyland studio..with buddy miles on drums!!

    coryell and jimi used to jam together on stage all the time...coryell trying to cut him...

    even miles was trying to get at his sound...miles paramour at the time was betty davis...who had been "close" with jimi prior...huge influence on miles move to electric miles

    mclauglin-marbles- opening track from devotion



    cheers

    ps- how great is organist larry young on that ^ track!
    Last edited by neatomic; 02-08-2020 at 10:55 PM. Reason: ps-

  19. #18

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    Great hearing Voodoo Child (slight return) again. It still sounds fresh, and a thousand miles beyond his copyists.

    Talking of Miles, he did say to Mike Stern, "play like Hendrix!"

  20. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by joelf
    Guitareoke?


    GUITAREOKE?!!


    Lol, I like Stevie, but that Little Wing is pure crap, revered by white dudes who wouldn't know the blues if they gave it to someone.

    For the record, I think his Voodoo Child is great. Real energy.

  21. #20
    joelf Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
    Lol, I like Stevie, but that Little Wing is pure crap, revered by white dudes who wouldn't know the blues if they gave it to someone.
    'I'm here through Thursday....'

    Can I get comped to hear the rest of your act?

  22. #21

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    Guitar music is divided into two eras - before Jimi Hendrix, and after Jimi Hendrix. Things have not been the same since. Those who did not live through the change would have great difficulty realizing how profound was the difference. Sure, other people here and there were experimenting with feedback and effects and so forth, but Hendrix' notes embodied such energy and soul and sheer creativity it was astounding.
    I will never forget hearing Hendrix for the first time - the spine-tingling first chord of Foxey Lady emerging from the half-ton Phillips radio in the room shared by my brother and I, a frisson building to an irresistible wave - it left everyone else in the dust.

    IMO.

  23. #22

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    He definitely influenced jazzers, though he never played a note of jazz himself (IMO), but if he had ....Hendrix Playing Jazz Standards?


  24. #23

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    Never heard of him.

  25. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by corpse
    Never heard of him.
    & yet he was a corpse before you!

    cheers

  26. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by Peter C
    he never played a note of jazz
    Manic Depression? Fun version here (no guitar or singing):