Went to a cool Hendrix birthday bash last night...

[Karma1]

Yesterday, Nov. 27th, would have been Jimi's 65th birthday, so a local bookstore had a big party in conjuction with author Steven Roby who wrote "Black Gold - The Lost Archives Of Jimi Hendrix". It was quite an event, and a packed house. When I got there and found a seat, I looked around and saw none other than Carlos Santana sitting unobtrusively in the back row with some friends (he lives nearby, so it wasn't too much of a surprise). The evening opened with an introduction and remarks from Narada Michael Walden - an extraordinary drummer who played with Mahavishnu Orchestra and others, and a producer who has worked with Aretha Franklin and a long list of music royalty. He (and Carlos) have also worked with the Hendrix estate, and in particular Jimi's dad to help him recover what is rightfully his.

Then Steven Roby spoke and showed some extremely rare Hendrix footage, including a young Jimi in a suit playing with Little Richard's backup band, as well as later concert in London. This was followed by a live performance by a guitarist (sorry- I don't remember his name) who looked a lot like Jimi - being African American with a large afro, headband, and a typical Jimi outfit. He did stellar solo versions of Machine Gun and The Star Spangled Banner. This was followed by an air guitar contest that was open to audience members with the winner recieving a purple Dean guitar. The evening ended with cake and champagne, which was pretty amazing considering that it was free to attend. All in all, quite an event - but I can't imagine anyone whose life and talents deserved celebrating more than Jimi's.

[bluefoot]

he was the best...

[keNz]

Sounds awesome