Jimi Hendrix is one of the most respected and famous musicians
in rock and roll. But he also influenced jazz, creating a whole
genre called Jazz Fusion. He brought many ideas and styles which
everybody could be inspired by - read below to see how he did
it!
How
Jimi Hendrix started the subgenre Jazz Fusion
In 1966, Jimi produced an album called Are You
Experienced. This song on his album was an experiment which
mixed rock with jazz. It is considered one of the earliest examples
of jazz fusion.
Listen
to the song!
What are you waiting for? Listen to Jimi's "Third Stone From the
Sun" by playing the video below. It's time for some jazz
fusion!
Analysis
of the song
This song features a slowed-down conversation between Hendrix and
his manager Chas Chandler. The song sounds very "space-like" - a
mood similar to Star Trek.
Hendrix was influenced by any type of sound, and was influenced by
the long improvisations that were common to the New York jazz scene
he lived with before moving to London. The drummer in this song,
Mitch Mitchell, adds a jazz drum rhythm.
The bass player, Noel Redding, sticks to a basic 3-note riff
pattern throughout his improvisation. This beat pattern unites the
performance as a whole. This song was truly a "fusion" of rock and
jazz.
Influence
on Miles Davis
While Miles Davis is a famous trumpeter who is often credited as
starting jazz fusion, Jimi Hendrix was also one of the early
pioneers who started it all.
Miles and Jimi met each other in the late 1960s, and Miles starting
switching to electric instruments in his band for a more jazz
fusion feel. Miles, seen on the right, became known as "Electric
Miles" during this period (1968 to 1975).
The "space music" heard in Jimi's song "Third Stone From the Sun"
can be heard in Miles' albums Bitches Brew and In a
Silent Way. His live albums "Agharta" and "Pangea", recorded
in Japan, also show a very psychadelic, experimental approach to
his jazz.
References:
Running the Voodoo Child Down article, Keith Shadwick
Photo Credits
Wikipedia
Mick Muise
thebigdurian
