I've seen discussions elsewhere similar to this one. Such discussions can take many forms. Sometimes it seems blues purists have some kind of test that must be passed to determine if someone is really a "bluesman" or not. I suppose if people want to look at it that way, that's okay. Ultimately, though, I don't care how someone gets labeled. I've seen people argue whether Hendrix was a bluesman or not. Once again, I don't care. I think he was heavily influenced by the blues. Whether he passes the "blues test" or not just doesn't matter to me. If I were going to be critical of him, though, I'd be more critical of the direction his music was taking during his latter period. Some people, of course, think that's when his music was at its best. It's a matter of opinion.
If you really slow down Clapton's solo on "Sunshine of Your Love," that really sounds bluesy to me. Is the song a blues song? Probably not. Once again, I don't care. I don't see what the point is in this thread. But I guess that's my problem. Maybe I'm not interesting enough or perceptive enough.
As I type this, I'm listening to the Hendrix Axis album. One reviewer labeled it as "jazz metal." But is it jazz or metal, or jazz metal? Probably not. It doesn't matter. I don't know what's so important about labels. To quote a line from Wayne's World when somebody was supposedly quoting Kierkegaard--"If you label me, you negate me."
