Jimi Hendrix, 44 years ago

[ilan]

Today is the anniversary of Jimi Hendrix's death, 44 years ago.

Here is Jimi on upside-down righty bass, with Robert Wyatt. No rehearsals - this was his first and only take.

[uwe]

So he was good at that too, how depressing! 

Of course, just by the sheer size of his hands, Hendrix could have done things on double-bass other players can only dream of.

[slinkp]

He did the bass solo in "1983" if memory serves me correctly...

[4stringer77]

Jimmy's playing bass all over Electric Ladyland! Long hot summer night, Gypsy eyes, Watchtower all good stuff. Here's some bass lines he layed down with Curtis Knight.

[westen44]

Thanks, Ilan.  Very cool. 

[mc2NY]

When I was a kid, my first serious band was with a guitarist who had an album out already at 15 y.o.
He was a real HENDRIX freak...even used to play with his teeth during our set.

One of the things that always has stuck with me was that it was I who called him the day Jimi died, to tell him. He called me a lier and got mad and hung up. He later called me back in tears when he heard it was true.

First band I ever was getting paid to play gigs with, at 16 y.o. Looked up to that kid since he was the local cool kid with the album

[westen44]

On the "Electric Ladyland" album, Hendrix didn't play bass, of course, on "Voodoo Chile."  As is well known, Jack Casady did.  But he did play bass on over half the songs, the exceptions being Crosstown Traffic, Little Miss Strange, Burning of the Midnight Lamp, Come On (Let the Good Times Roll,) and Voodoo Child (Slight Return,) all played by Noel Redding.  Also there is one song on the album that doesn't have any bass, although I can't name it at the moment. 

Often when he would end up playing bass somewhere--like unannounced at a club--I think he did it mostly as relaxation.  After playing music all day in a studio, he would relax by playing even more music.  In the early days when Noel Redding would accompany him, sometimes Noel would play guitar and usually Hendrix would end up playing someone's right-handed bass upside down (as noted in the first post.)

[Hörnisse]

I've known a local guitarist, Dash Morgan, for nearly 30 years.  He was and still is a huge Hendrix fan.  He was playing SG's back then and I found a mid 70's black/maple Fender Strat that was left handed but set up for a right handed player.  I knew it would be perfect for him so he bought it. ($300, hey, it was the mid 1980's!)   He still uses the guitar to this day. 

[Highlander]

There was talk of Steve Stills' working as his bass player for a while... on Stills' first solo LP they did just that on one song, so the story goes...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph_E6tugYLg

[patman]

Stephen's bass playing on the first CSN album is awe inspiring.

[Pilgrim]

Stephen's bass playing on the first CSN album is awe inspiring.

Absolutely!

[slinkp]

On the "Electric Ladyland" ...  Also there is one song on the album that doesn't have any bass, although I can't name it at the moment. 

The "Rainy Day" song(s) has organ bass.

[westen44]

The "Rainy Day" song(s) has organ bass.

Thanks. I think you're right.  That should clear up who did or did not play bass on that.  That's probably my least favorite song on the album, but all of them can't be favorites.