For rock legend Jimi Hendrix to have uttered these prophetic words may come as a surprise to some. He was at the peak of his career; he was sought after by women all over the world; he was living a rags to riches tale. Yet Jimi's dying wish was to play with the best exponents of the jazz world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay One has to wonder if Jimi recognized the impact he, in turn, would have on the greatest musicians of all time. Although he was a demigod to the public, he also earned the respect of those he admired most. His peers considered him a prodigy, almost a wise man; his lack of training was no match for the innovation and raw talent that launched him to stardom. Yes, many musicians were perplexed by Jimi's abilities. While they may not know how he did what he did, his influence on numerous musical styles, the role of the guitar, and pop culture is undeniable. In the realm of jazz-rock fusion, Jimi's presence can be seen on all levels. From Miles Davis to John McLaughlin, everyone wanted to pick Hendrix's brain. Jimi's life story is driven by one element: his passion for music. He was born in 1942 to a callous military father and a neglectful young mother, who died shortly after losing custody of her children. Jimi's fate as a rock legend was sealed when, as a child, he developed an attachment to a broom; he carried it with him everywhere, pretending it was a guitar. After learning to play by ear on a second-hand one-string ukulele, Jimi switched to acoustic guitar as a teenager and was eventually rewarded with an electric one. own guitar from his father. Soon, the talented young musician began to play sweet concerts in clubs. After winning first place at the famous Apollo Talent Show, Jimi began recording and building his reputation. Before he knew it, Jimi was on his way to becoming a superstar, especially in Britain, where the great English rockers and their fans began to take notice of Jimi's guitar skills and his magnetic stage presence. Jimi grew up on a steady diet of blues, rock, and folk, which can be heard in his gritty and passionate playing. By around 1967, Jimi's record collection was an eclectic mix of Bob Dylan, Tim Hardin, Albert King, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery and Ravi Shankar.1 He, too, was fascinated by complexity and improvisation uninhibited of jazz. , and certainly incorporated these elements into a unique style. He was said to have "idolized"1 the multi-instrumental jazz virtuoso Roland Kirk, known for playing his instruments simultaneously. When they played together in a club in early 1967 after meeting on a plane, Jimi was smitten. Yet despite young Jimi's fear of disappointing his mentor, when they began playing, Jimi's rock background and Kirk's jazz background meshed perfectly. Why? Both were rooted in the blues; Jimi was onto something. As such, abundant jazz influence can be heard in Jimi's solo and group activities. His melodies may be rock-based, but his lines swing. A swinging rhythm found its way into the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Check out Mitch Mitchell's refined 6/8 timekeeping on "Manic Depression" and his jazzy ride cymbal in the middle section of "Third Stone from the Sun" (Are You Experienced?). Jimi's landmark album Electric Ladyland was produced as a series of extended, improvised jams. In this way, the album pays homage to jazz. The extendedbluesy and smoky improvised jam of "Rainy Day Dream Away" evokes more of a jazz lounge atmosphere than a driving rock melody. Likewise, Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile" is one of the classic "great primal jazz-rock jams". Like Miles, Hendrix simply dictated the mood of the song and let the band improvise. He created these sounds from what he heard and heard; Jimi didn't read a note of music. This intuitive sense of sound amazes many jazz greats, including Miles Davis. By 1968, Miles was listening intensely to Jimi's music. Miles actually took a cue from Jimi when producing the album In a Silent Way: Miles' meticulously planned recordings gave way to a more informal jam setting. Then, after the session, the best cuts were put into an album. Hendrix also deserves credit for his use of rapidly advancing studio effects and technologies. His 1967 album Axis: Bold as Love was praised for its finely produced four-track recording. Miles also took advantage of these budding techniques to get the most organic sound out of his band and to weave it into a polished, marketable product. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, it's clear that Miles had great respect for Hendrix. When asked what he thought of Jimi Hendrix's music, Miles replied, in his characteristic raspy voice: "It's that damn 'Machine Gun,'" referring to the haunting, violent, unpredictable rhythm and the screaming guitar solo and virtuosic performance by the Band of Gypsys. song. Miles watched Hendrix perform live at the Fillmore in 1969 and reportedly kept saying to himself, "What the fuck is he doing?", which, in Miles' parlance, is surely a sign of great respect. Some critics dismissed Hendrix as “noisy”; however, Miles recognized Jimi's revolutionary ideas and astutely applied them to his music and production. Miles would soon meet the young, quiet genius behind the music he so admired. He was introduced to Jimi and his music by his wife, funky musician and feminist, Betty Mabry. One day he was called by Jimi's manager, who wanted Miles to help Jimi incorporate more jazz elements into his music. Jimi was eager to learn; he also mentioned going back to school to learn to read and compose music. Jimi appreciated Coltrane's "layers of sound" and Miles' similar use of the trumpet to create a sound effect. Then, the two started meeting to talk about music. Although Jimi didn't read music, Miles highly esteemed his talent: Jimi was simply fantastic, a natural, self-taught musician. He picked things up from everyone he was around, and he picked them up quickly… he had a natural ear for playing music. So I would play him different stuff, show him that way… Then he started incorporating the things I told him into his albums. It was fantastic. He influenced me, and I influenced him, and that's how great music is always created. Jimi's singer friend, Terry Reid, was at Hendrix's house during one of these lessons that arguably launched the birth of Miles' new sound. She remembers him fondly: “He was beautiful. It was tasteful playing, nothing flashy or over the top. In the context of jazz, Jimi was still pushing the envelope, and all those jazz guys respected him like they didn't respect anyone else in rock." When Jimi expressed interest in a more formal session with Miles in a recording studio, he wasn't thinking about the logistics Miles, frustrated that his salary was only a fraction of that of the mighty Hendrix (Miles was often in debt to Columbia for the hefty advances he was fined), asked the manager for $50,000 in advance for the session.by Jimi, Mike Jeffrey. When drummer Tony Williams heard about it, he too made requests. Jeffrey refused the request and the session never took place. Hendrix, on the other hand, had higher ideas. He was already trying to get Paul McCartney involved. He sent this telegram to the Beatles bassist in October 1969: “We will record and LP together this weekend in New York. How about we come and play bass? Call Alvan Douglas at 212-5812212. Peace Jimi Hendrix Miles Davis Tony Williams." Shortly before his death, Jimi had even planned to meet Gil Evans to discuss making a live album: Jimi was to be the soloist in a concert at Carnegie Hall of Gil's orchestral arrangements of the his famous guitar (In a tragic but touching gesture of respect, Gil Evans presented the concert as a posthumous tribute to Jimi). wanted to experiment. Jimi was a collaborative musician, eager to seek out the best mentors and colleagues to improve his art , Miles also began trying to emulate his new friend Jimi's sound; he even tried to transpose Jimi's guitar by playing it for trumpet. Gil Evans, also a fan of Jimi's sound, reworked "The Wind Cries Mary" into " Mademoiselle Mabry": Listen to the laid-back rock beat and familiar gradual motif in both pieces. Later, Miles would pay homage to Hendrix using little sonic touches, like the “Fire” bass line in “Inamorata”; he also transformed "Message to Love" from Hendrix's Band of Gypsys days into "What I Say". around the time Jimi and I had become friends, I wanted that kind of African groove because the guitar can take you deep into the blues." Miles decided to create a new and accessible music, black music, based on the groove and the guitar: the music that would give birth to jazz-rock fusion. His playing is erratic, inexperienced and sometimes even nonsensical spontaneity and his intuitive sense of color and rhythm completed Miles' new '70s sound. However, it was the addition of John McLaughlin that determined the direction of Miles' next major innovation: Bitches Brew and found one in McLaughlin When accused of hiring a “rock” guitarist, Miles replied: “I didn't use John as a rock musician… but for special effects John is no more a rock musician than I am rock trumpeter”. The guitar is largely what helped create the psychedelic, chaotic and game-changing effects that distinguish Bitches Brew. The thick, distorted, powerful chords and effects that dominated Purple Haze add color to Miles' soundscape. Miles is right when he says McLaughlin was added for "color"; Hendrix himself was not just a "rock" guitarist, but a musician who communicated emotions with pure electronic noise: Jimi's real achievement was to open music to electronics. Electronics became his instrument, while the guitar served only as a control device. He was the first to explore the vast and unfathomable territory of electronic sounds, the first to play “live Electronics” – more than anyone who uses this slogan today – and the first to transform electronics into music with the instinct of a genius. , as if he were plucking the strings of an instrument made of waves, rays and currents. McLaughlin, like many other guitarists, cites Hendrix as a huge influence in his artistic development. Many believe that without McLaughlin's interest in Hendrix's pioneering, label-defying guitar style, his work with the Mahavishnu Orchestra would never have been the fusion powerhouse that it is. The dark, dense chords and.