Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Miami Pop Festival

5

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Miami Pop Festival

By

Sign in to view read count
The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Miami Pop Festival
An adjunct to the DVD release of Hear My Train A Comin', an installment of the PBS 'American Masters' series, Miami Pop Festival captures the original Jimi Hendrix Experience flush with success and the rightful expectation of more to come. At the time of this May 1968 appearance, the threesome was recording Electric Ladyland (Reprise, 1968) free of the ennui and creative/personal conflict that subsequently fractured the solid bond so evident in their musicianship here. (Or perhaps the nascent creative friction manifest itself positively on stage).

Containing the whole of the trio's evening set (and two selections from the afternoon performance) at a festival co-produced by Michael Lang, (who would go on to oversee 1969's Woodstock event), the cd is also notable for an early appearance of what would become a staple of the iconic guitarist's live sets for the remainder of his career: "Hear My Train A Comin'" emanates anticipation and foreboding in such a way that Hendrix' emotional investment is unmistakable in both the song and the performance.

The debut performance of "Tax Free" takes place on Miami Pop Festival as well, and while it's a slight tune to be sure, it remains significant not just as one of the rare covers the band adopted, but because this near-nine minute instrumental rendition offered a launching point for extended improvisation. The initial song of the set, "Hey Joe," is another of those non- originals-actually the first JHE single released in England in 1966- but the trio gives the tune an exploratory reading, phasing into it via a dissonant instrumental intro.

Apart from the aforementioned 'new' numbers, the eight- song setlist contained no surprises, at least on the surface, but Hendrix and Mitchell's unusually complementary bond with bassist Noel Redding was perhaps never tighter than at this point in the existence of the Experience. Though the drummer and guitarist play with comparable complexity during a slashing take on "Fire," all three sound equally prominent in the Eddie Kramer mix of "Red House," rendering this slow blues the high point of the disc: the Experience doesn't just play the changes, but engages in a savage romp mid-take that, in a different context, might well define British blues of the period.

The inclusion of two excerpts from the afternoon show at the rain- shortened festival is not random filler merely meant to stretch the cd to approximately an hour's playing time. Rather, these staples of the Jimi Hendrix Experience repertoire become purposeful in the context of Miami Pop Festival, the two fairly abbreviated numbers reaffirming the synchrony within the preceding playing.

Track Listing

Introduction: Hey Joe; Foxey Lady; Tax Free; Fire; Hear My Train A Comin
 ' ; I Don’t Live Today; Red House; Purple Haze; Fire; Foxey Lady.

Personnel

The Jimi Hendrix Experience
band / ensemble / orchestra

Jimi Hendrix: guitar, vocals; Noel Redding: bass, vocals; Mitch Mitchell: drums.

Album information

Title: Miami Pop Festival | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Legacy Recordings

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.