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Machine Mass: Plays Hendrix
ByThe set opens with "Third Stone From The Sun," a great place to start for instrumental versionseverything else on the album had vocals originally. Expectations are subverted right out of the gate as the theme is played by the keyboards as an introduction, before launching into the familiar groove (with bass line played by Guenet, as presumably most of them are). "Purple Haze" features a long rubato piano introduction, which teases the famous riff before the drums and guitar enter. After that Delville lets it rip with full-tilt overdriven psychedelic rock guitar.
That's how it goes all the way through: a very free interpretation of Hendrix's music, which nonetheless retains a feeling of rock and roll energy. Other memorable moments include "Burning of the Midnight Lamp," which is almost entirely a keyboard feature. It opens with solo piano, in a dramatic reharmonization: some of the most "jazz" sounds on the record. Guenet moves to the organ, the rhythm section finally enters, and the theme is finally played on guitar only at the very end.
Delville works a "Strangers in the Night" quote into "You Got Me Floatin,'" and Hendrix himself makes a cameo appearance on the closer "The Wind Cries Mary." It's an excerpt from an interview in which he describes the positive feelings he tries to evoke in his music. The only version that fails to capture the source material for me is "Fire." It's a grooving track, but it largely abandons the pronounced soul feel of the original.
The band says that the tracks were recorded livewith no overdubs and minimal editingand are presented in the order they were recorded. That makes the easy flow of the session all the more remarkable. Recording a single Hendrix rearrangement might have come off as a novelty, but the band is clearly all in for this session. They sound like they're having a blast, and the listener is guaranteed the same.
Track Listing
Third Stone From the Sun; Purple Haze; Little Wing; Spanish Castle Magic; Fire; Voodoo Chile; Burning of the Midnight Lamp; You Got Me Floatin'; The Wind Cries Mary.
Personnel
Machine Mass
band / ensemble / orchestraMICHEL DELVILLE guitar, Roland GR09, loops, stylophone, electronics, samples TONY BIANCO drums, percussion ANTOINE GUENET keyboards, synth, acoustic piano
Album information
Title: Plays Hendrix | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: MoonJune Records
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About Machine Mass
Instrument: Band / ensemble / orchestra
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