I've been listening to "First Rays of The New Rising Sun" by Jimi Hendrix and Jimi's post Electric Ladyland music is much more funkier, and earthier than his previous records. Especially tunes likes "Dolly Dagger", "Angel" and "Drifting" is more akin to his rhythm and blues roots. This part of his career is fascinating to me, because during his lifetime his music whatever category it was labeled, cultural barriers (rejection of Anglo-Saxon values and norms, Black Pride, Black Nationalism etc) and musical taste (negative disposition to Rock N Roll) blocked Black people from accepting him. With the exception of Frankie Crocker and a few others at Black radio, few tastemakers in Black music tried to get Jimi's music played on Black radio.

My question is: if Jimi had lived, what would his impact would have been on contemporary Black music? Would he have been "accepted" at r&b radio? Would rock radio pan him for going into funk? Dare I say, if pressured, would he have made some disco songs like Rod Stewart did?

Jimi would've dug deeper into funk music, do some jazz collabo with Miles, and then later on do blues records. I could've never seen Hendrix do disco and he would've not understand hip-hop at all lol

I believe Jimi would have made music similar to Curtis Mayfield. Not in Curtis' political songs, but similar to what Curtis did on "Junkie Chase" and the Superfly album. Also, I think Jimi with Billy Cox and Mitchell would go into instrumental music ala Mandrill or Return To Forever.

Timmy84 said:

Jimi would've dug deeper into funk music, do some jazz collabo with Miles, and then later on do blues records. I could've never seen Hendrix do disco and he would've not understand hip-hop at all lol

He would've hook-up with Funkadelic too

Imagine, him, Eddie & Bootsy

damn!!!

Timmy84 said:

Jimi would've dug deeper into funk music, do some jazz collabo with Miles, and then later on do blues records.

I agree.

Timmy84 said:

I don't think the 80s would have treated him well. His life wasn't the kind that was meant to go for very long.

HuMpThAnG said:

Timmy84 said:

Jimi would've dug deeper into funk music, do some jazz collabo with Miles, and then later on do blues records. I could've never seen Hendrix do disco and he would've not understand hip-hop at all lol

He would've hook-up with Funkadelic too

Imagine, him, Eddie & Bootsy

damn!!!

I know right?

I think we can safely say most of it would've been real LOUD

I imagine Jimi going into the whole jazz fusion thang, while also having a finger in funk and rock. I envision collabs with Miles Davis, Tony Williams, Funkadelic, Gil Evans, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Roland Kirk and Bob Marley in the '70s and later with Bill Laswell, John Lee Hooker and maybe even Frank Zappa.

I suppose people like Eddie Hazel, Sonny Sharrock, Derek Bailey and James Blood Ulmer give us some idea of the musical regions where Hendrix might have ventured, but in the end, all we have are the ghosts in the feedback ...

breese said:

I don't think the 80s would have treated him well. His life wasn't the kind that was meant to go for very long.

What would he think of someone this site is named after? Would they have worked together or just hung out? I mean if Jesse Johnson can work with Sly....

It would have been nice to hear him with a bigger band--some horns & keyboard.

He did so much in such a short time, I could see him really struggling to find things to say. But I still would liked to have seen that struggle.

Apparently some of us had forgotten, but Sly was to meet with Jimi in England the day that he died to colaborate with him on new material. Oh well...... I would haved loved to have seen him trading licks with Eddie Van Halen as that would have been a lot of creativity for the rock guitar world to absorb!

Definetly some funk maybe...Disco!

trash metal

just kidding , although

Timmy84 said:

HuMpThAnG said:

He would've hook-up with Funkadelic too

Imagine, him, Eddie & Bootsy

damn!!!

I know right?

In fact, I think Graham was suppose to have join his Band Of Gypsys, but Sly wasn't having it..

According to Emerson, Lake and Palmer, there were "talks" about joining up with them. A dream team stage wise if there ever was one.

HuMpThAnG said:

Timmy84 said:

I know right?

In fact, I think Graham was suppose to have join his Band Of Gypsys, but Sly wasn't having it..

Interesting. I wouldn't be surprised if that was true.

Howard has his last recording.

chocolate1 said:

Timmy84 said:

Jimi would've dug deeper into funk music, do some jazz collabo with Miles, and then later on do blues records.

I agree.

As do I. Oh, what could have been.

Considering that Jimi Hendrix was deeply influenced by Curtis Mayfield, I would have loved to hear how far his songwriting would have gone. Would he have written songs with political commentary, critical of Black America or White America. The trend in '70s soul and funk was songs that were uplifting of ourselves and critical of the world at large.

bashraka said:

Considering that Jimi Hendrix was deeply influenced by Curtis Mayfield, I would have loved to hear how far his songwriting would have gone. Would he have written songs with political commentary, critical of Black America or White America. The trend in '70s soul and funk was songs that were uplifting of ourselves and critical of the world at large.

The material he was working on before he died indicated that that's exactly where he was going at...