By: David Schultz

The premise was a noble one, although not exactly the easiest to carry off: honor Jimi Hendrix by assembling his friends, contemporaries and those that he influenced to play his music in recognition of his sizable legacy and impact on the world of rock and roll. As Hendrix is arguably the most innovative guitarist to ever take the stage and his songs are fixtures on classic rock radio, the venture isn’t exactly fraught with the urgency of keeping the memory of a fading or obscure musician alive. The 2007 Experience Hendrix project consists of a seven night run focusing exclusively on the East coast with two stops at New York City’s Beacon Theater. The three hour cavalcade had its moments while attempting the impossible task of covering the catalog of a musician whose talents simply cannot be duplicated. No reflection on the chops involved with the performance, it’s simply an undertaking that will ultimately prove unsatisfying.

The night provided an opportunity for former guitar prodigies Eric Gales and Kenny Wayne Shepherd to reestablish their reputations with each offering astounding performances; Gales opening the show with “Foxy Lady” and reemerging later for a grin-inducing turn on “Red House.” On the other hand, Doors . . . er, Riders On The Storm guitarist Robby Krieger and original Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell brought nothing but recognizable names and grizzled faces.

Even though his set may not have adhered strictly to the Hendrix agenda, fellow Hall of Famer Buddy Guy simply stole the show, playing a set of electrified Hendrix style blues. With panache, Guy pulled out a series of cocky guitar tricks; while not entirely emulative of Hendrix, Guy’s theatrics were indicative of Hendrix’ masterful style of playing. A veritable blues bonanza, Guy touched on “Hoochie Koochie Man” and paired up with Hubert Sumlin, another blues legend, but it only took three words to truly cause a stir that sent ripples of excitement through the crowd, “Where’s Robert at?”

Indicative of Hendrix’ wide ranging influence, the most anticipated performer didn’t even play the guitar. Striding on to the stage during the tail end of Guy’s performance, pedal steel maestro Robert Randolph, who is affectionately and reverently referred to as “The Hendrix of the pedal steel" helped Guy finish up his set before teaming up with Double Trouble’s Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon for “Purple Haze.” To close the show, Shepherd returned to the stage and teamed with Randolph and Double Trouble for a sterling rendition of “Voodoo Chile.”

The night called for various pairings that recalled the inventive collaborations of the Jammy Awards, although the results were varying. One of the few performers to play while seated, Doyle Bramhall II offered a fine rendition of “May This Be Love” with nice touches of “1983 (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)” before romping through “You Got Me Floatin’” with Corey Glover. The Living Colour singer made a more impactful appearance with Robbie Krieger, being the best thing about a two song mini-set of “Spanish Castle Magic” and “Manic Depression.” Indigenous guitarist Mato Nanji nicely took on “Little Wing” and former Rolling Stone Mick Taylor admirably tackled “Catfish Blues”

In dedicating a night to Hendrix, everyone rightfully placed the focus on his indescribably groundbreaking guitar work and the various axemen were clearly the centerpiece of the show. However, by stacking up numerous covers on top of each other for a night’s worth of music, you get a new respect for Hendrix’ mellow, bluesy voice which seemed noticeably removed and absent from the proceedings. A more pleasant revelation could be found within the rhythm sections with Layton and former Band of Gypsys’ bassist Billy Cox bringing out the wonderful bass lines and quietly marking the importance of Noel Redding to Hendrix’ signature sound.

Hendrix once wondered whether the wind would ever remember the names it has blown in the past. In the case of Jimi Hendrix, his brilliance may never be repeated on stage though his influence will resound for even more decades to come.