Copenhague (K.B. Hallen) : 3 septembre 1970

Copenhague (K.B. Hallen) : 3 septembre 1970


Titres :

1. Stone Free
2. Foxy Lady
3. Message To Love
4. Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)
5. All Along The Watchtower
6. Machine Gun
7. Spanish Castle Magic
8. Ezy Ryder
9. Freedom
10. Red House
11. In From The Storm
12. Purple Haze
13. Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
14. Hey Joe
15. Fire  

Source : "KB Hallen 1970 Merge"





Le Merge consacré au concert du 3 septembre 1970 est un modèle du genre : composé de trois sources différentes, le résultat obtenu est d'autant plus impressionnant qu'il est obtenu à partir d'enregistrements "audience". Non seulement la voix et la guitare de Jimi sont toujours parfaitement audibles, mais le tout est très équilibré : on entend même les cymbales de Mitch Mitchell.

Copenhague est la cinquième étape de l'ultime tournée européenne de Jimi, qui n'a pas débuté de la meilleure des manières : après une prestation mitigée à l'Ile de Wight, suivie d'une mauvaise performance à Stockholm, il a définitivement touché le fond à Arhus. Jimi ne se produira avec son trio qu'à deux reprises par la suite.

Je vous propose une traduction de quelques extraits du témoignage de Kirsten Nefer, tel qu'on peut le lire dans les notes de pochettes du CD Univibes "Jimi In Denmark" :

"Nous sommes parti pour le "K.B. Hallen" en taxi et Jimi a commencé à être nerveux. Dès que nous sommes arrivés, toute sa confiance s’était envolée, soudainement. Il ne voulait plus jouer, alors je lui ai dit : "Ce n’est pas bien. C’est mon pays, tu les a laissé tomber hier, et tu ne vas pas refaire ça ce soir. C’est Copenhague !" Mais il ne pouvait pas jouer a-t-il dit. (…)
Quelques temps plus tard, Karen et Mitch sont arrivés avec Billy. Et alors le malaise a recommencé. Jimi a dit "Tout le monde dehors sauf Karen et Kirsten", et il a viré tout le monde et fermé la porte."
A un moment, Jimi répétait son affirmation d’Arhus selon laquelle il n’était pas sûr d’atteindre ses 28 ans…
"Alors nous nous sommes assis. Je ne sais pas combien de temps, mais un sacré moment. (…) J’ai dit à Jimi "Tu ferais mieux de t’habiller", mais il ne voulait pas. Ensuite il a pris sa guitare acoustique, s’est assis, et a joué. Je n’avais jamais rien entendu de tel. C’était divin. C’était tout ce qu’il voulait faire, s’asseoir et jouer. (…)
Les gens cognaient à la porte ; ils voulaient rentrer mais Jimi n’a pas ouvert. "Tu dois y aller" je lui ai dit, mais il m’a répondu qu’il ne le ferait pas. Je lui ai dit de mettre ses fringues mais il a répondu qu’il ne pouvait pas, alors j’ai ouvert sa valise et sorti ses vêtements. "Tu aimes ça ?" Après tout ça, j'ai dit "Maintenant il est temps que tu y ailles", mais il a refusé. "Tu dois jouer, tu ne peux pas refuser". Alors, il a enfin dit : "OK, je jouerai pour toi et ta famille". Il est alors monté sur scène et a donné son meilleur concert depuis un sacré moment - demandez à qui que ce soit qui était là."

Notes complètes :
http://www.montereyhendrix.gobot.com/about.html


Dès les premières mesures de "Stone Free", Jimi remet effectivement les pendules à l'heure, avec un chant assuré et volontaire. C'est malheureusement la dernière version d'un pilier du répertoire Hendrixien.
Le solo commence à 2:53 sur une improvisation modale en dorien typique du Jimi cuvée 1970. Le style est immédiatement reconnaissable, éclatant de cette liberté inégalée dans un contexte rock.
A 3:28, la wah wah fait son entrée, suivie de plans free à 3:43, avant une fin plus blues, plus classique.
Au final, c'est un excellent solo, étonnamment court, mais parfaitement ciselé.

Le feed back du titre précédent se prolonge par l'introduction de "Foxy Lady". Comme trop souvent, le titre est pris à un rythme trop élevé, empêchant la puissance de se développer pleinement. Jimi joue une partie de son solo avec les dents.
Le professionnel a toutefois manifestement repris le dessus, en livrant ainsi une autre version solide d'un de ses classiques.

Jimi dédie le titre suivant "aux frères et aux sœurs... et à tous les autres qui ne sont ni des frères ni des sœurs (!)".
Avec "Message To Love", Jimi continue sur sa lancée, même s'il débute son solo par un pain monumental. Il joue ensuite un plan très rapide sur une corde rappelant un de ceux de "Pali Gap". Le titre est mené tambour battant, et ne souffre d'aucun temps mort.

Après quelques accords méditatifs et des traits "Little Winguiens", Jimi débute l'introduction de "Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)". Au bout d'environ une minute, il joue une transition flamenco puis installe la suite d'accords des couplets. Il se lance alors dans un solo d'un peu plus d'une minute. Il y a de l'espace et de la sérénité dans son jeu, moins de tension que sur le solo de la version studio.
Son interprétation du couplet et du refrain est dans la même veine "paix intérieure". Son solo suivant se situe dans le prolongement, mais Jimi fait monter la pression lors de la 7ème minute...

... et enchaîne l'introduction de "All Along The Watchtower" sans interruption. Le solo qui suit le premier couplet comporte des traits à couper le souffle.
Le solo central est calqué sur celui de la version studio. C'est une bonne copie que Jimi présente ici, sans toutefois atteindre la perfection originale.
Jimi se trompe dans les paroles du troisième couplet, et commet quelques imprécisions lors du solo final.

Suit l'avant-dernière version de "Machine Gun". Après les quelques mesures d'introduction, Jimi dresse une montagne de saturation, qui instaure le climat si particulier de la composition.
Il faut souligner la qualité de l'interprétation des couplets, irréprochable, dans une veine très proche de la version officielle. La guitare et le chant de Jimi parfois se fondent, parfois s'écartent, mais toujours se complètent.
Le solo central débute par plusieurs tirés qui déchirent l'espace sonore. Billy Cox abandonne la ligne de basse de la version originale pour jour un riff sur plusieurs cordes. Les roulements de Mitch accompagnent cette marche macabre. Personne n'a aussi bien illustré l'absurdité de la guerre et des hommes qui se sacrifient au nom de la liberté.
Le solo final est plus méditatif, sorte de requiem pour les âmes perdues, dont le destin est scellé par la citation de "Taps".

La guitare de Jimi est largement désaccordée lorsqu'il attaque "Spanish Castle Magic" : c'est la conséquence des techniques extrêmes utilisée auparavant. Le chant est moyennement appliqué.
Après un souci technique manifeste en début de solo, Jimi joue tendu avant de se lancer dans un passage purement rythmique.
Il cite le riff du "Sing A Simple Song" de Sly & The Family Stone, déjà repris sur le "We Gotta Live Together" du Band Of Gypsys, puis, mais avec moins de réussite, joue le riff du "Satisfaction" des Rolling Stones.
Suit alors un long solo de batterie, qui se termine alors que les applaudissements montent lorsque Jimi réapparait...

... et entame un "Ezy Ryder" up tempo, qui explique peut-être un jeu assez économique en rythmique. Le solo central est court et efficace. Avec les concerts, le trio commençait à trouver ses marques sur cette composition qui lui a pourtant longtemps posé problème. La solution était peut-être d'abandonner le groove de Buddy Miles pour un rock énergique ?

"Nous allons jouer un autre titre qu'on tente pour notre nouvel album, un truc qui s'appelle "Freedom"."
Jimi attaque alors le riff d'introduction de "Freedom", mais on se rend compte qu'il est désaccordé dès qu'il se lance dans la rythmique des couplets. C'est pire encore lors des refrains, où les cordes de Si et de Mi sont jouées à vide : impossible de rattraper le coup. Jimi profite toutefois du pont instrumental pour se réaccorder. Là encore, il faut noter que le groupe commençait à trouver ses marques...

"Red House" est jouée sans pause. Il y a quelques flottements lors de l'introduction, très blues, jouée sur sa Flying V.
Les couplets sont interprétés dans un style relâché, sans tension. Le solo central est un des plus calmes jamais joué sur "Red House". Jimi en garde sous le pied lors du premier cycle. Mitch multiplie le tempo lors des 12 mesures suivantes, mais Jimi ne joue pas plus intensément pour autant. La tension retombe lors du troisième cycle, où Jimi passe à la wah wah, et prolonge ses idées lors d'un dernier cycle.
Le chant est superbe lors du dernier couplet... mais la version reste déconcertante : sans violence, pas vraiment blues, il lui manque un petit plus.

Suit l'ultime version de "In From The Storm", une des nouvelles compositions de Jimi qui fonctionnent bien en Live. Le tempo est assez lent cette fois-ci. Il y a d'ailleurs une nette accélération lors du pont instrumental. C'est une version moins forte que celle du premier septembre, d'autant que le trio pédale sévèrement dans la semoule lors des dernières mesures.

Jimi remercie l'audience puis attaque "Purple Haze". Il se plante complètement lors du plan en octaves qui sépare les deux premiers couplets. Le solo part sur les bases de la version studio, mais s'en écarte notablement : Jimi joue même avec les dents ! Version moyenne au final.

Le concert continue avec 14 minutes de "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)". Des problèmes de justesse sont audibles dès l'introduction. Ils n'empêchent pourtant pas Jimi de s'en sortir relativement bien lors du premier couplet. Le solo central, avec son alternance de jeu aigu et d'accords en bas de manche, passe plus moyennement. Cela conduit Jimi à s'arrêter, laissant la place à un nouveau solo de batterie de Mitch. Il revient ensuite... mais il n'est pas mieux accordé ! Quelques bons moments sont tout de même à noter.
Il y a un certain cafouillage avant le second couplet, plombé par une guitare très fausse.
Le solo final est à l'image du solo central : très inégal.
Il y a le moment Cream de la soirée : Jimi cite "Sunshine Of Your Love" puis "Cat's Squirrel", avant de citer un de ses propres titres encore inédit à ce jour : "Calling All The Devil's Children" ! Jimi avait-il repensé à cette composition récemment ?
"Merci beaucoup, merci beaucoup. Nous avons Billy Cox à la basse, Mitch Mitchell à la batterie, et euh... votre dévoué à la cabine saxophonique"
Jimi conclut par le riff d'introduction et un a capella avec les dents.

"Merci beaucoup, vous avez été vraiment fantastiques."
A la requête de certains membres du public, Jimi joue "Hey Joe", alors qu'il n'est pas coutumier des rappels. Billy Cox assure les chœurs de cette version solide.
L'Univibes est enclenchée lors des premières notes du solo central. Sur le dernier, Jimi ressuscite le showman en jouant avec les dents.

Jimi nous livre enfin l'ultime version de "Fire", laissé de coté lors de cette dernière tournée. C'est un second rappel énergique, maîtrisé de bout en bout, avec deux superbes soli, ciselés et énergiques.


Au final ? Un concert légèrement inégal (il est assez long), mais avec de grands moments. Non, contrairement à la légende, ce 3 septembre 1970, Jimi Hendrix n'était pas mort.

Le concert de Copenhague est dans le top 3 des concerts préférés de Michael Fairchild, juste derrière celui du LA Forum du 25 avril 1970 et son préféré de l'Experience (San José, 25 mai 1969).

Son site propose deux chroniques d'époque très élogieuses :

In connection with the aborted concert in Arhus last Wednesday, Jimi Hendrix is supposed to have said that he had 'been dead for a long time.' If this is correct, I would suggest that the concert in Copenhagen a day later was a resurrection from the dead. A similar musical liveliness I have rarely experienced. It lasted one and a half hours, and left one like a rag. It was hard to bear. More reserved listeners might make objections, saying that Hendrix fails to give the audience breaks, and that he played at unvaried speed at the highest volume and intensity. But I am afraid there seems to be nothing to do about that. After all, it is on this level of sound that he utilizes the guitar amplifiers tonal possibilities...it is not frequent you experience something like this...it is music which is continually built up, music which, almost from minute to minute, exceeds its own limits. Not to forget his unique appearance, his colourful dress, and most of all his supple grace in every movement during his playing. I do not think I know any musician who offers the eye as much as Hendrix...Drummer Mitch Mitchell is an excellent third part...with a rhythmic complexity and an ability to follow Hendrix everywhere, which can be hard to imagine any other drummer doing.
Erik Wiedemann - Information, Sept. 5, 1970

The label 'Concert of the Year' has been used many times, but this time it is justified. Jimi Hendnrix at the K.B. Hallen last night surpasses anything we have heard until now. A filled hall made love to him, sat with open mouths and vibrating nerves, and heard him, Billly Cox, and Mitch Mitchell (who went to London yesterday and returned on a rented plane, to say hello to his newborn daughter). Jimi was ill and tired in Arhus, but was so high in Copenhagen that it was true energy, true adrenalin which ran through his fingers, through his guitar, and into all of us. That any human being can contain this much is incredible. He gave the peace sign when he entered, and the feelings he and his group expressed through their music was true love, a love which contains all the aspects of life, from sorrow to rebirth. As a warrior of love he stood, dressed in many colours, and was the best guitarist rock 'n' roll music can offer. What Hendrix, Cox, and Mitchell gave to those who were at the K.B. Hallen, no one can take away.
Helle Hellemann - Politikin, Sept. 4, 1970

Source : http://www.rockprophecy.com/unknown2.html

Lien audio pour "Hey Baby" :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV_JTt7RXxM

« La nuit suivante à Copenhague n’était guère meilleure, même si nous avons fini le concert… c’était sinistre. Je ne pense que pas que Jimi avait fait de balances pour ces concerts, ce qui est vraiment étrange. Il avait manifestement quelque chose à l’esprit ; jamais je ne l’avais entendu jouer si mal. »

Mitch Mitchell, In The Hendrix Experience

Citation :

Ayler a dit :

Pour rappel, le concert précédent était celui d'Århus - le plus gros fiasco du trio Hendrix/Cox/Mitchell. Réflexion étonnante de Mitch pour le coup : peut-être confond-il avec un autre concert de la tournée européenne ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV_JTt7RXxM

Citation :

Après quelques accords méditatifs et des traits "Little Winguiens", Jimi débute l'introduction de "[g]Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)[/g]". Au bout d'environ une minute, il joue une transition flamenco puis installe la suite d'accords des couplets. Il se lance alors dans un solo d'un peu plus d'une minute. Il y a de l'espace et de la sérénité dans son jeu, moins de tension que sur le solo de la version studio.
Son interprétation du couplet et du refrain est dans la même veine "paix intérieure". Son solo suivant se situe dans le prolongement, mais Jimi fait monter la pression lors de la 7ème minute...

Citation :

jmarshallh a dit : j'ai un peu cherché, sur le site danois j'ai trouvé ceci :

http://www.angel.dk/hendrix/default.html

AARHUUS STIFTSTIDENDE - ‘Hendrix lover gratis koncert’ [‘Hendrix promises to play a free concert’]

Three thousand will get their money back, after the beat musician last night sneaked out the back door
“I am sick, I cannot anymore! Of course, I want no money for this concert, and I promise to come back here and play a free concert.”
These words came from one of the most famous beat guitarists in the world, Jimi Hendrix, while he was lying in the dressing room in Vejlby-Risskov Hallen last night.
Around three thousand persons, who each had paid 50-60 crowns, sat waiting in the hall, after Jimi Hendrix had played two songs and then asked for a five minutes break.
Hendrix, who feared that the suspended concert would cause trouble, asked to be let out through the back door, before the audience was told about the cancellation.
He was let out and driven away in a taxicab. While a member of Århus Studenterjazz, who together with the Copenhagen agency SBA, were the organizers, went on stage to say that the concert was over, many doormen and a few policemen stood ready. Many feared that there would be trouble now.
But it did not happen. The hundreds of bottles, which were standing around in the hall, were left where they were standing. Not a single chair was turned over. Three thousand young persons accepted the situation and quietly left Vejlby-Risskov Hallen.

Calm audience
Afterwards a couple of security men said:
-“Who talks about the irresponsible youth of today?”
The young people, who were here tonight, had refuted every statement that young people of today take every opportunity to behave fiercefully. When we heard that the concert was over after two songs, we were sure, that the hall would be totally destroyed.
The event which began at 7 p.m., started with a concert with the group Blue Sun from Copenhagen. Then there was a pause. At 9 p.m. Hendrix was still not on stage.
Fifteen minutes later the audience quite naturally began whistling and booing and stamping their feet. Hendrix still was not on stage and nobody cared to tell the audience the reason why - probably because nobody knew it.
Everybody - including the organizers - was prohibited to go into the dressing room where Jimi Hendrix was together with the two other members, Billy Cox and Mitch Mitchell. When Hendrix finally came into the hall to go on stage, two men helped him. But not many persons noticed that the concert began without any comments.

Two songs
Two songs later the group left the stage.
The audience was told, that there would be a five-minute break. But those minutes got very long. When the organizers finally walked on stage, it was only to tell that everyone, who still had their ticket left, would get their money back today.
It can be interpreted as the irony of destiny, that this one hundred thousand crown show ended up being free for both the organizers and the audience.
The Jimi Hendrix concert in Århus was first mentioned in relation to the International Jazz-rock Festival, which begins in Århus this afternoon. Restaurant Tagskægget was of the opinion that they had an agreement with the agency SBA in Copenhagen for the arrangement.
The SBA people denied this. Another agency in Copenhagen, Bendix Music, had the contract for Jimi Hendrix and wanted to arrange the concert in Århus. But during the first weeks of ticket sales, the request for tickets was not, what Bendix Music had expected, which resulted in SBA taking over the arrangement, along with Århus Studenterjazz.

AKTUELT - ‘Guitarkongen i kanonform’ [‘Guitar king in top form’]
The autumn pop season started in the best way at K.B. Hallen last night, where Jimi Hendrix, the undefeated master of the electric guitar, gave a concert. The hall was full and 4,000 wild fans put the skids under the famous man. It seemed like the many pop fans had saved up all summer, you’d have to look a long time for for similar atmosphere. There was applause for the sound technician and the doormen, besides of course, the musicians, and two men who rolled of with a piano.
A concert with Hendrix is one big prayer meeting, where the single musical point does not matter. It is the entirety, the power, the energy, the humor, which is the determining part. And Jimi was in good shape. He talked, laughed and played incomprehensibly on his big shining guitar. We got "All Along the Watchtowers"[sic], "Machine Gun" and a lots of others, known and unknown. The amplifiers blasted and the applause was neverending.
The Danish-American group “Blue Sun” entertained for the first part, with theatrical attitudes, gimmicks and avantgarde jazz. We could have done without them.
BERLINGSKE TIDENDE (page?) ‘Hendrix uden overraskelser’ [‘Hendrix without surprises’] by [unknown]:
Full house for the concert in K.B. Hallen
After a way to long break and a quarter with an impatient audience, who demanded the headliner on stage, Jimi Hendrix walked softly into the K.B. Hallen with his white guitar and his new group. His presence resulted in a true rush against the stage - as an idolized person he has a place next to Mick Jagger. His position as loner he confirmed by playing with the amplifiers being twice as large as the bass player Billy Cox's, and being on a sound level which made it completely impossibly to hear the drummer Mitch Mitchell. Though Hendrix is a great
musician, he seems to have a small personality. The music was not different from Hendrix's two other visits to the city. In a scene show, with sexual appeal and songs from old records he is able to keep the listener's attention all the time. His brilliant finger maneuver and safe routine fills the room with high-pressure sound. The fantastic offerings, which Hendrix at single previous concerts has presented us with, did not came yesterday. It was obvious that this concert was one in a million.
In the middle of the show the left-handed American guitarist got lyrical and played dreamy and wonderful in "Baby, Where Do You Come From" [sic].
Hendrix, in a Gypsy outfit, also let a soft snarl renew his own compositions and Bob Dylan’s "All Along The Watchtower". It was Hendrix as expected, but without any news.

EKSTRA BLADET - ‘Hendrix træt, vil ha' pause’ [‘Tired Hendrix wants a break’]
“Why do I work so much? Yes, I wish I knew. But now I have to take it easy.” This was what Jimi Hendrix told Ekstra Bladet after his concert in K.B. Hallen in Copenhagen. At the same time he revealed that he did not know that he was the headliner this week at the Fehmaren festival. If Hendrix disappointed his audience Wednesday evening in Århus, he played for almost 100 minutes in Copenhagen. But Jimi is probably a kid for fun. Even though everybody started fidgeting with impatience around 20.15, when he was supposed to follow the group Blue Sun, he played on in his dressing room together with his bass player Billy Cox and with his girlfriends as an adoring audience. At the same time the mood in the hall was raising, and Anders Stefansen from Scandinavian Booking Agency got wrinkles on his forehead, and Hendrix's many people ran back and forth. One saw to that the door to the stage and the shouting people was closed. Would he play or not? That was what you asked yourself after 30 minutes. But Hendrix would, even though he was tired, exhausted, and lacked sleep. This was the official explanation. After the show he was not more tired though, than he and the ladies were planning a trip to Tivoli.
This night Hendrix plays in Hamburg, if...

EKSTRA BLADET - ‘Varmt og direkte lydorgie med Hendrix’ [‘Warm and direct sound-orgy with Hendrix’]
Even though K.B. Hallen with its dark lines of chairs and its enormous arching loft, is not normally the place where great events happen, it was with some expectations, that the flight on Hendrix's soft, strong music was anticipated. Blue Sun, one of the new Danish groups, which has been very popular lately, supported Hendrix who could need that [...Blue Sun reviewed...] But then Hendrix entered, greeted by a giant wave of applause from the
audience. He answered back by showing the V-sign and jumped right into [… cannot read this line], and let us know that something was happening now, here and now. And with far-reaching, beautiful visual sound waves he gave back what he had and more than that. Far into the body one felt how Hendrix with his guitar and his amplifiers could make love to a hall full of people.
Hendrix and the audience never reached the brimming over-climax, the communication with the pushing bass player Billy Cox missed a couple of times, and Mitch Mitchell was often lost, but everything flowed quiet and warm up and down without any of the parts reaching climax, and when Hendrix had played the extra songs "Hey Joe" and "Let Me Stand Next To Your Fire" everything went quiet and calm. There was given and there was taken so much that everyone felt comfortable.

POLITIKEN - ‘Kærlighedens kriger’ [‘Warrior of love’]. ‘Unsurpassed Hendrix in Copenhagen’ :
Concert of the year. This label is very used, but this time it is justified. Jimi Hendrix at K.B. Hallen last night surpassed anything we have heard until now. A filled hall made love to him, sat with open mouths and vibrating nerves and heard him, Billy Cox and Mitch Mitchell (who went to London yesterday and returned on a chartered plane, to say hello to his new-born daughter). Stone Free, Foxy Lady, Message To Love, All Along The Watchtower, Freedom, Spanish Castle Magic, Purple Haze, Hey Joe, you name it, they where all there. Jimmi
[sic] was ill and tired in Århus, but in Copenhagen he was so high that it was true energy, true adrenalin which ran through his fingers, through the guitar and into all of us. That any human can contain this much is so incredible that it can only be true.
He gave the peace sign when he entered, and the feelings he and his group expressed through their music was true love, a love that contains all the aspects of love, from sorrow to rebirth. As a warrior of love he stood dressed in many colors and was the best guitarist rock ‘n’ roll music can offer. What Hendrix, Cox and Mitchell gave those who where in K.B. Hallen no one can take from them.

INFORMATION - ‘Hendrixerei’ [‘Hendrixcraft’] Jimi Hendrix and Blue Sun in KB-Hallen
by ‘Weidemann’:
In connection with the broken off concert in Århus last Wednesday Jimi Hendrix is supposed to have said that he had "been dead for a long time". If this is correct, I would suggest that the concert two days [sic] later in Copenhagen was a rise from the dead. A similar musical liveliness I have rarely experienced. It lasted one and a half hour, and left one as a rag. It was hard to bear. More reserved listeners would might make objections saying that Hendrix gives the audience too few breaks, and that he was at unvaried speed at the highest volume and intensity. But I am afraid there seems to be nothing to do about that. After all it is on this level of sound, that he utilizes the guitar-amplifiers tonal possibilities. Should it not be possible to live on the intensity level he uses? After all it is not frequent you experience something like this. For my own concern I have to think back to the last Hendrix concert one and a half year ago, and from there all the way back to John Coltranes first visit, nine years ago. There is time for a breathing space.
Also the reminiscence of Hendrix as an entertainer - from time to time he put his tongue out and played guitar with his mouth, would it be too cheap to make sarcastic remarks about considering how much music you get besides, and in addition it is music which is continually built up, music which almost from minute to minute exceeds its own limits. Not to forget his appearance, which is unique, his colorful dress, but first of all his supple grace in every
movement during his playing. I do not think I know any musician who offers the eye as much as Hendrix. Beside him, his two co-workers get reduced to nothing but co-workers. The bass player Billy Cox is anyway no flyer, a very solid accompanist, but not filled with ideas like the predecessor, the English Noel Redding. The drummer Mitch Mitchell is on the other hand an excellent third part. Maybe not dynamic enough for Hendrix, that would demand an Elvin Jones or Tony Williams, but with a rhythmic complexity and an ability to follow Hendrix everywhere, which can be hard to imagine any other drummer do. And when did we last hear a drum solo so rhythmic and eventful as Mitchell’s this time?
But beat concert? The word is too narrow to cover what happened. It was more a musically trip, which went beyond what you can hear on the records of Hendrix (and even at his last concert), and beyond all other musical categories. A trip, also in the sense that you would wait a while before a repetition, there is enough of impressions to work with. At the same time we look forward to the next time...
On this background, the first group Blue Sun's first hour fades a bit. They did play better and more independent, when talking about first breed, and this section also offered a special attraction in a short guest play by trumpeter Don Cherry, a combination I would love to hear more from... Blue Sun reviewed ... But of course, which other first group could have got away unhurt from supporting Hendrix?

Quelle sauvagerie dans l'attitude de Jimi pour beaucoup de photos de ce concert !