Foxy Lady: Tribute to Jimi Hendrix

This is a fine companion to the first Cd by these guys 'Purple Haze' .. These guys are masters of their respective instruments ,all are legends in their own right .. their interpretations on both discs of Jimi's stuff is a very nice listen ..John does not play like Jimi ,John is John , and what a fine guitarist he is..His ECM work is wonderful , especially when teamed with Charles Lloyd . I like the track 'Jimi Meets Miles' on this disc .. makes you wonder ..boy , if only they could have got together in the studio! Great Jazz Power Trio here!!

Purists of various genres might scoff at this being a Hendrix tribute. The way I see it? Here's a trio of Dr. Lonnie Smith, John Abercrombie and Smitty Smith blasting through some Hendrix favorites with a lot of gusto, and acres of room to stretch out for some prime jazz riffing, especially from Abercrombie, who takes on an atmospheric role behind Dr. Smith yet can stretch on his own when he takes the spotlight. This is jazz which is *fun* to listen to, yet it rocks out (especially the disc opener) in a way that even rock or fusion fans will dig it. Take off the attitude and the stuffy mindset and simply enjoy this one. Also grab the companion set,  Purple Haze: Tribute to Jimi Hendrix , which was recorded at the same time.

Four lengthy interpretations of Hendrix tunes by a relaxed trio of John Abercrombie, Lonnie Smith, and Marvin Smith--this second effort by the trio lags behind their first, less atmospheric effort. Abercrombie retains his identity while spooling out tasty lines of dissonance and happy threads of jazzy melody. But it is Smith who most impresses, pulverizing with abrupt keyboard washes from Mars, while still maintaining a groove and a direction.

J'ai souvent du mal avec les "tribute"; copier l'original est un exercice périlleux et difficile. Ici, c'est autre chose, et les artistes ne cherchent pas à reproduire les morceaux tels qu'ils ont été joués par Jimi, c'est une interprétation très différente, mais un réel hommage au morceau et au compositeur, dans un style très jazz-rock.