Jimi Hendrix on New Year's Eve
On new year’s eve in 1969, Jimi Hendrix saw in the new decade with a new musical direction. Band of Gypsies was one of several permutations of lineups he played with in a short but explosive career, and moved his focus away from psychedelic pop-rock to soul, funk and hard-hitting RnB.
His rhythm playing is sometimes an on overlooked aspect of his highly influential guitar style. In the studio he famously layered up dozens of parts and could dedicate his energies to beautifully orchestrated rhythm and lead overdubs.
But on stage he had to find one-man solutions to these parts which often led to him weaving between the two. ‘Ezy Rider’ written after the 1969 road trip movie of the same name is just one such example, performed at San Francisco's Fillmore East that night with Buddy Miles on drums and Billy Cox on bass. If you can forgive the wayward tuning of Hendrix's instrument, the funky octaves and soaring solos more than compensate: