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Who's the Heir to Jimi Today?

2611 Views 25 Replies 17 Participants Last post by  david henman
Just got home and the last song in my player was "Day of the Eagle".

That got me thinking. If Hendrix had lived would he have been Robin Trower?:tongue:

In another thread we talked about how music today seems simpler and perhaps even cruder to us old guys. Is it just the inevitable grumpiness that comes with being a geezer or is it really true?

Who today in the music biz is younger than in his 20's and is playing as well as Page, Clapton, Townsend, Travers, Marino or whoever?

I dunno. Then again, I don't get out much anymore.

Anyone got any examples to share? Vai and Satriani are getting kinda long in the tooth. Who's the new blood?
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I would not call him the heir to Jimi Hendrix, but as far as young guys go, I really dig Derek Trucks of the Allman Brothers. When you watch him live, he make's slide guitar look so easy. One of the best slide players I have ever seen.
If Jimi had lived he would probably be playing jazz. He died on a saturday and was scheduled to go in the studio with Miles Davis on the following monday. Too bad that never came to be.

There is a new guy named Joe Bonamassa who is pretty good. He's 29. Blues/rock style player. You might find a sample on youtube.
Lester B. Flat said:
If Jimi had lived he would probably be playing jazz. He died on a saturday and was scheduled to go in the studio with Miles Davis on the following monday. Too bad that never came to be.

There is a new guy named Joe Bonamassa who is pretty good. He's 29. Blues/rock style player. You might find a sample on youtube.
+1 on Joe. I completely forgot about him. Great player!
Doug Martsch from Built To Spill has been compared to him a lot. He's not always beating you over the head with his guitar playing like most of the "guitar god" guys, but you know he's fantastic.
blues Saracino is dam good in the feel department, guthry govan, dunno if they are in their 20's though
I second the Joe nomination too, great player. John5 is also a super player (listen to his solo stuff, combines tons of styles)
gerald guerrero said:
John Mayer. hahahah :eek: :zzz:
Yikes.....I figured someone would say that. No offense to John Mayer, but a little different....
Jm

I'm trying to get a handle on the meaning of the question; do you mean who is playing and sounding like Hendrix? or who is doing something uniquely different with rock guitar that players will be emulating for years to come? the answer to the first question is, I think, John Mayer, especially his work with the JM Trio (Pino Paladino and Steve Jordan). He is a huge Hendrix "disciple" and features Hendrix tunes in most of his concerts and on three of his four CDs. Mayer has come a long way from "your body is a wonderland"; Interestingly enough the latest edition of RS has the hot new guitarist line up, and Mayer and Trucks are on the cover with John Frusciante. These guys get the big write ups, but inside are a whole lot more "new" names, including a few more of my favorites, like Luther Dickison of the North Mississippi Allstars. Mayer has certainly got the respect and recognition of a lot of "BIG" names...Clapton, King, Guy, etc...and his list of "guest" credits is getting ridiculous. Now who can answer the second question?
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gerald guerrero said:
John Mayer. hahahah :eek: :zzz:
Ah!! You beat me to it! :rolleyes:
washburned said:
Mayer has certainly got the respect and recognition of a lot of "BIG" names...Clapton, King, Guy, etc...and his list of "guest" credits is getting ridiculous. Now who can answer the second question?

That is their opinion. Not mine. I listened to his live CD about a dozen or so times did not find it inspiring. I removed it from my playlist.
Okay, let's look at three of the names mentioned so far. Trucks, Bonamassa, and Mayer. They are all great guitar players carrying on the tradition, but I wouldn't call them innovators. What made Jimi great was more than just his guitar playing. Technically he was no better than many who came before and after him. Jimi's greatness wasn't in his hands but in his musicality. What he chose to play. He was a trendsetter who influenced not only guitarists but musicians of all stripes. He was more concerned with making music than playing the guitar although he did advance the art of guitar playing.

He caught the ear of Gil Evans who thought he was a musical genius. Alot of guitarists can't get past his guitar playing to hear his music the way a sax player or keyboard player could. I don't think every generation will produce a Jimi Hendrix and if his heir does come along they may not necessarily be a guitarist.
I agree with you. Out of the three listed I would say Trucks is the most innovative but not to the degree and impact that was Jimi.
I keep going back in time. Old country-swing-jazz is what I've been listening too. Really, not much new is being done on rock guitar as I think the genre is pretty much defined.

Speaking of Jimi, it's his rhythm playing that does it for me. Such groove, creativity, and great song writing. His solos are good, but get to be a bit redundant after awhile.

Just my opinion of course,
TG
...to the best of my knowledge, there is no one who is currently re-inventing the guitar, the way that hendrix, van halen, townsend, clapton, page etc have done in the past.

that said, jeff beck contunues to re-invent the instrument every time he records a new cd.

-dh
New new guitar players

Its pretty tough to follow a guy like Hendrix........I dont think its possible for anybody to have the impact he did. Its definitely a lot harder to be original in todays terms. Whats left really?............play guitar telepathically?
rippinglickfest said:
Its pretty tough to follow a guy like Hendrix........I dont think its possible for anybody to have the impact he did. Its definitely a lot harder to be original in todays terms. Whats left really?............play guitar telepathically?
I am a firm beleiver that there is always some way, some style that will come along and change things. Some one will find something that sets them apart or takes their sound to a new level.

In all honesty, what set Hendrix and clapton and the rest apart, was the fact that besides being incredible players, they embraced the "new" technology of the day (marshall amps, fuzz pedals, octave pedals etc) and incorporated it into their sound. Think about what a player like Robert Johnson or some of those old blues players could have done had they had that technology. Technology is a double edged sword, what once made it easier to sound different from others, has now made it tougher to stand out in the crowd.
Philip Sayce is a guy who does a great job of keeping the Jimi flame burning, IMHO. Highly recomended.
Jimi's brother is doing a bang up job:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=44116271


Hahahaha. That dude is so freakin' brutal. Poor guy. He's got a touch of American Idol Syndrome. Nobody has had the balls yet to tell him he sucks.
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