John McDermott
Jimi Hendrix experience : electric church

But who would these cosmic children be? A question that sparked my curiosity when, in the summer of 1972, I stumbled upon an article published in the music magazine "Ciao 2001" dedicated to reporting the latest news about Robert Fripp, guitarist of King Crimson. He mentioned being about to release a record in which he conversed with a certain Walli Elmark (described as a witch of the Wicca coven) addressing the theme of the so-called cosmic children. This term referred to beings from other worlds who are among us, in human guise and messengers of love, creators of beauty in art and music. An intriguing thesis, especially considering that such aliens were said to resemble Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Marc Bolan (leader of T. Rex).

The record anticipated by Fripp was never released, but although it all seemed like a tall tale, in line with those urban legends meant to keep the rock audience's attention, I must admit that any record or concert film by Hendrix has, even after all this time, a special charm. Nothing supernatural or classifiable as extraterrestrial, mind you, but he appears to me to be surrounded by a certain magical aura, the same one typical of musical geniuses like Paganini, the virtuoso violinist, was in his time. And just how far a natural talent like Hendrix (a stylistically unmatched guitarist) could go can also be seen by watching this film titled "Jimi Hendrix Experience: Electric Church," released as a DVD on 11/06/2015.

It is a recording of Hendrix and his group's performance (Billy Cox on bass, Mitch Mitchell on drums) during the Atlanta Pop Festival held in early July 1970 near the town of Byron in the state of Georgia, USA (deep South of the States). Holding a rock music festival (like those of Woodstock and Wight at that time) in a notoriously racist and bigoted area was no easy feat. But when local authorities saw such a large number (about 500,000) of peaceful and uninhibited young hippies flocking to the area, especially regarding sexual mores, they had to turn a blind eye and show tolerance. The artists' lineup had big names like B. B. King, Allman Brothers Band, Bob Seger, but undoubtedly Jimi Hendrix was the main attraction. And this was widely justified by the fact that the left-handed guitarist managed to create, during his concerts, an engaging atmosphere in which the audience was carried away by the Hendrixian soundscape to the point of generating a kind of electric church (electric church indeed) of which Jimi was the officiating priest. A kind of pagan rite, then, to attend in that unrepeatable moment.

Today, having the DVD of the concert film (directed by John McDermott), one can at least focus on the sonic flow of Jimi's group and be carried away by those magical notes, as if aboard a spaceship lost among the galaxies of the space-time universe. The performance remains at excellent levels, and the band is in great form, offering the well-known Hendrixian warhorses (so famous they need not be mentioned here). However, unforgettable and salient moments of the show remain, like when Hendrix flubs a line of "All Along the Watchtower" but is skillful and quick to get back on track and finish the song beautifully. Or the entire performance of "Red House," a very beautiful blues rendered in a fascinating psychedelic style. And, last but not least, while the starry sky above the stage is illuminated by a series of fireworks (it's the evening of July 4th, the Yankee national holiday), Hendrix starts with a shortened but strong version of "Star-Spangled Banner" (a very iconic passage to be sure). In addition to the show, there are also interviews with musicians of the time (among many, Billy Cox, Mitch Mitchell, Stevie Winwood Paul McCartney), all agreeing in considering Jimi Hendrix an unsurpassed artist (even McCartney admits he was always a step ahead of the others).

Obviously, one remains always bitter for the cynical and deceitful fate that befell the left-handed guitarist. In September 1970, shortly after his live performance at the Isle of Wight festival, he would find his death in London (according to some rumors, of questionable credibility, his death would have been aided by certain emissaries of the record labels who considered him a destabilizing element). But true or not, this version of events, it is established that in 20th-century music, there was a before and after Jimi Hendrix. And he, as a true cosmic child, at the time of his earthly passing, boarded a spaceship headed towards other worlds and other galaxies to delight new alien audiences with celestial notes.