The Gil Evans Orchestra
The Gil Evans Orchestra plays the Music of Jimi Hendrix

Today we talk about an album from 1974 that represents the sum of what could have been and wasn't..

A few months before he died, Jimi received a visit from Miles Davis, who brought him some scores to "listen to" in view of a possible collaboration (On that occasion, he discovered Jimi couldn't read music), also involving Gil Evans.

Unfortunately, Jimi died, and this missed collaboration became one of the myths of Jazz and Rock.. (What if..). Four years later, Gil Evans decided to create an album entirely dedicated to Jimi Hendrix.

The result? A mixed bag with some very enjoyable pieces, others much less so..

Definitely worth saving are Crosstown Traffic, Voodoo Chile, Little Wing, and Up from the Skies (which Evans's orchestra would often include in their repertoire until Gil's death). The remaining tracks can be easily done without..

In any case, after repeated listens, one senses a lack of creativity in arranging Jimi's pieces in a jazz/orchestral form (some tracks are practically identical to the original version, but without Jimi, others arranged in the Papetti style..) which, after all, do not always lend themselves..

Ultimately, I don't think this is the album that Davis and Hendrix had in mind... and thankfully!