Along with
the Beatles,
Jimi Hendrix is widely considered -- and with good reason -- to be one of the most sacred artists of rock history. And as a result, it's pretty darn hard to cover
Hendrix, since the original renditions of his songs are widely agreed to be definitive, and extremely well-known and instantly recognizable. But that's not to say that admirers haven't taken a crack at
Hendrix's catalog, and in 2006, it was
Phil Brown's turn, with the appropriately titled
The Jimi Project. For those who may not be familiar with his work,
Brown is primarily a session guitarist who has played with a multitude of artists, in addition to replacing the late, great
Lowell George in
Little Feat. Joining
Brown for his
Hendrix tribute are two players with heavy jazz chops -- bassist
Jimmy Haslip and drummer
Gary Novak. And the results are what you'd expect -- expertly played renditions, loaded with tasty guitar work courtesy of
Brown. For the most part, the trio uses
Hendrix's renditions as a starting point, before adding their own personal laid-back stamp (and never straying too far from the originals), especially on such tracks as "Purple Haze" and "Fire." Additionally,
Brown and company don't just stick to
Hendrix's best-known tracks, as such oft overlooked
Axis: Bold as Love gems as "One Rainy Wish," "You've Got Me Floating," and "Ain't No Telling" share the spotlight.