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'Experience Hendrix'

by jmaloni

All-star tribute celebrates the legacy of Jimi Hendrix

Tue, Oct 5th 2010 03:00 pm

The Center for the Arts at the University at Buffalo presents "Experience Hendrix" on Tuesday, Nov. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Mainstage theatre, located at the Center for the Arts, North Campus.

"Experience Hendrix" is a concert tour featuring an all-star line-up of music greats paying homage to the music and legacy of Jimi Hendrix. The fifth edition of this celebrated tour will visit Buffalo for the first time, after performing to sold-out crowds nationwide.

Featured artists performing music associated with the legacy of Hendrix include some of the best known and highly regarded names in contemporary rock and blues, including Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Robert Randolph, Jonny Lang, Steve Vai, Brad Whitford (of Aerosmith), Eric Johnson, Ernie Isley, Living Colour, Chris Layton (of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble) and The Slide Brothers aka Chuck and Darick Campbell of Sacred Steel.

In terms of format, the tour offers multiple opportunities for performers and audiences to witness unique collaborations such as Vai performing with Living Colour, as well as the tour's artists performing their favorite Hendrix signature songs including "Little Wing," "Fire," "Purple Haze," "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)," "Crosstown Traffic" and many others.

Anchoring the tour is Billy Cox, the legendary bassist whose relationship with Hendrix and his music dates back to the early 1960s when the two met while serving in the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division. The two bonded over their love of music and would later work together backing R&B acts on the "chitlin' circuit." They reunited when Cox was recruited to be part of the Jimi Hendrix Band of Gypsys as well as the ultimate iteration of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, performing at such landmark festivals as Woodstock and the Isle of Wight.

Cox, who has been part of all previous Experience Hendrix tours, notes, "It's always a great thrill and honor for me to play Jimi's music for audiences now just as it was in the 1960s. The Experience Hendrix tours have shown how timeless this music really is and it's just wonderful that we've continued to get an infusion of new, very enthusiastic artists to participate and are able to offer the most wide-ranging Jimi Hendrix-related repertoire possible."

The "Experience Hendrix" tour is presented by Experience Hendrix LLC, the Hendrix family-owned company founded by James A. "Al" Hendrix, Jimi's father, entrusted with preserving and protecting the legacy of Jimi Hendrix. Earlier this year, Sony Music Entertainment's Legacy Division and Experience Hendrix entered into a worldwide catalog licensing venture to make all of Hendrix's music, including classic albums, never before heard archive recordings, and filmed concerts available through all forms of media.

Janie Hendrix, CEO of Experience Hendrix LLC, noted, "Everyday, we see how Jimi's musical legacy continues to transcend generational and cultural boundaries. It's always been our continuing mission to do all we can to celebrate what he's given us and to keep his music in the forefront, and the ‘Experience Hendrix' tour does that most directly. The fact that the tour is going out for the second time in six months underscores the demand and appreciation there is from those who want to be part of this live concert experience that reflects the genius and unifying spirit of my brother. As my brother said, ‘We want our sound to go into the soul of the audience, and see if it can awaken some little thing in their minds ... cause there are so many sleeping people."

Tickets for "Experience Hendrix" are $76.50, $66.50 and $56.50. Tickets are available at the Center Box Office (Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and all Ticketmaster locations including ticketmaster.com. To charge tickets, call 1-800-745-3000 (in Canada, call 416-870-8000). For more information, call 645-2787.

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