Who is carrying on the Jimi Hendrix tradition?

[Unseen]

There's more than one.

One nominee is Gary Moore. Here is his version of Red House:

Another is Popa Chubby:

Or...Eric Gales:

Your nominee is...

[olewichita]

eddie hazel and ernie isley used to with originality... tj

[Mark Davis]

Randy Hansen does a great Hendrix. He has been doing it forever this is from 1991.

Watch near the end when he gets back up on stage. Pure Jimi crazed and awesome.

[getbent]

[bluetele54]

...no one has the courage,intelligence,and ability...it takes a true original to think,and exist,outside of the box...there's too much availability of the kind of "conform to the norm" info that corrupts the purity of vision that can create an artist of the magnificance of a Hendrix...it will take a while before anyone gives an ish enough to have a singular vision of a personal voice...courage people,have courage,that's the only way...

[Southern ILL]

Don't fool with the Kang....

[SixStringSlinger]

A few people, in different ways.

Stevie Ray Vaughan, as far as keeping the blues moving and exposing people to it on a mass scale.

Tom Morello, in the sense of getting continually weird sounds, sometimes just noise, out of his guitar and a pretty simple setup, and working them into songs.

John Frusciante, in the sense of experimenting and using the studio as one big effect, or an instrument in itself.

[59TweedVibrolux]

As much as all the above artists are great players in their own right, EVERY
player I've ever seen that attempts a Hendrix song comes off looking like a
pale imitator. Hendrix was such a unique player, to capture the essence, tone
nuances of his playing is impossible. Even today he is still so far ahead of
what anybody else has / is doing. I think he is simply " Off Limits " for any
one considering covering him. He just can't be bettered IMHO

As for anyone carrying on the spirit of Hendrix, unfortunately I can't think
of anyone pushing the boundaries of guitar as he did presently.

[casterway]

No one I can think of, currently. He took the guitar and shot it into outer space. It was so revolutionary then, that it still sounds revolutionary 40 years later. No one is taking these risks today.

[D.K. Buchanon]

When I think of who is carrying on the spirit of Jimi , the guys that cover his material never come to mind. I tend to look at innovators , guys who impacted how we ( as guitarists) approach the instrument. That being said , I must begin with Ed Van Halen : face it when that first album hit the street everyone took notice of his unique style and attack. 30 some years removed from it's release you have to approach it with fresh ears to recall the absolute jaw drop of Ed's technique, he inspired / influenced and re-defined how rock guitar was to be played.

Danny Gatton : I think the name speaks for itself.

Steve Vai : his playing ability is light years beyond anything Hendrix ever conceived of.

one for the youngsters: Dimebag Darrell Abbott - my 16 yr old son and his buds hold Dime in the same reverence as us old guys hold Jimi & Don Rich. He spends hours of his practice time working out Dimes runs , riffs and vulgar display of power ! Pretty cool .

[maestrovert]

Jimi was definitely enigmatic
i doubt we'll ever see another of his ilk....

That being said, there's many players still carryin' the torch:
Frank Marino immediately comes to mind...

Uli Jon Roth as well....

Randy Hansen has a great show, catch it if you can...

there's many many more, too numerous to list, but suffice it to say that as long as there's younguns like the kids in these clips, Jimi Hendrix' insipiring music will never completely fade away....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1DMbWf0MrI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLIOE5cP4lw
an' on a Tele no less !

[Scatterbrain]

I guess I'm a little surprised why so many of Jimi's imitators are cited as carrying on the Hendrix tradition. Isn't Jimi's real legacy the fact that he was always pushing forward and breaking down musical barriers while creating an entirely new approach to the electric guitar? Do you really think Randy Hansen or Frank Marino are doing that? The only other rock guitarist I can think of who has consistently pushed the boundaries his entire career while expanding the guitar's vocabulary is Jeff Beck. Unlike Jimi's other contemporaries and his many imitators, Jeff has managed to successfully update his sound and style and keep an eye pointed towards the future rather than obsessing over the past. Isn't that the true reflection of Jimi's spirit and tradition?

P.S. - If you haven't heard it, you should really try to track down a recording of Jeff Beck doing a tribute to Hendrix at Royal Albert Hall in 2005. He performs: Hey Joe, The Wind Cries Mary, Red House, All Along The Watchtower, and Manic Depression. All of the songs are played in the spirit of Jimi but have lots of new creative stuff thrown in and it never sounds out of place. These are the best covers of Hendrix tunes I have ever heard by any artist.. This is exactly the way Jimi should be played rather than the many slavish (and rather foolish) attempts to recreate his licks and tone.

[Telarkaster]

Robin Trower used to...



Frank Marino

[Oster]

I'd say Hendrix himself is. He left behind a wealth of recordings, new fans discover his work all the time and there are converts being made of former skeptics all the time. His records live on. He's contemporary.

I don't think we've seen someone like him ever. Sure there are great guitarists out there - guitarists' guitarists - but none have his charisma, impact, songwriting or singing skills.

[woodman]

a lot of players over a couple of generations have been influenced heavily by Hendrix, but i don't see anyone on the horizon making the innovative leaps he made.

[furrfurrfurr]

Jake Shimabukuro

[GhostofJohnToad]

I love Hendrix, but why does the "tradition" need to be carried on?

[Brutalblues]

I think Jimi Hendrix's innovative style, combined with his humility, charisma, and technical skill,will never be equalled. He was in the right place at the right time. He was the first to do all he did. There can only be 1 first! All others who follow will be (are) merely imitators. They may be torch bearers, but Jimi was the torch lighter!

[Joe Chaney]

surely, hendrix was about breaking tradition
so who's carrying on the tradition of breaking tradition

[Brutalblues]

Originally Posted by Joe Chaney

surely, hendrix was about breaking tradition
so who's carrying on the tradition of breaking tradition

My nomination as the (closest thing to an) answer to the question this thread poses...

Jack White!

[BrianF]

Originally Posted by Joe Chaney

surely, hendrix was about breaking tradition
so who's carrying on the tradition of breaking tradition

True...but Hendrix brought to the mainstream a whole new sound, style and use for playing rock guitar. One can say that invention or creation of new ideas can be endless, but in rock guitar and rock music in general I'd say the best days of invention and discovery are long over with.

In that regard we have the re-enactors such as Randy Hansen that does an amazing job of re-creating Hendrix music (based on what I could see in that video).

Back in the 60's we didn't have anyone re-enacting music/artists from the 30's, 40's, and 50's. They didn't need to since there was still so much musical ideas left to be mined and explored. IMHO

[Joe Chaney]

Originally Posted by Brutalblues

My nomination as the (closest thing to an) answer to the question this thread poses...

Jack White!

gotta love jack!

[e-merlin]

I don't think anyone of us from Jimi's generation is likely to find the answer to that one. We get so glued into what we like that we refuse to accept anything beyond our own likes.

Just look at the threads about so-and-so not being "Real Country" or whatever.

I think in the 80s it was the early Rap artists. Who knows today? I guarantee you that if someone is out there pushing the boundaries, we're not going to like it one bit! No sir!

How many of your parents liked Jimi?

[Flannel Pat]

Gary Moore's chainsaw guitar tone in the first video doesn't exactly tickle my taco.