Rest in peace Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 - September 18, 1970).
What more needs to be said about Jimi Hendrix that has not been said already? He had a titanic impact on music. In many ways, it can be accurately said that he singlehandedly created an entirely new way of playing the guitar, and that his visionary use of electronic amplifiers and recording studio equipment ushered in a new sound that had not existed before.
Every year at this time, at the anniversary of the passing of two iconoclastic musical artists (see also this previous post), we can pause and be reminded of the incredibly important role music plays, and the tremendous power it has on our lives.
The power of music is very much related to some of the central themes discussed in this blog -- see for example this previous post entitled "Why do we listen to beautiful music about heartbreak and misery?" There is some evidence that ancient advanced civilizations were aware of the power of music and its relation to harmonic concepts in mathematics and architecture -- perhaps more aware of it than we are today! See also this previous post and this previous post.
The first rock album I ever owned was a vinyl copy of the first album of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Are You Experienced? I listened to it over and over. I first heard this album while visiting my best friend Matt who had moved from Belmont (in the South Bay) to Nicasio (in the North Bay) and he had the album. It was the summer between 8th and 9th grade for us.
The song I loved to listen to the most was "May This Be Love" (also known as "the waterfall song" for obvious reasons -- see video below). When I started high school that fall, which was a stressful experience, I would think of this song in my head. Especially on the first day of high school, when I needed to think of it a lot.
The music of Jimi Hendrix lives on. Respect.