British Artist Creates Jimi Hendrix Mosaic

This is a really nice piece of art, a mosaic of the legendary Jimi Hendrix made from more than 5,000 plectrums. The mosaic is on display at London's Abbey Road Studios.

Ed Chapman, an artist from Manchester created this piece of art to raise money for Cancer Research UK. It is being auctioned tonight at the charity's Sound & Vision music heritage for a price between £12,000 and £16,000. It took several days of work to complete the 120cm x 100cm mosaic.

On his work, the artist says"Jimi Hendrix is a guitar maestro and nobody played a Fender guitar like him. I decided to use plectrums to create a portrait of him because I like experimenting with different materials and textures and I think it is a fitting tribute to the musician. There’s no better place for it to go on sale than at a legendary home of music and I hope it raises as much as possible for charity."

Jimi Hendrix – New Album, Tour, and Video Game

With the release of a a new album, an artist usually goes on tour in support of this album. Jimi Hendrix’ estate released “Valleys of Neptunes”  this month as well as a deluxe remastered version three studio albums. In addition, a “Rock Band” video game will be released later this year, and possibly a Jimi “Anthology”.

One of the best news is that fans have been able to enjoy the “Experience Hendrix” tour all across the United States. This tour includes amazing guitar players such as Joe Satriani, Robert Randolph, Ernie Isley and Jonny Lang.

Isley who personally knew Jimi Hendrix opens the “Experience Hendrix” show, backed by Stevie Ray Vaughan’s drummer, Chris Layton, and bassist Billy Cox, who befriended Hendrix in the Army and played with him in 1969 and ‘70.

“Some of the stuff I love so much and I just have to hear it played as close to the way Jimi had played it,” Satriani said. “Having said that, Jimi played it a million different ways. I imagine if (tour producer) John McDermott comes to me before I go on and says, ‘We have twice as much time as I thought, so have fun,’ then I can think about some more outrageous, exploratory versions of the songs and stretch it out.”

Satriani was extremely  affected by Jimi’s death and it was this tragedy which led him to become a guitar player.

“The day he died was so devasting to me,” he says, “that I remember quitting the (high school) football team — I was a tight end — and marching home and announcing to my family that I was going to become a guitar player.”

Experience Hendrix Tour:

Mar 17 Minneapolis, MN — Orpheum Theatre
Mar 18 Chicago, IL — Chicago Theatre
Mar 20 St. Louis, MO — Fox Theatre
Mar 21 Milwaukee, WI — Riverside Theatre
Mar 23 Akron, OH — Akron Civic Theatre
Mar 24 Montclair, NJ — Wellmont Theatre
Mar 25 Red Bank, NJ — Count Basie Theatre
Mar 27 Atlanta, GA — Fox Theatre
Mar 28 Durham, NC — Durham Performing Arts Center

Click here to find out more about the tour.

New Jimi Hendrix Album – Valleys of Neptune

 
It’s already been 40 years since Jimi Hendrix passed away and the legend still manages to please many audiences. Studio, live, and compilation albums have been released since the 70s, and now a new project will be released in March.

The project is titled Valleys of Neptune, it includes 12 tracks which are Jimi Hendrix’ last recordings. These studio recordings have never been heard before, this will truly be a crown jewel!

The material will include a cover of Cream’s “Sunshine Of Your Love” and re-recordings of Stone Free, Fire, and Red House. Other titles include Lullaby for the Summer, Crying Blue Rain, Ships Passing Through the Night, and Mr Bad Love.

Valleys of Neptune will be released to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Hendrix’s untimely death. The 2010 Jimi Hendrix Catalog Project will also include deluxe re-issues for classic albums Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love, Electric Ladyland, and First Rays of the New Rising Sun. Valleys of Neptune will be released on March 9th.