38 unheard Jimi Hendrix songs set for release to coincide with new documentary
Over five decades after the songs were originally recorded, 38 tracks by Jimi Hendrix are finally set for release on September 13th.
The previously unheard tracks are to appear on Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision, which is a deluxe boxset consisting of 39 songs in total, and only one of the creations has previously been heard. As the title suggests, the collection of material was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York, the legendary studio that Hendrix commissioned in 1968.
The 38 tracks were recorded between June and August, 1970, by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. While original drummer Mitch Mitchell played on the set of songs, original bassist Noel Redding had left the band a year earlier, and had subsequently been replaced by Billy Cox.
Tragically, Hendrix passed away on September 18th, 1970, which prevented the music they worked on during these Electric Lady sessions to see the light of day, until now.
The release of the 38 track collection has the full support of Hendrix’s family. In a statement, his sister, Janie Hendrix, said: “My brother had a musical vision. With this project, it felt appropriate to shed light not only on his own music, but also on his lasting contribution of Electric Lady Studios.”
Hendrix also said of her late brother: “He was driven internally to build a home base where he could record everything he felt. While his life was cut short, so many other talented artists continue to express themselves within those magical walls on 52 West 8th Street.”
Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision is a soundtrack for a new documentary of the same name, which is set to premiere in Quad Cinema in Manhattan on August 9th. The film is directed by John McDermott, who will participate in a Q&A session following the screening with Janie, and producer Eddie Kramer.
In anticipation of the release of the documentary, New York City will pay homage to Hendrix by temporarily renaming a portion of West 8th Street between 6th Street and MacDougal Street as Jimi Hendrix Way. Notably, this area is where Electric Lady Studios is situated.
While legendary recording studios are currently struggling across the globe as artists opt for home studios and cheaper alternatives, Electric Lady Studios. In recent months, the Greenwich Village hub has been used by contemporary stars including Sabrina Carpenter, Bleachers, Zach Bryan, Clairo and Gracie Abrams.
In her memoir, Just Kids, Patti Smith recalled a meeting with Hendrix who detailed his bold ambitions for Electric Lady Studios. She wrote: “I put on my straw hat and walked downtown, but when I got there, I couldn’t bring myself to go in. By chance, Jimi Hendrix came up the stairs and found me sitting there like some hick wallflower and grinned. He spent a little time with me on the stairs and told me his vision of what he wanted to do with the studio.”
Smith continued: “He dreamed of amassing musicians from all over the world in Woodstock and they would sit in a field in a circle and play and play. It didn’t matter what key or tempo or what melody, they would keep on playing through their discordance until they found a common language. Eventually they would record this abstract universal language of music in his new studio. ’The language of peace. You dig?’ I did.”
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