Hendrix, Jimi – 1969-1970 – Message From Nine To The Universe – Original Tracks – NYC, NY – STUDIO 1CD A

Tracklisting:

1. Nine To The Universe

2. Jimi/Jimmy Jam

3. Young/Hendrix Jam

4. Easy Blues

5. Drone Blues

6. Midnight Lightning Jam

7. Highway Of Broken Dreams

8. Lonely Avenue Jam

9. Lover Man

10. Trying To Be

Drawn from various sessions recorded between March 1969 and March 1970
some of the music featured on this disc originally appeared on the album
Nine To The Universe. At the time of the albums release (1980) many
suggested that Jimi was heading in a jazz direction although the
recordings show no real sign of this despite featuring contributions
from known jazzers such as Larry Young and Dave Holland both of whom
had worked with British jazz guitarist John McLaughlin and worked along
with McLaughlin on the landmark Miles Davis album Bitches Brew.

The
recordings here are the unedited recordings that Alan Douglas utilised
to make his final selection on the original Nine To The Universe album.
At the time the release was heralded as the final unreleased recordings
to be made available for Alan Douglas to shape into a releasable album.
Time and subsequent releases however have obviously proved that there
were and indeed are many recordings still lying in the vaults that are
awaiting release. In essence the music contained on this disc could be
described as a series of jams. With Jimi inviting other musicians into
the studio with him to try out new musical ideas. Alan Douglas merely
fashioned an album out of the material here although in his defence he
did a fair job in trying to deliver a commercial album the record label
could market.

These performances however are the real raw material and
as such are now heard in the correct context rather than the edited
pieces that appeared on the 1980 album. Here the pieces are longer and
looser and they give a much better idea of how Jimi worked in a studio
and drew on many influences. Of the material here only Lover Man ever
made it to a fully fashioned live performance where it made the set
regularly from late summer 1969 through to just before Jimis death in
September 1970. Jimi preformed this song more famously during the
Woodstock Festival and also at the Isle Of Wight Festival just weeks
before his death and is featured on the live albums drawn from
recordings of those events and also on the Live At Berkley album
recorded in May 1970

The opening track, Nine To The Universe, features
the Band of Gypsys line up of Jimi alongside Buddy Miles and Billy Cox
recorded at the Record Plant in New York on May 25th 1969.This track
may well have been originally earmarked for a future Band Of Gypsys
studio album. Of course the band were only to be captured officially
on a live album (Band Of Gypsys and Live At The Fillmore East) that
was delivered to Ed Chalpin in settlement of a previous contract
signed by Jimi before he came to England with Chas Chandler and a
few scattered studio tracks featured on posthumous releases
Whether
Jimi ever considered releasing this track or would return to it for
further work at some point in the future one can only speculate but
it seems unlikely as this track was never returned to after this
performance.

Jimi/Jimmy Jam was recorded on the 25th of March 1969 at
the Record Plant. The evening was a productive one as it was during
on this night that John McLaughlin, who was recording elsewhere in
the Record Plant, dropped by for a jam with Jimi, although that
particular recording isnt included here. Jimi/Jimmy Jam features
McLaughlins sometime bassist Dave Holland on bass and Buddy Miles
on drums. The piece is a fast riff led one although towards the end
of the song it changes tempo to a mid paced blues

Young/Hendrix Jam
comes from a session almost two months later on the 14th of May 1969.
Again recorded at the Record Plant the line up of musicians features
Jimi on guitar alongside Billy Cox on bass, Mitch Mitchell on drums
and Larry Young on organ. Larry Young was at the record plant
recording with John McLaughlin on what would turn out to be
McLaughlins Devotion album which was also produced by Alan Douglas.
It was in all probability that the inclusion of the likes of
Larry Young, John McLaughlin and Dave Holland (all of whom would
subsequently play with Miles Davis on the seminal Bitches Brew album)
prompted comments about Hendrix moving in a jazz direction and while
this piece certainly features some fine interplay between Hendrix and
Larry Young the mood is decidedly rock in feel with some fine Hammond
playing from Young underneath some excellent and fluid guitar playing
from Jimi.

Easy Blues Also features the same line up as Jimi/Jimmy Jam
although it is not sure when this was recorded. As it was however
recorded at The Hit Factory rather than the Record Plant it can be
assumed that this track comes from a different session. Easy Blues
finds Jimi in relaxed mood and edging towards the blues /jazz groove
many predicted his next musical direction would be. Recorded at The
Hit Factory in 1969 it is one of just two tracks to be featured from
sessions recorded at that studio on this album

Drone Blues was recorded
at the Record Plant on the 24th of April 1969 and features the line up
of Jimi Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell and Billy Cox. At this point Jimi was
in America for what would turn out to be the final tour with the
original line up of the Experience. Noel Redding however was nowhere
to be seen or heard at this session which was also responsible for a
further three tracks (Bleeding Heart, Crash Landing and Night Messenger).
The presence of Billy Cox at these sessions would point to Jimi already
thinking of using him should Noel decide to jump ship from the Experience.
Something he actually did following a concert in Denver in late June.

Midnight Lightning Jam was recorded at the Record Plant on the 23rd of
March 1970 and is one of the later sessions featured on this album.
The line up featured here is Jimi Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell and
Dave Holland. This track and the next track Highway Of Broken Dreams
(Recorded the next day the 24th of March 1970) are the longest tracks
on the album and are more worthy of the description “Jam” with the
Midnight Lightning track being the more forceful of the two tracks.
During Highway Of Broken Dreams you can hear Jimi asking for more
volume in the headphones in order that he can hear himself sing. The
lyrics seem to be ad libbed as the song references Highway Of Broken
Dreams, Highway Child and Easy (Ezy) Rider lyrically.

Lonely Avenue Jam
would seem to be merely a snatch of an idea for potential use as a song
and clocks in at just two minutes forty eight seconds making this the
shortest track on the album. Recorded at the Record Plant on the 10th
of November1969 This song features the Band Of Gypsys line up of Jimi
alongside Billy Cox and Buddy Miles and may well have been another idea
for any prospective Band Of Gypsys studio album.

Lover Man would go on
to be a well known and well liked song in Jimis set list for the next
ten months of his life and had already been previewed at the Woodstock
festival some three months prior to this session. It would subsequently
be played at many of Jimis gigs over the coming months including The
Isle Of Wight Festival just weeks before Jimis death in September 1970.
This version whilst starting off with the familiar riff soon moves off
into a different direction quite unlike the recognised version and
perhaps Jimi is trying to spark off some different arrangements.

Trying
To Be is the second track featured on this album to be recorded at
The Hit Factory rather than the Record Plant. No doubt the Record Plant
was booked on the 6th of September 1969 which might have led Jimi to
think more about building his own studio which of course he subsequently
would with Electric Lady Studios which was opened in August of 1970. This
track features Jimi Billy Cox, Buddy Miles and two musicians that had
played with Jimi at Woodstock the previous month, Juma Sultan on
percussion and Larry Lee on guitar. The song is mainly instrumental save
for some shouted words from Hendrix around two thirds of the way in
although the remainder of this track is instrumental until the sharp
finish where the tape cuts out.

The quality of these studio tracks is
stunning and it is far more interesting to hear the full versions of
the songs that Alan Douglas used for his edited version of Nine To The
Universe in 1980 and as such places that album in far better perspective.
These recordings have been described as jams although Jimis creative
spark is present throughout the sessions. Despite the claims that Jimi
was to move in a more jazz oriented direction and Miles Davis had
expressed an interest in working with him there seems to be no evidence
on these recordings that Jimi would have moved in any direction other
than the one he wanted to. These recordings then are considered historic
and as cutting edge as Jimi Hendrix ever was but the style is all of
Jimis making.