THE ESSENTIAL
Jimi Hendrix’s untimely death in September 1970, aged 27, left the world of music with just three off cial studio albums. Yet work was well underway on the fourth; a planned double or even triple LP. Hours, days, weeks and months of tape had rolled on by as Jimi – by turns seemingly inspired and indecisive – explored new sonic territory in his purpose-built studio and elsewhere, jamming with a revolving-door entourage of cohorts.
Not only that, but near-constant touring and the shortlived reworks display that was the Band Of Gypsys project had amassed a catalogue of off en mesmerising performances – an estimated 1,500 hours’ worth of recordings. When Jimi died, a void opened up… and some of this material was dusted off to fill it, while some was temporarily lost or squirrelled away.