GIL EVANS — The Gil Evans Orchestra Play the Music of Jimi Hendrix (review)

GIL EVANS — The Gil Evans Orchestra Play the Music of Jimi Hendrix album cover Album · 1974 · Progressive Big Band Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Sean Trane
A daring attempt to legitimize Jimi Hendrix’s music, this is a big band arrangement of some of Hendrix’s lesser-known works, but also some higher profile works. Armed with a very different big band than during his prime, Gil Evans’ big band features the usual wide array of brass instruments (including future star saxman Sanborn), but also two lead guitarists (including the future star John Abercrombie), some synthesizers and a bunch drums and percussion players.

Among some of the tracks Gil chose to interpret and rearrange there are some that come from the Cry Of Love posthumous release, including the opening Angel and Up From the Skies, which are not the most enthralling, IMHO. Some of the arrangements made on some of the better-known Crosstown Traffic, Foxy Lady, Little Wing, Voodoo Chile can actually surprise or disappoint, because they either render the songs less accessible or less recognizable. Some very pleasant surprises come with the generally overlooked 1983 and Gypsy Eyes (actually a Noel Redding track). Indeed both of these come from the depth of the excellent Electric Ladyland album’s second disc. As for the closing “reprise” of the Up From the Skies, I find it rather ill-advised closer, because it’s less interesting than the first version on the opening side.

Generally seen as a major Gil Evans oeuvre, the present album is relatively disappointing for me, but then again, this is always a risky bet for rockheads like me, but if you’re into Evans and Hendrix, this is definitely worthy of investigation, if you don’t already have it.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Meet The Graingers Pop/Art Song/Folk
NATE NAJAR
Buy this album from MMA partners
Full Throttle RnB
GERALD ALBRIGHT
Buy this album from MMA partners
Ancestral Numbers I 21st Century Modern
JASON ROBINSON
Buy this album from MMA partners
Modern Standards Fusion
BILL EVANS (SAX)
Buy this album from MMA partners
Echoes of Time Eclectic Fusion
CHRISTOPHE MARGUET
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Jean-Pierre (feat. Darryl Jones)
BILL EVANS (SAX)
snobb· 4 hours ago
Magic Box
CHRISTOPHE MARGUET
snobb· 4 hours ago
The Peacocks
ANTOINE DRYE
js· 10 hours ago
??·??·?·???·?·????
SADAO WATANABE
snobb· 1 day ago
"Miles Between" // by Shawn Schlogel & Nancy Erickson Lamont
NANCY ERICKSON LAMONT
js· 1 day ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed