The Woodstock rehearsals would prove to be as much of a reward to Jimi as it was a failure. In the book Black Gold, it mentions in great detail how the Jimi's manager and label didn't understand or want this type of direction for Hendrix. The format of the 3 piece rock trio format was a very easy thing to sale. An expanded group meant that there was going to be more people to pay and less focus on the stage gimmicks and normal songs Jimi had ben giving to the masses for 3 straight years. Hendrix had a lot of material ready for Woodstock that never got to see the light of day, largely due to his management forcing him to keep certain songs in the set list. This is one of ym favorite periods for Jimi, not because he gives a jaw dropping performance or recording but because you really hear Hendrix using a very stripped down earthy tone. No more huge amps or huge sound just by himself, he put more trust into the musicians around him and the dynamic created is unlike any other band he was in. This experiment eventually failed and the band was scrapped and Jimi would further his exploration towards fusion, funk, soul, r&b and other experiemental forms of music Jimi was pulling into one tapestry of sound with the Band of Gypsys and later the reformed Jimi hendrix Experience. Check out the recordings from this period, lots of really nice mellow and electrified jams, some waisted space but all in all, Jimi was communicating with his band now, something that was left out the door long before his first band broke up. - Erik Otis
Small excerpt written by Mike Daley about Jimi's new band Gypsys Sun and Rainbows:
"By the summer of 1969, the Hendrix Experience had completed their last American tour. Bassist Noel Redding marked the occasion by resigning from the band and Hendrix began to formulate plans to put together a new band. His evolving Electric Church concept was freer and more experimental, more communal, than the tight Experience power-trio had been. Feeling burned by his clashes with Redding, Hendrix sought to create a supportive, fluid backdrop for his music, unmarred by ego clashes. He was concerned with surrounding himself with trustworthy compatriots, which meant for him musicians that he had known pre-fame. Mike Jeffrey, distrustful of Hendrix's new direction, nonetheless rented an eight-bedroom house for his charge near Woodstock, at the end of Tavor Hollow Road near the villages of Shokan and Boiceville. Hendrix, in turn, put his old army buddy Billy Cox on notice to step in on bass, who at Hendrix's request looked up another old friend, guitarist Larry Lee. Jerry Velez was a Puerto-Rican born, Bronx raised percussionist that Hendrix had met at the Scene club in New York. He was one of the first to be invited to stay at Hendrix's Shokan retreat. Another percussionist, respected for his work around Woodstock, was Juma Sultan, and he was quickly pulled into the fray. The new group, to be dubbed Gypsy Suns and Rainbows, was almost complete."
During this time, Hendrix was captured by an audience recording performing at the Tinker Street Cinema, Woodstock, USA on August 10, 1969, a little over a week before The Woodstock gig
Tinker Street Jam Line Up:
Jimi, Juma Sultan: bass, Earl Cross: trumpet,
Ali Kaboi: drums, Michael Carabello (from Santana): congas
and José Areas (Santana): percussion.
Songs performed:
The Dance
Sundance
JL 13 (Earth Blues)
Star Spangled Banner
The biggest collection of rehearsal recordings for the 3 month period Jimi Hendrix dedicated to getting his new band togethar for the Woodstock performance can be downloaded here
The performance from the summer of 1969 with Jimi and some of Santanas band from that time at Tinker Street Cinema mentioned above can be found here. Below is a picture of Jimi and an experimental untit performing at Tinker Street Cinema:
Also, here is a 3 track upgrade to a few of the songs present in the 3 disc collection featuring most of the rehearsals during the sumer of 69; click here to download.
Below is the info file for the largest collection of material sourced for this period.
GYPSY SUN & RAINBOWS
Shokan: Jammin' Back At The House (ATM 221-223)
Woodstock Festival rehearsals
Jimi's rented house, Traver Hollow Road, Boiceville, Ulster County, New York,
July - September 1969
Extraordinary Archives Traded Material series of the highest quality Hendrix recordings available in traders' circuits.
All recordings in the ATM series are taken from the lowest generation masters available, and they have all been digitally restored unless otherwise indicated.
Thanks to Hans-Peter Johnsen
Disc 1:
1. Back On The Desert (aka. Dance On The Desert) > Acoustic Medley
2. Izabella > The Rumble
3. Izabella / Machine Gun Jam
4. Univibe Jam
5. Message To Love
6. Mannish Boy
7. Mannish Boy > Izabella > You Make Me Feel
8. Ain't Got Nobody
9. The Dance
10. Sundance
11. Freeform Jam
Disc 2:
1. Izabella
2. Izabella
3. Izabella
4. Message To Love
5. Jam Back At The House (aka. Beginning)
6. Jam in E
7. Jam Back At The House (aka. Beginning)
8. Machine Gun / If Six Was Nine
9. Flute Instrumental
10. Flute Instrumental
11. Why I Sing The Blues
Alternate mixes:
12. Izabella [alternate mix with lower percussion]
13. Sundance [alternate mix with echo]
Disc 3:
1. Lover Man
2. Lover Man > Drums
3. Hear My Train A-Comin'
4. Spanish Castle Magic
5. Instrumental Jam
6. Jams with Mitch incl. Villanova Junction
Alternate mixes:
7. Flute Jam (from "leakage channel")
8. Instrumental Jam (Flute Jam mixed out)
9. Jams > Villanova Junction (Flute Jam mixed out)
This set collects material recorded at Jimi's house on Traver Hollow Road in the summer of 1969. Most were probably recorded on the 4-track machine that Eddie Kramer installed at Jimi's request; some are possibly recorded on 2-track. The first 2 tracks on Disc 1 were recorded by Gerry Guida on a portable reel recorder.
Although this material has often been referred to as The Woodstock Rehearsals, much of this could never have been considered for inclusion at that show. In addition, this isn't a "complete" Shokan collection; Other recordings include the Ephron jams (ATM 193-194 "At His Best?") and possibly the jams with a 2nd guitarist that were collected on ATM 072-073 "Healing Power". Portions of these recordings have previously appeared on the collectors' sets ATM 003 "The Woodstock Rehearsals", ATM 044 Drinking Wine, Sipping Time" and ATM 072-073 "Healing Power". Some of those are upgraded here. There's also little definite information regarding recording dates and personnel. While most of these recordings are thought to be from August, some could also be from July or September.
The first 2 tracks were earlier thought to have been recorded in Beverly Hills in mid-1969; John McDermott and Gerry Guida recently confirmed that they were recorded on Guida's portable reel machine at the Shokan house. There are two songs with vocals by Larry, Why I Sing the Blues and Ain't Got Nobody, where Jimi's playing is not evident. The final block of material is just Jimi and Mitch. It has been speculated from the themes quoted in this section that it might come from after Woodstock, possibly early September, so it was placed last in the collection.
All relevant informations on ATM series and Hendrix bootlegs, including detailed tracklists, on Hans-Peter Johnsen's In From The Storm site: http://home.online.no/~hpjohnse/hendrix.html
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