Jimi75
June 22nd, 2007, 03:42 AM
Hey Folks,
Don't know but somehow I am walking down memory lane this month and I remembered how I met Noel Redding, the former bassist of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. We met twice. The first time was on the Frankfurt Tradefair, where Fender presented the Noel Redding Jazz Bass made in Japan. First of all this instrument was a super bass, but no one was really interrested in this bass - unfortunately.
My boss put me in charge for the "Noel" Project, 'cause he knew I was a huge Jimi fan. Before we could convince Noel to fly out, we had to overcome quite a bunch of obstacles (schedules, personal preferences, hotel room, blablabla). Noel was a quiet and skeptical character when he didn't know you, let us say he was challenging and very direct. First of all, when he arrived at the airport the first thing he said was:"I'm not going to play the bass, I will play guitar. I am a guitarist!"
That was a problem! Can you imagine thousands of guests at the tradefair coming to see the bassplayer of the JHE and he plays only guitar? I explained to him that this could be a little bit difficult and that people come to see him play the bass...so on and so on. His only answer was: "Then they have to see me play the guitar."
We decided to not discuss with him about that and let him play the guitar. He played a few wonderful shows at the booth. Months before coming to Germany he lost his wife in a car accident. He seemed a little unoriented, as if he was there and at the same time some place far away. He had the room just beside my room and he came to knock at my door approx. every 15 minutes - that was when he needed beer or snacks. Please do not understand me wrong, after one or two days, when we were a little more familiar he was absolutely nice. A heart on two legs, very warm character, at times also a bit conservative, also if you can not imagine this.
It was the second or third day of the tradefair when Noel invited me to the hotel bar. I was quite astonished had I not expected this to happen. He said:"Pal, I see you have a deep interest in my music and I bet you burn to ask me if Hendrix really was that good"
I had to swallow a few times. I ordered a Long Island Ice Tea and started interviewing him.
Noel called Jimi only "Hendrix". While telling the old stories it seemed as if he felt dissed by Hendrix in some kind of way. He told me that showed Jimi al ot of tricks and Jimi wante to know everything about those harmonies that the Beatles put in their songs. Noel was a great guitar player and he had that typical british style. He showed Jimi a lot of songwriter tricks, which Jimi honoured in putting some of Noel's compositions on the record. Noel said that he was so sorry about the things that happend on the last Tour - he said they were too young at that time to sit down and discuss things in a matured manner. The later reunion failed because it was their managers who did the talking plus Noel was fat up playing the bass and he knew that Jimi uttered that he was looking for a rhythm guitarist in the future, but somehow gave Noel the feeling that he was looking for someone else than Noel.
Of course I asked if Hendrix was that good and here's his answer for the record:
"Hendrix was tremendous, his life performance and sound was magic. You could feel every note that he played , because he was that loud but he could control the loudness."
I aksed him how he saw Jimi in comparison to today's guitar players:
"He would have blown them away - all!"
Okay folks, please no discussion about these statements, I ensure you that he meant it the way he said it and he was with Jimi each and every day, so I believe this and I am sure that wittnessing Jimi live would have blown us all away!
Some time later we met again, I have attached two pix. Noel saluted me like a brother. He was on the road with Jerry Donahue a great Tele player who played with the Hellecasters and reminded me of my father in law! In this show Noel played "Hey Joe" and "The wind cries Mary". It was an overwhelming performance by someone who was with Jimi and who co-arranged these songs! Believe me, it was very different from the usual cover band experience. That was the real thing, almost.
Noel died in May 2003 shortly after his mom died.
Best moment/experience:
Sat with Noel and Roger Mayer who was Jimi's effects guru in a bar and they told me about all those crazy ideas Jimi had for effects. Roger gave me a handsigned (by him, not Jimi) Axis Fuzz and Wah Pedal.
Funniest moment:
Noel had some cans of beer in the wellness area and forget to throw away the cans. He left them in the Jakuzi.....guess who had to clean the Jakuzi....yes, correct, it was me after the hotel manager informed me about how to behave in his hotel :-)
Please see the two pix under:
http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/7974/jiminoelreddingyp4.jpg
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/8890/noelreddingjerrydonahuedm5.jpg
Don't know but somehow I am walking down memory lane this month and I remembered how I met Noel Redding, the former bassist of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. We met twice. The first time was on the Frankfurt Tradefair, where Fender presented the Noel Redding Jazz Bass made in Japan. First of all this instrument was a super bass, but no one was really interrested in this bass - unfortunately.
My boss put me in charge for the "Noel" Project, 'cause he knew I was a huge Jimi fan. Before we could convince Noel to fly out, we had to overcome quite a bunch of obstacles (schedules, personal preferences, hotel room, blablabla). Noel was a quiet and skeptical character when he didn't know you, let us say he was challenging and very direct. First of all, when he arrived at the airport the first thing he said was:"I'm not going to play the bass, I will play guitar. I am a guitarist!"
That was a problem! Can you imagine thousands of guests at the tradefair coming to see the bassplayer of the JHE and he plays only guitar? I explained to him that this could be a little bit difficult and that people come to see him play the bass...so on and so on. His only answer was: "Then they have to see me play the guitar."
We decided to not discuss with him about that and let him play the guitar. He played a few wonderful shows at the booth. Months before coming to Germany he lost his wife in a car accident. He seemed a little unoriented, as if he was there and at the same time some place far away. He had the room just beside my room and he came to knock at my door approx. every 15 minutes - that was when he needed beer or snacks. Please do not understand me wrong, after one or two days, when we were a little more familiar he was absolutely nice. A heart on two legs, very warm character, at times also a bit conservative, also if you can not imagine this.
It was the second or third day of the tradefair when Noel invited me to the hotel bar. I was quite astonished had I not expected this to happen. He said:"Pal, I see you have a deep interest in my music and I bet you burn to ask me if Hendrix really was that good"
I had to swallow a few times. I ordered a Long Island Ice Tea and started interviewing him.
Noel called Jimi only "Hendrix". While telling the old stories it seemed as if he felt dissed by Hendrix in some kind of way. He told me that showed Jimi al ot of tricks and Jimi wante to know everything about those harmonies that the Beatles put in their songs. Noel was a great guitar player and he had that typical british style. He showed Jimi a lot of songwriter tricks, which Jimi honoured in putting some of Noel's compositions on the record. Noel said that he was so sorry about the things that happend on the last Tour - he said they were too young at that time to sit down and discuss things in a matured manner. The later reunion failed because it was their managers who did the talking plus Noel was fat up playing the bass and he knew that Jimi uttered that he was looking for a rhythm guitarist in the future, but somehow gave Noel the feeling that he was looking for someone else than Noel.
Of course I asked if Hendrix was that good and here's his answer for the record:
"Hendrix was tremendous, his life performance and sound was magic. You could feel every note that he played , because he was that loud but he could control the loudness."
I aksed him how he saw Jimi in comparison to today's guitar players:
"He would have blown them away - all!"
Okay folks, please no discussion about these statements, I ensure you that he meant it the way he said it and he was with Jimi each and every day, so I believe this and I am sure that wittnessing Jimi live would have blown us all away!
Some time later we met again, I have attached two pix. Noel saluted me like a brother. He was on the road with Jerry Donahue a great Tele player who played with the Hellecasters and reminded me of my father in law! In this show Noel played "Hey Joe" and "The wind cries Mary". It was an overwhelming performance by someone who was with Jimi and who co-arranged these songs! Believe me, it was very different from the usual cover band experience. That was the real thing, almost.
Noel died in May 2003 shortly after his mom died.
Best moment/experience:
Sat with Noel and Roger Mayer who was Jimi's effects guru in a bar and they told me about all those crazy ideas Jimi had for effects. Roger gave me a handsigned (by him, not Jimi) Axis Fuzz and Wah Pedal.
Funniest moment:
Noel had some cans of beer in the wellness area and forget to throw away the cans. He left them in the Jakuzi.....guess who had to clean the Jakuzi....yes, correct, it was me after the hotel manager informed me about how to behave in his hotel :-)
Please see the two pix under:
http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/7974/jiminoelreddingyp4.jpg
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/8890/noelreddingjerrydonahuedm5.jpg