Re: what zappa thought of hendrix (non-harp)

[the Leones <leone@xxxxxxxx>]

><<    Apparently Hendrix & Zappa were only popular on the west coast. I
>  have never met anyone who followed their
>  music.....................smo-joe >>
>
>i can only assume that everyone you know is from a foreign country with no
>electricity, or are all roots music purists.
>while i wouldn't say zappa was a tremendous commercial force, his music did
>(and does) sell respectably.
>hendrix, on the otherhand, was a huge commercial success from his first
>recordings, and when posthumous remastered releases started up a few 
>years ago,
>these also made the charts.  his music is still heard everyday on 
>radio stations
>across the world, and his influence is embedded in rock music to this day.

  *Dear Steve, I think you're taking me wrong. See, when I was coming 
up the neighborhood was basically blue collar Italian-Polish-Jewish. 
We would more likely to be listening to Wes Montgomery, Charlie 
Christian, Django Rheinhardt. Even "Los Indios". When we weren't 
listening to "do-wop", it was Jazz or Motown.

  YOUR personal preferences are fine, in fact I have often said "I may 
not agree with what you play, but I will defend to my death your 
right to play it". (Sort of a take-off on Voltaire). Now as for 
Hendricks: Yes, I knew who he was but he wasn't MY cup of tea. IF I 
heard him on the radio, I would have switched the station. I prefer 
guitar played as a guitar and not a tool for riveting boilers 
together.
  As for Zappa, he was too noisy & avant garde (for ME).

  As for mentioning the west coast; I have most of my relatives out 
there. They are mostly in the wine country (making wine). Even my 
brother in law lives out there (since the air force=1960). ALL OF 
THEM were followers of these two fellows. They also followed Led 
Zeppelin, Iron Butterfly, Manganeese Mantis, Zinc Centipede, Brass 
Dirigible, Tin Earwig, etc.

  I happen to like Van Morrison.

  It's all a matter of preference. When I was coming up I was 
smack-dab in the middle of the hippie movement. While hippies did 
what they did, we were going out to the dance (after a hard day's 
work) Fri or Sat and we "dressed-up" (sport jacket,tie). We 
considered hippies to be college kids with funny clothes. I never 
even knew a hippie until I was working on the Pennsylvania Turnpike 
and a "Wave" of them came through on their way to Woodstock. We all 
sat around wondering why they were so excited?

  Frankly, I STILL do.

>
>imagine that little walter's influence (and the two are comparable 
>in what they
>accomplished through and for their instrument) extended fully into mainstream
>music.  hendrix did this with only three recordings, all within a two year
>period.
>come to think of it, outside of this list (and maybe a couple of other harp
>players, and a journalist or two), ~i~ don't know anyone that's ever followed
>the likes of little walter, kim wilson, charlie musselwhite, paul delay, and
>the list goes on.


   Oh, I DON't dis-agree with you. BUT the other week I was "gigging" 
with a band and a kid was visiting (from up north). He was 13 and 
played guitar. When he started playing, the band had to come DOWN 
about 38 roentgens because there was no way the kid was going to 
"blast". When he started playing, the entire club came to a silent 
standstill. Waitress' froze in their tracks, everyone stopped 
talking, gone was the shattering glassware sound. It was pure magic.

   I have heard Little Walter (live-1961) a couple times. I have also 
heard the other 3 (live). I prefer DeLay, but YOUR mileage may vary.

   What I'm saying is: PURE SOUND beats the hell out of noise. YES 
there IS a following for ANY type music. YES, even Rap has it's 
proponents. I see an upsurge in "Bash-Dancing" too. I'm just saying, 
it wasn't my bag.
That's all I'm saying. Please remember, it's just my background writing.
I'm sure, when we meet, we will get along "famously"..........smokey-joe

>
>and that, also, means nothing.
>
>steven j gatorman
>--
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