Paul Gilbert // Tribute To Jimi Hendrix // EP Review

The man, the legend himself, Mr Paul Gilbert, who is currently off touring and promoting his new album ‘WROC’, is about to reissue his ‘Tribute To Jimi Hendrix’, which originally dropped back in 1991. I am embarrassed to say I probably heard it back then, showing my age, I know, but I do love Paul, and who doesn’t love Jimi!

Paul is a mesmerising guitar player, one of the all-time greats. His technical ability is just sublime, and especially around this time in his youth, he was breathtaking. I think it would have been easy to overlook that, as we had a plethora of guitarists who came out around those times and melted faces, but as time has moved on, few have left a DNA-dappled mark across the guitar quite like Paul Gilbert.

One man, for sure, who did, and some 60 years later, was Jimi Hendrix. 60 years ago, this dude laid down the foundation for modern guitar, and today he is still as relevant as ever, even more so, realistically, than back in the day. Nobody could really have known the impact Jimi was going to have on the musical landscape some 60 years later. The good book does say ‘A Prophet Is Never Accepted In His Hometown’ and Jimi sure as hell knew that. Between the civil rights movement in the states and trying to crack the local music scene in Seattle and beyond, he chose the UK to break through, and hence why we across the pond hold him in such high esteem. We kinda wanna claim him as one of our own.

I do love that music is cyclical, so regardless of what decade we are in, Jimi comes back around; it could be a new album from his estate, a modern contemporary artist covers a tune, an Apple ad, or a movie soundtrack brings him back to the fore. If one guy deserves it, it’s Jimi Hendrix.

Recorded on 2 June 1991. Paul Gilbert – whilst he was on tour with Mr. Big – was invited to the Frankfurt Jazz Festival in Germany to trade a few solos with Albert Collins, who was headlining the festival. When Gilbert arrived, he learned that Collins had suffered a sudden health issue and would be unable to perform. Later that night, out stepped Gilbert with a backing band using the bassist and drummer from Ten Years After to headline with a Jimi Hendrix set. That story alone is pure madness. What came out of that chaos is an EP that just personifies Gilbert at the height of his brilliance, taking well-established songs and letting loose with a cacophony of notes the only way Paul knew how to.

It is the perfect blend of an homage to the traditional songs, and then it’s like someone put their pedal to the metal when Paul just takes off, now for good reason: he was at a Jazz Festival and was now the headlining act unexpectedly, so he had to fill the space, and he does- oh, he does!

What is not to love: Jimi’s soundtrack and one of the modern greats flexing his musical muscles to an artist that Paul would have grown up listening to, admiring and craving to be. I am more than sure Jimi would have approved. You have three songs here that are over 9 minutes long. Paul was having fun for sure.

Any Paul Gilbert fan will love this; it is Paul on steroids. Any Jimi fan will appreciate that Jimi’s music still lives on, and today, some sixty years later and 35 years after Paul’s recording, we are still honouring his memory. I, for one, will have this on repeat for the next while, as it is pure joy to go back over those tasty licks that Paul tosses out with ease and try to dissect them one by one. The good news is you can too.

Paul Gilbert’s Tribute To Jimi Hendrix arrives June 12th courtesy of Music Theories Recordings to celebrate its 35th Anniversary.

Pre-Order/Pre-Save HERE