Beginning with Miles Davis, numerous jazz musicians have recognized Jimi Hendrix as a fellow sonic explorer—but one with a mass following beyond their wildest dreams. He reversed the standard crossover, gaining a smidgen of black acceptance with Band of Gypsys in 1969, two years after wowing the hippies at Monterey. Is it surprising that black avant-gardists saddened by the relative scarcity of brothers and sisters in their audience identify with him? A simpler explanation might be that a generation of improvisers now approaching 50 grew up hearing transcendence in Hendrix and Coltrane interchangeably. David Murray, for example. "Deep down inside he was also a jazz musician," Murray says of Hendrix in the liner notes to the World Saxophone Quartet's Experience. I appreciate that "also"; oblivious to their implied condescension, those who make a case for Hendrix as a misplaced blues player or jazz musician usually come off sounding like they're awarding a pop star a... More >>>