Jimi Hendrix‘s famed Band of Gypsys project was short-lived, but it marked one of the most influential eras of the guitar legend’s storied career. The trio of Hendrix on guitar, Buddy Miles on drums, and Billy Cox on bass focused on a more funk-based, jam-heavy style marked a huge departure from Hendrix’s psychedelia-focused years with “The Experience”. The new combination of genres ushered in an important new era of music that continues to reverberate to this day, especially in the modern jam scene.
Recently, we sat down with Chuck Jones, bass player in Dopapod and verified Band of Gypsys fanatic, to discuss this landmark Jimi Hendrix record ahead of his Band of Gypsys tribute with Roosevelt Collier, Rob Compa (Dopapod) & Isaac Teel (TAUK) at American Beauty NYC on 2/24. He delves deep into why this record is so influential to his playing, as well as how impactful this record has been to the world of music as a whole.
See below for the full interview with Chuck Jones!
Live For Live Music: How did Band of Gypsys influence you as a musician?
Chuck Jones: To be honest, I actually didn’t discover Band of Gypsys till later in my career. I don’t even remember when I first heard it, but I do remember how much it stood out to me. What really blew me away was when I found out the whole album is live. That was and is still so impressive to me.
I love all of the tones, how much emotion is in every note, and I love that they are jamming! Also, each member is such a powerhouse. The play their asses off the entire album.
Being a bass player, be Billy Cox’s groove, attitude and style throughout the album is really captivating and has influenced my playing a lot. I would say that it is some of the best rock/funk bass playing that has been recorded.
L4LM: Band of Gypsys often gets overlooked in Jimi Hendrix’s career. Why do you think that is?
CJ: I don’t necessarily agree with that. Granted I just said that I was turned onto it later than his other recordings, but that is somewhat a common theme with me. People will often talk about an album or band, ask me if I’ve heard it, and when I respond “NO”, they are shocked. I’m pretty sure that exact thing happened with Band of Gypsys.
That being said, If and when it does get overlooked, it might be because the songs are longer than usual for the radio? Radio stations really don’t broadcast things much longer than 4-5 minutes. Not only are the songs a bit longer–a few right around 6min, Machine Gun is over 12–but there are large instrumental sections… Lots of jamming. At the time of its release, the album did get up into the top ten in the US and UK, but since then I don’t think it gets much, if any, radio play.
L4LM: Band of Gypsys ushered in the era of Funk Rock that dominated the 1970s. Would it be fair to say that they paved the way for the funk and jam scene that exists today.
CJ: This was one of the first things recorded in the 1970s, literally! It was recorded over a few shows On New Years ’69-’70. Many musicians have said that this album was extremely influential for them, such as George Clinton and Bootsy, Nile Rodgers, Flea, to name a few.
I’ve heard a few times that Miles Davis was hoping to work with Jimi. Some people say he was originally lined up to play on Bitches Brew, but I can’t find documentation of that. So if any of that is true, there is another!
Overall, I would say yes, the funk and jam scene does have a large part of its lineage that leads back to Band of Gypsys.
L4LM: What’s your favorite song from this album that you’re looking forward to playing at this show?
CJ: Machine Gun. Love that song.
If you like Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys, come to American Beauty NYC on Friday, February 24th for a very special tribute to Band of Gypsys with Roosevelt Collier, Chuck Jones and Rob Compa of Dopapod, and Isaac Teel of Tauk. [Buy tickets]
