Below, longtime engineer Eddie Kramer and Hendrixs sister Janie walked EW through the project, out now.
He was the magnet that drew everybody to him, Kramer says.
Jimi had his special friends that he wanted to jam with, and thats how the music was created.
Credit: Chuck Boyd
It would be a matter of, Hey man, you want to come over to the studio?
Lets walk over,' Kramer says.
Quite a colorful sight to say the least!
OnBoth Sides, the guitarist plays backup on tracks with lead vocals from Youngblood and Stills.
He played well with others, notes Janie, CEO of Experience Hendrix.
Hes not being Jimi Hendrix the superstar flashy guitar player, Kramer explains.
Hes playing precisely what the song demanded and being a session guy.
… For Jimi, this was easy, and part of his nature.
This was a transitional time for Jimi, Kramer says.
Jimi was jamming, as one can imagine, an awful lot, trying to establish this new direction.
The year of 69…is this year of change and Jimi searching for this new musical direction.
Adds Janie: People didnt get to see what he really did have planned.
Jimi kept saying, Im working on a new sound, youll see.
He was trying to do something bigger.
Obviously, Jimi had quite a bit of an influence.
The unfinished track lacks bass guitar, but still stuns Kramer.
You could imagine what it couldve been had he lived to finish it.
Im glad that it comes out in this album.
He had a great sense of humor.
It was all about teasing and having fun but never trying to make somebody feel bad.
And he could take the punches, too.
Kramer agrees, pointing out that as the pressures of fame multiplied, Hendrix sought relief in the studio.
Jimis refuge was the studio, he recounts.
It was the creative nerve center for him and a happy place to be.
Summing up Hendrixs spirit, Kramer adds: The guy was very down-to-earth and extremely funny.
I mean, acerbic, pointed, winds-you-up kind of humor.
Hed take the piss out of all of us.
