Jimi Hendrix: Musician

(Book). Many books about Hendrix concentrate on showmanship and rock-and-roll excess, but Keith Shadwick's Jimi Hendrix: Musician brings to Hendrix's musical legacy as a guitarist, singer, and composer a depth of analysis missing from other accounts of his career, placing Hendrix's work in the broadest possible musical context, encompassing rock, pop, soul, funk, jazz, blues, fusion, and a range of classical disciplines. The book was first published in 2003; sadly, Shadwick died from cancer in 2008 at the age of 57. This new edition in a compact format is published as a tribute to Shadwick, who was described in his obituary in the UK newspaper The Independent as "an authority on classical music who also wrote in-depth biographies of Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. He was a jazzer who rocked and championed Gorecki."

In the decades since Jimi Hendrix's untimely death, much has been written about his life, loves, drugs, money and hassles. In the meantime, the reputation of his music has been quietly growing. This book concentrates firmly on his work, examining what makes Hendrix's music so extraordinary. Author Keith Shadwick offers a unique slant on the man as musician, following Hendrix from his 1960s beginnings, through the years of his intense listening and learning, to the full flowering of his Experience. This insightful, coffee table-quality book concludes with a bold new anaysis of how Hendrix, like so many artists of genius before him, lost control through his determination to assert it. Includes an appendix on Hendrix's gear by music journalist and guitarist Douglas J. Noble. Full color, filled with fantastic photos throughout.