World-renowned guitarist Stanley Jordan has developed a new live show called “Stanley Jordan Plays Jimi.” “This is my fantasy Jimi Hendrix concert if Jimi were still alive and playing today,” Stanley says. “By re-imagining his music and channeling his persona, I try to bring that fantasy to life.”
Stanley builds on Jimi’s work by incorporating touch, or two-hand tapping techniques. He adds: “I’m trying my best to cover as much of his work as possible while at the same time trying to build on it, which I think is really the heart and soul of this project. The truth is, no one really knows what Jimi would be doing today. But we do know he would have kept evolving. This gives me some creative leeway and it lets my own identity come through because we’re viewing Hendrix thru my lens. But it’s also challenging for me because I can’t do just anything; it has to make sense and to come across as something Jimi might have actually done.”
Over his career, Stanley has developed a signature style. He has earned four Grammy nominations, a cameo in a Blake Edwards film, “Blind Date,” and made a host of TV appearances including visits on Jimmy Fallon, David Letterman, Jay Leno and Johnny Carson. Stanley’s 1985 album “Magic Touch” was number one on Billboard’s jazz chart for 51 weeks. He has shared the stage or recorded with jazz artists such as Benny Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Billy Cobham.
In recent years Stanley has performed with many artists in the rock and jam band worlds, including the Dave Matthews Band and Umphrey’s McGee. Stanley says, “I actually played rock and blues before I played jazz. In fact, Jimi’s constant searching for new sounds inspired me to move toward jazz in the first place. Returning to my rock roots has been an absolute joy artistically, and with this project I’m taking that to a new level.”