"Keeping The Music Alive"
Blues Bear is proud to announce that Stanley Jordan “Stanley Jordan Plays Jimi” is coming to Hawaii for a Limited Tour.
World-renowned guitarist Stanley Jordan has developed a new live show called “Stanley Jordan Plays Jimi.” This is a tribute show, but it’s not pure imitation. Instead, Stanley builds on Jimi’s legacy in a creative way. As Stanley explains it, “This is my fantasy Jimi Hendrix concert if Jimi were still alive and playing today. By re-imagining his music and channeling his persona I try to bring that fantasy to life.” Joining Stanley is renowned bassist Gary Kelly, whose resumé includes Jimmy Buffet, Mamas & Papas and much more. Also joining Stanley is drummer Kenwood Dennard, who has been leading the Jimi Hendrix Ensemble for 20 years at the Berklee College of Music, of where he is a percussion professor.
It may also be surprising that a rock legend like Hendrix would get so much love from a jazz legend like Jordan. Stanley’s 1985 album Magic Touch was #1 on Billboard’s jazz chart for 51 weeks, and Stanley has shared the stage or recorded with jazz artists such as Benny Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Billy Cobham. But again, hearing it from Stanley, “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.” In recent years Stanley has performed with many artists in the rock and jam band worlds, including the Dave Matthews Band, Umphrey’s McGee, Moe. and more. Stanley says, “Returning to my rock roots has been an absolute joy artistically, and with this project I’m taking that to a new level.”
“Stanley Jordan Plays Jimi” is a new project but it’s based on an old idea. Stanley says, “Back in 1970 at the age of 11 I was saddened to hear of Jimi’s passing. I decided there and then to try to continue his legacy, so I took up guitar. Of course, my main goal was to be an original artist in my own right, but the concept of a Hendrix tribute has been in my mind pretty much from the start. Now, in the year of the 50th anniversary of Jimi’s historic Woodstock performance, the time feels right to bring this idea to fruition.”
Videos:
Stanley Plays Jimi (Demo)
"Stanley Plays Jimi"
Jam / VoodooChild 2019-10-12 at FTC Music Hall
Watch Now
Stanley Jordan at the Iridium Mar 30 2019
Stanley Jordan Plays Jimi Hendrix • Kenwood Denard killing it on drums and keys!
Hawaii Tour Dates:
January 24, - Friday - Maui
Maui Arts & Cultural Center - McCoy Studio Theater
One Cameron Way Kahului, Hi. 96732
Venue: 808-242-SHOW (7469) Tickets: $35. / $45. / $55. / $65. Reserved
Doors: 7:00 pm. Show: 7:30 pm.
January 25, Saturday - Big Island w/ Special Guest Seth Freeman Trio
Honoka’a Peoples Theater
45-3574 Mamane st. Honka’a, Hi. 96727
Information: 808-896-4845 $38. Gen. $55. Gold Circle
Doors: 6:30 pm • Show: 7:00 pm
Ticket Outlets & Information:
Online information, tickets and Gold Circle:
www.bluesbearhawaii.com or Call: 808-896-4845
Maui:
MACC Box Office 808-242-SHOW (7469) or [mauiarts.org](https://www.mauiarts.org)
Big Island Ticket Outlets: Kona Music Exchange - Kona; Kiernan's Music - Old Town Kainaliu; Waimea General Store - Parker Square, Kamuela; Top Stitch - Honoka'a; Hilo Music Exchange, Hilo Ukulele & Guitar - Hilo and Rogers Guitars - Kea’au
A Blues Bear Hawaii Production
“Keeping The Music Live”
Concert Information Hot Line 808-896-4845
The Music of Jimi Hendrix
World-renowned guitarist Stanley Jordan has developed a new live show called “Stanley Jordan Plays Jimi.” This is a tribute show, but it’s not pure imitation. Instead Stanley builds on Jimi’s legacy in a myriad of creative ways. As Stanley explains it, “This is my fantasy Jimi Hendrix concert if Jimi were still alive and playing today. By re-imagining his music and channeling his persona I try to bring that fantasy to life.”
It may be surprising that a rock legend like Hendrix would get so much love from a jazz legend like Jordan. Stanley’s 1985 album Magic Touch was #1 on Billboard’s jazz chart for 51 weeks, and Stanley has shared the stage or recorded with jazz artists such as Benny Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Billy Cobham. But again, hearing it from Stanley, “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.”
It may also be surprising that Stanley Jordan would take on a project like this. After all, Stanley is a well-known guitarist with a signature style, has four Grammy nominations, a cameo in a Blake Edwards film (Blind Date), and a host of TV appearances over a long career including “Jimmy Fallon,” “David Letterman,” “Jay Leno” and “Johnny Carson” to name a few. Stanley explains he took on a project like this because, “I feel a strong connection to Jimi Hendrix because he was the first guitarist I emulated as a child. Out of love for Jimi and his music I feel a strong desire to try to keep his legacy alive.”
In recent years, Stanley has performed with many artists in the rock and jam band worlds, including the Dave Matthews Band, Umphrey’s McGee, Moe. and more. Stanley says, “Returning to my rock roots has been an absolute joy artistically, and with this project I’m taking that to a new level.”
The New York Times CRITICS’ CHOICE:
STANLEY JORDAN ‘State of Nature’
“A virtuosic tour de force. A truly original talent.”
– Los Angeles Times
“There is something mighty special when a musician comes along and takes an instrument to a new level of performance.”
– Chicago Tribune
One of the few jazz musicians with a gold record to his name (”Magic Touch,” his 1985 Blue Note debut)
– The New York Times
“If you looked around the club everyone had this vaguely amazed/starstruck/mesmerized/dreamy look as they watched Jordan play. You could’ve heard a pin drop – nobody wanted to miss a single note.”
– The Panic Manual
No one sounds like Stanley Jordan. He famously plays with both hands on the guitar fretboard, as though he were playing piano keys.
– Twin Cities Arts Reader
Stanley Jordan's discovery in the early '80s rightfully earned a lot of headlines in the jazz world as he came up with a new way of playing guitar. Although he was not the first to use tapping, Jordan’s extensive expertise gave him the ability to play two completely independent lines on the guitar (as if it were a keyboard) or, when he wanted, two guitars at a time. He had originally studied piano, although he switched to guitar when he was 11. After graduating from Princeton in 1981, Jordan played for a time on the streets of New York. Soon he was discovered, had the opportunity to play with Benny Carter and Dizzy Gillespie, a after recording a solo album for his own Tangent label, signed with Blue Note. Since then, his career has been surprisingly aimless. Stanley Jordan can play amazing jazz, but he often wastes his talent on lesser material, so one has to be picky in deciding which of his recordings to acquire. Among his many albums are 1985's Magic Touch, 1986's Standards, Vol. 1, 1990's Stolen Moments, 1994's Bolero, 2003' Dreams of Peace, and 2008's State of Nature. In 2011, Jordan was joined by an all-star lineup featuring saxophonist Kenny Garrett, trumpeter Nicholas bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Kenwood Dennard for the album Friends. In 2015, Jordan paired up with fellow guitarist Kevin Eubanks for the eclectic, laid-back covers album Duets, which also showcased his piano skills.
