Oreo Blue shares the Jimi Hendrix experience

Submitted photo "The Oreo Blue Experience," a licensed tribute to the music of the legendary rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix, will perform a concert of the guitar god's most enduring musical creations July 18 at Players Billiards.

This reporter will forever be in the debt of Doug "The Worm" Womeldorf.

In August, 1969, Worm hooked me up with two tickets to the "Jimi Hendrix Experience," at Shreveport, La.'s, Municipal Auditorium, and after my hearing returned, my concept of rock and roll was changed forever, as had millions of fans worldwide following the "experience." So, an attempted tribute show honoring this rock icon has a long way to go to impress this music observer.

And Oreo Blue passes the test.

"The Oreo Blue Experience," a specially licensed tribute to the music of the legendary rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix, will perform a concert of the guitar god's most enduring musical creations July 18 at Players Billiards in Texarkana, Texas.

Blue Oreo, the Fayettville, Ark., rhythm and blues and rock band, already has six CD's of original material under their belts, and a large regional following behind them.

The band began this special project only after gaining the approving nod of the Hendrix family, said Brian Crowne, spokesman for the group. Other members of Oreo Blue include bassist Rod Williamson, drummer Stephen Boudreaux and "Guitar Monster" Gary Hutchison.

Hendrix's contributions to the genre far exceeded a brief "candle-in-the-wind" career, which was snuffed out by a suspected drug overdose in September 1970, but his musical influence continues to this day, as evidenced by more than 300,000 Internet websites featuring information about the man and his prodigious guitar-playing.

Obtaining the permission and cooperation of the Hendrix licensing representatives was relatively painless due, in part, to the obviously-adoring treatment Oreo Blue brings to the unrivaled guitarist, Crowne said.

"They are very particular about who they license and how the material should be treated. We had already discussed this project as a group and what we had in mind to do was very similar to the expectations they had," he said. "We were sent guidelines to follow, but we had already set some for ourselves and that was to respect the integrity of the Hendrix experience. They didn't want any medleys and they wanted to keep the renditions as close to the original as possible and they didn't want any open alcohol and tobacco use in the DVD."

Having viewed the DVD which accompanies the sale of the CD (available at CD Warehouse), I can safely attest to the fact the band has more than achieved its goal within the parameters set for themselves as stellar musicians honoring a fallen hero.

The concert performance was shot in a straightforward, unpretentious manner, showcasing the music and performances in tight close-ups and full-stage views.

Hutchison is particularly spectacular, emulating and sometimes dead-on nailing of Hendrix standards such as "All Along The Watchtower," "Red House," and "Hey, Joe."

A rare cover of a post-mortem Hendrix find, "Stratto-Strut" simply bleeds with psychedelic blues guitar riffs and incredibly complicated finger and fret work.

Hutchison coaxes everything but the proverbial flames from the guitar body as he blisters through hardcore Hendrix or samples tasty harmonic noodling, fingertips merely inches apart on the strings.

What was "psychedelic" in the 60s has now found its way into many contemporary interpretations of rock, funk, blues, jazz, punk and alternative guitar-playing styles, and the Oreo Blue Experience captures each of those influences in one way or another during their tribute performance.

Oddly enough, Crowne's contribution to his bandmates' performance of Hendrix hits comes on the saxophone. The idea of a saxophone plugging into Hendrix material is a bit mind-boggling, but Crowne's deft timing and outstanding skills as a side-musician add an unexpectedly subtle and appropriate compliment to Hutchison's fiery guitar work.

For more information about "The Oreo Blue Experience" go to www.oreoblue.com.

And, Worm, the check is in the mail.