POP MUSIC REVIEW : ‘Jimi Hendrix Birthday Bash’ at Music Machine

It’s hard to argue with the idea behind the Black Rock Coalition’s “Jimi Hendrix Birthday Bash” at the Music Machine: reclaiming the legacy of Hendrix. The guitar demigod is one of the few black musicians to be wholeheartedly accepted by the rock community, and while the performances Monday captured some of his sound and fury, they came up well short on “the vision thing.”

Of course, it would be a billion-to-one shot to stumble across an artist now capable of matching the way Hendrix transported his blues to the outer rings of Saturn. At least the ragged 40-minute set by the BRC All-Star Band--Todd Washington (vocals), Marvin McDaniels and Tory Ruffin (guitars), Tony Ruiz (bass) and Herb Graham (drums)--tapped into the high energy underscoring much of Hendrix’s music without ignoring his songwriting skill. The quintet largely steered clear of autopilot selections to feature such lesser-known pieces as “House Burning Down,” Earl King’s “Come On (Part 1)” and the set-closing “Who Knows.”

The New York rap group Culture Shock’s set was mercifully brief, while the hard-rock quartet Total Eclipse took the post-Zeppelin rifferama route complete with standard arena-rock poses. If merely recycling rock radio fodder is the final result of Hendrix’s innovations, reclaiming his legacy will be a hollow victory for the Black Rock Coalition.