Reel To Reel: Jimi Hendrix: Electric Church

Rock legend Jimi Hendrix captivated the world with his unique, highly stylized, jaw-dropping approach to blues guitar. In the new documentary Jimi Hendrix: Electric Church his performance before the largest U.S. audience of his career is chronicled. The setting was the massive Atlanta Pop Music Festival which the Jimi Hendrix Experience headlined in July 1970. The film includes never-before-seen concert footage of the icon in action, multiple standout performances and recently unearthed footage shot by Steve Rash (The Buddy Holly Story) that all detail the historic night and the efforts of promoter Alex Cooley to create the definitive music festival with Jimi Hendrix as its centerpiece. Directed by John McDermott, Jimi Hendrix: Electric Church showcases breathtaking, 16mm color footage of Hendrix in his prime,  a mere 10 weeks before his untimely death. The film features such contemporaries as Paul McCartney and Steve Winwood, who stood in awe of his incredible musical prowess. Others seen in the film include Jimi Hendrix Experience bandmates Billy Cox and the late Mitch Mitchell plus Rich Robinson, Kirk Hammett, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi. Prior to the screening, Janie Hendrix, Jimi Hendrix’s sister and CEO of Experience Hendrix LLC, will address the audience.  A panel discussion hosted by veteran music publicist Bob Merlis will follow the screening featuring director John McDermott, filmmaker Steve Rash (who shot the performance footage at the Atlanta Pop Festival), and engineer Eddie Kramer, who worked with Jimi Hendrix from the beginning and co-produced/mixed the soundtrack album. Those who purchase pre-sale tickets will receive a copy of Freedom: Jimi Hendrix Experience Atlanta Pop Festival, a two-CD set that includes performances not seen in the documentary.