June 15, 1970 Jimi holds his first recording session in the new Electric Lady Studios
Jimi holds his first recording session in the new Electric Lady Studios at 52 West 8th Street in the heart of Greenwich Village. Hendrix invites his friends Steve Winwood and Chris Wood from Traffic into the studio where they quickly break into an impromptu jam session. With Mitch Mitchell unavailable Eddie Kramer volunteered Dave Palmer to sit in behind the drums for the session. As the night progressed, Jimi was able to coax Wood and Winwood into providing some backing vocals on ”Ezy Rider” which Jimi was carrying over from his stints at the Record Plant. Also put to tape on this night were renditions of Traffic’s own “Pearl Queen” and Winwood’s own “Rhythm Ace.” Work soon progressed to Jimi’s composition, “Valleys Of Neptune” before segueing into a loose untitled jazz-focused jam and later a track titled “Slow Blues.” Jenny Dean, a mutual friend of Jimi and Winwood, offered backing vocals on the later recording.
tags: Chris Wood / Electric Lady Studios / first recording session / Greenwich Village / Recording / Steve Winwood