Seattle Museum Show To Feature Jimi Hendrix's London Days

Someone -- I don't remember who -- once defined greatness as a force from which "before" and "after" were defined. If one accepts that notion, then Jimi Hendrix's music certainly fits. Ironically, for nearly two-thirds of his life, the Seattle native was more or less a musical unknown. That changed when he visited London and played there. He very quickly became a star.

A new exhibit at Seattle's EMP Museum explores this turning point in Hendrix's life. You don't have to be an aging hippie to enjoy this show.

I visited EMP about a year ago. The Frank Gehry-designed building, with its wavy, reflective exteriors, was a fitting home for the museum's pop culture exhibits. At the time, I got a glimpse of a sculpture of assembled electric guitars and one of Michael Jackson's gloves. Of course, for me, the EMP Museum was an homage to Hendrix. It also reminded me of a time, long ago, when I attended a concert at New York's Fillmore East. (I went to grammar school with one of the theatre's light show designers.) Reputedly, Jimi was backstage that night. He was in the building, so to speak; I returned the favor to the 60s musical genius, many decades later, with my visit to EMP.

PS. EMP is an acronym for "Experience Music Project".