Happy 55th Birthday Trey Anastasio: 5 Jimi Hendrix Covers

Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio celebrates his 55th birthday today. This year was eventful for Trey, who was featured in a documentary film Between Me & My Mind that followed him as he wove through preparing Phish shows, Trey Anastasio Band performances and recording the album that became his latest project, Ghosts Of The Forest.

Part of the inspiration behind Ghosts Of The Forest was the death of Trey’s longtime friend Chris “C Cot” Cottrell whose tragic battle with cancer was among the themes of the documentary. Trey spoke to Rolling Stone about his relationship with C Cot, telling the outlet:

He liked it when I ripped it on the guitar. Period. End of sentence. That’s it. The two of us used to listen to Jimi Hendrix incessantly. Like, every time we got together we’d put on Band of Gypsys.

Covering Hendrix has long been part of Phish and Anastasio’s solo repertoire. In celebration of Trey’s birthday today, and the guitarist’s love of Jimi, below is a set of five videos of Anastasio covering Hendrix over the years.

First is Phish performing “Bold As Love” on February 18, 1997 in Paris. Prior to its start, Trey addressed the audience and dedicated the encore that night to Hendrix who he said “loved Paris.” Classic footage from April 29, 1990 of Phish’s show in Woodbury, Connecticut shows off Trey’s early affection for Jimi’s style of shredding. The old-school scene from Woodbury Ski & Racquet Club is of Trey, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman and keyboardist Page McConnell lighting up Jimi’s “Fire.” Jumping ahead 27 years to Phish’s summer 2017 residency at Madison Square Garden, the encore on the “jimmies” donut theme night of the Baker’s Dozen was the band’s sole cover of “The Wind Cries Mary.”

The penultimate video below is from the outstanding December 30, 1997, show that was also at MSG. The clip from that night captures the rarely played but always well-received scorcher “Izabella.” Finally, the fifth video features officially shared footage of Trey joining Tedeschi Trucks Band — with Doyle Bramhall II — at this year’s Lockn’ festival. Part of the set in which Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi led Trey and their band mates though the complete Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs, Hendrix’s “Little Wing” was covered by both Derek & The Dominoes on the record and by TTB and their guests at Lockn’.

Watch Trey playing Jimi below:

Bold As Love

Fire

The Wind Cries Mary Captured by runaway jr

Izabella

Little Wing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO3YW4v9kaY