Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Marco jam to the Star Spangled Banner (PRNewsFoto/Rasta Rock Opera)
The Jimi Hendrix Foundation, founded in 1988 by James “Al” Hendrix (Jimi’s dad) has endorsed the debut album of the Rasta Rock Opera, Respect and Love Revolution, as “the most important musical score of this generation.”
As a preview to the upcoming album release, a Hendrix-style rendition of our national anthem was released by guitarist, composer and vocalist of rasta Rock Opera, Stevie Marco, on July 1st, just in time for Independence Day. (Video link can be found below)
The video utilizes live footage of Jimi Hendrix. Directed by Brad Baerwald of Studio 51 in Dunkirk, MD and accompanied by entertainment photographer, Teo Lee, it merged the performances by Marco and Hendrix into one fantastic video.
Iconic clips of Hendrix lighting his guitar on fire and smashing it at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, as well as shots from Woodstock, Berkeley, and with his Band of Gypsy’s are featured in the film.
The guitar performance on the Star-Spangled Banner is all Stevie Marco as he appears opposite Hendrix, playing his version of our national anthem, “Hendrix-style” in a wonderful homage to our nation and the late guitar icon. Shots of drummer, Mitch Mitchell appear with Hendrix opposite Conrad Osipowicz, playing drums with Stevie Marco.
Respect and Love Revolution is set to be released on November 27th of this year, Jimi’s birthday. It will consist of 11 compositions and 21 musical movements.
The album took 160+ sessions to complete and was recorded at Blue Room Music Studio in Bethesda, MD. Drummer and co-producer, Conrad Osipowicz hopes the album will “ignite the youth with a new sound that has a positive message behind it”. It features fifty-one musicians including notable stars like Cindy Blackman Santana, Buster Williams, Joe Brotherton, and Karen Briggs along with promising new talent from around the globe.
“The music vibes are like Bob Marley met Jimi Hendrix,” says Stevie Marco, who is the primary composer and lead guitarist for the Rasta Rock Opera. The album currently has over 62,000 followers on Facebook and over 190,000 album plays on Soundcloud.
