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THE SUNDAY REPUBLICAN OCTOBER 7, 2007
COUNT ’EM
“Three Mo’
SECTION
Tenors,” starring
H
(from left)
Aaron Epstein.
James N. Berger
Jr., Victor
Robertson and
Duane A.
Moody, gets
rts& ntertainment 5 stars. 2H
‘Peculiar
Jimi never left institution’
in Jamaica
the building
British slavery
depicted at Yale
Hendrix’s music and legacy
s h owc a s e d a t t h e P a l a ce
YALE CENTER FOR BRITISH ART
Isaac Mendes Belisario, ‘Koo,
Koo, or Actor Boy,’ from
PERFORMER IMAGES COURTESY OF AUTHENTIC HENDRIX, LLC
‘Sketches of Character, In
Coming to the Palace Theater in Waterbury for the 2007 Experience
Illustration of the Habits,
Hendrix Tour is original Jimi Hendrix Experience drummer Mitch
Occupation, and Costume of the
Mitchell.
Negro Population in the Island of
Jamaica.’
BY ALAN BISBORT
BY TRACEY O’SHAUGHNESSY
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
as it really been 37 years In 1837, on the cusp of a seismic
H change in British Jamaica, a
since Jimi Hendrix died?
Sephardic Jew named Issac
Wow, time flies when Mendes Belisario published a
bizarre — and riveting — collec-
you’re a baby boomer! But,
tion of lithographs of Jamaican
then again, time also stands still on occa- slaves.
Why he did it, or what the Ja-
sion. And, it will do that on Saturday, Oct.
maican native thought about
20, at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, Britain’s peculiar institution, is not
clear. But the freakishly subver-
when Hendrix’s band-mates, drummer
sive “Sketches of Character” is one
Mitch Mitchell and bassist Billy Cox, join of the most mesmerizing — and
provocative — series of works on
forces with several stellar guitarists to
paper the Yale Center for British
Band Of Gypsys’ and The Jimi Hendrix
re-create the Hendrix “Experience” in a Art has exhibited.
Experience’s bassist, Billy Cox
tribute to the guitarist that has been
packing houses and drawing rave reviews
See the exhibit
since it began in February. What: “Art and Emancipation
in Jamaica: Isaac Mendes Belis-
And why not? The lineup of performers
ario and His Worlds”
slated to appear at the Palace could com-
Where: Yale Center for British
prise a separate wing at the Rock and Art, 1080 Chapel St., New
Haven
Roll Hall of Fame: Buddy Guy, the great
When: Through Dec. 30
blues guitarist who mentored Hendrix;
Details: Call 203-432-2800 or
Robby Krieger, the guitarist who seam- visit www.yale.edu/ycba
lessly backed Jim Morrison in the Doors;
Mick Taylor, who left John Mayall’s It forms the centerpiece of a
hypnotic exhibit at the museum,
Bluesbreakers in 1969 to join the Rolling
“Art & Emancipation in Jamaica:
Stones, with whom he played for five Issac Mendes Belisario and His
Worlds.” Focusing on the visual
years; Hubert Sumlin, who
culture of slavery and emancipa-
played behind the legendary tion, “Art & Emancipation” is an
often creepy examination of cant
Howlin’ Wolf and whose
and culture, of mind-boggling
blues style influenced a le- depredations and the ugly suspen-
sion of curiosity that accompanies
gion of young British gui-
gargantuan wealth.
tarists with names like It commemorates the abolition
of the British slave trade in 1807
Clapton, Page and Beck;
and emancipation of slaves 30
Robert Randolph, who has single- years later. But abolition, like
emancipation, is a slippery word,
handedly revived the pedal steel guitar
freighted with all sorts of decep-
and toured with Eric Clapton; Kenny tion and duplicity. In many ways
“Art & Emancipation” is a familiar
Wayne Shepherd, America’s premier
story to an American audience,
young blues guitarist; and, of course, whose own lamentable legacy of
slavery continues to emit its own
Mitchell and Cox, the cornerstones the
corrosive stench 150 years later.
Jimi Hendrix Experience (Cox, Hen-
But the British presence in Ja-
Legendary blues guitarist Buddy Guy
drix’s old buddy from his military days, maica, which began when it
grabbed the island from Spain in
replaced original member Noel Redding
1655, turned the island into
in the latter days of the trio). Britain’s sugar bowl and created a
hybrid Afro-Caribbean culture
See EXPERIENCE, Page 7H that continues to this day.
STOCKEXPERT.COM
See JAMAICA, Page 6H