It’s been said that there are two official versions of Little Wing. The first, of course, was performed by the song’s originator, Jimmie Hendrix. The second was an instrumental version recorded by Stevie Ray Vaughan. Some would say that Frank Zappa’s version should be included but I disagree. While Zappa was a masterful player his over-use of effects on the song dates his interpretation and strips it of it’s classic tenor.
Little Wing is, perhaps, the perfect guitar composition. One might even argue that no further exploration of the instrument was needed after its inception. As a result of witnessing several disappointing attempts at its recreation, I had long since given up the notion of experiencing a live version that moved me as much as Hendrix or Vaughan. That is until I witnessed Bob Noble do it live. The song is arranged in such a way as to insist that its performer lay his soul bare for the audience in order to come close to capturing its essence. Noble’s re-imagining of Little Wing is moving, distinct and proof that he has mastered his craft. Though you may have never heard of him, Bob Noble is one of the best guitar players alive today, and we found him playing at The Horse You Came In On. You should have been there.
Photos by Brooke Hall, story by Justin Allen.
Somehow we heard that this amazing guitar player was coming through Baltimore and was doing a free show in Fell’s Point. We’d heard that he’d played with acts like The Supremes and Ben E. King. We also heard that he was one of the best players alive today mastering everything from jazz and blues to finger tapping – shred metal – with a healthy dose of hairspray if you know what I’m saying. When we heard that Bob Noble and Blue Voodoo was playing for free we knew that we would regret missing what might very well be an amazing performance so we took a chance and went to the show. Nobody who came out was disappointed.
Each generation a new breed of musicians emerge and it’s easy to forget the common thread that ties the what’s-happening-now back to Motown, Mississippi and across the ocean if you trace it back far enough. Major record companies have perfected the art of snatching up an idea, mass producing it and beating us over the head with it for a decade or so until we can’t stand it any longer. After sitting down with Noble and talking about his musical roots it becomes clear why he can channel the music of San Francisco in the sixties, New York in the seventies and Los Angeles in the eighties. It’s because he was there. At this point he’s not just a live performer. He is the embodiment of music fused with his experience. Witnessing a player like him is an entirely different kind of musical encounter and he’s the only person I’ve ever seen play Little Wing with all the grace of Hendrix himself.
