Hendrix guitar style to be examined in lecture/demonstration by alumnus Millioto

The Fredonia Guitar Society will host “The Guitar Style of Jimi Hendrix,” a lecture/demonstration devoted to the legendary musician who radically redefined the expressive potential of the electric guitar, by SUNY Fredonia alumnus Dr. Thomas Millioto.

The program, on Friday, March 22, at 3 p.m. in Diers Recital Hall, is free and open to the public. Doors will open at 2:30 p.m.

In his presentation, Dr. Millioto, will attempt to peel back the hype and expose the real work of Mr. Hendrix, allowing for an examination of his artistic, musical and cultural impact. It will give insight into his choices regarding guitar playing, amplification and composition, while exploring the hard questions relating to his main contributions as a guitarist and as an artist in general, explained Ryan Turtel, public relations chair of the Fredonia Guitar Society.

“Jimi Hendrix pioneered a new form of composition and guitar playing, building music within the sounds of fuzz, feedback, and controlled distortion as well as imbuing raw emotion and storytelling into his songwriting,” Mr. Turtel added. “His influence can be seen in various genres and guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Eddie Van Halen and many others.”

Dr. Millioto, who received a Mus.B. in Music Performance in 1988, has recently channeled his musical attention to the untapped potential of the electric guitar. His latest release, "Suite #1 for Electric Guitar," displays the versatility and expressiveness of the electric guitar. Millioto has a doctoral degree in classical guitar performance.

Though he died more than a half-century ago, Mr. Hendrix continues to resonate with music students. He fused American traditions of blues, jazz, rock and soul with techniques of British avant-garde rock to define the electric guitar in his own image, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. He’s considered one of the most successful and influential musicians of his era, though his active career spanned just four years.

Hendrix’s band, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.