Unaware of the extraordinary talent he is about to introduce onstage, Eric Clapton leans across to Jimi Hendrix and asks: “What’s your name again, mate?”
Within seconds, Hendrix launches into an explosive riff on his electric guitar, which leaves the other musicians in the dust and the crowd screaming for more.
This supercharged scene from September 1966 is one of a number of spine-tingling moments in the newly released trailer for the long-awaited Hendrix biopic “All Is by My Side.”
Now with a release date of Sept. 26, the film stars Outkast’s André Benjamin as the legendary instrumentalist who influenced generations of artists despite his tragically short career.
The movie, directed by Oscar-winning writer/director John Ridley, chronicles a year in Hendrix’s life from 1966-67, beginning with his days as an unknown backup guitarist at New York’s Cheetah Club to the time he made his name on London’s music scene.
It was filmed two years ago, but has been dogged by controversy because Hendrix’ estate refused to allow the star’s own music to be featured in the movie.
The soundtrack relies entirely on covers.
Nevertheless, the biopic has piqued the interest of die-hard Hendrix fans, many of whom have given the trailer a thumbs-up.
Other scenes in the trailer include Hendrix meeting the London black power leader Michael X and yelling to the audience, “Watch out for your ears!” as he fires up his guitar.