What if the proposed McCartney/Davis/Hendrix/Williams supergroup had happened?

Jimi Hendrix Sought Paul McCartney for Supergroup with Miles Davis – Rolling Stone

The article further notes that it's unclear if Paul ever received the telegram This was, of course, during the time that The Beatles were breaking up, so he wasn't really in the best place. But let's say he gets the telegram, and, sensing that John meant it when he said he was quitting the band, agrees to join.

What kind of music would the band make? I don't know much about Tony Williams, but the other three were certainly all at artistic peaks. Paul of course had just completed Abbey Road with The Beatles; Hendrix, from my understanding was moving towards a more funk-based sound; and Davis was experimenting with jazz-fusion.

I could even see, upon Paul joining this group, John George and Ringo teaming up with someone like Klaus Voormann and continuing on as a group.

 

What would have happened?

McCartney, Miles & Williams would have looked great in afros as Hendrix's backing band!

 

Honestly, I would rather just see Miles and Jimi with Williams here, and Ron Carter on bass instead. Macca wasn’t needed in this equation.

 

McCartney wouldn't have been able to do what he wanted, with two other strong-willed bandleaders and soloists dominating the proceedings. He probably would have been very unhappy doing anything more than a one-off with them and painfully reminded of the Let It Be bickering

It's cool to hear that they admired his bass playing enough to ask, though. I think Paul's late-60s melodic style on bass would have worked nicely against Hendrix's funk grind and Davis' high flying abstract horn colorations... the drugs floating around might have killed him, though!

 

Miles playing silly love songs?

 

I think it's one of those things that sounds cool in theory, but would be kind of a disaster in reality. Paul would get frustrated by not being in a powerful position, and Jimi Hendrix would get frustrated if Paul tried to tell him what to do. Wasn't Miles Davis known to be temperamental as well?

 

The super-group mentioned in the telegram was fun speculation, but I really figure it was all just a pipe dream (literally) of Hendrix 'associate' Alan Douglas . The telegram was sent from Douglas' office phone, and that was the contact number also. It was 'signed' Jimi Hendrix Miles Davis Tony Williams, but Tony was busy with his band Lifetime and Miles was in Europe starting a tour. Seriously doubt Jimi had anything directly to do with Douglas taking a flyer on this half-baked, or fully-baked, plan.

telegram

 

To put it mildly . . .

 

They would have recorded one hell of a version of "Bip Bop".

 

Too many cooks in the kitchen?

 

Keep in mind that apparently Paul speaks about the possibility of recording "Smile Away" with "Hendrix and a jazz drummer" in the RAM demo tape which should date around May 1970. So it's possible that, although the initial plan came to nothing, something was on table again at that time.

 

Yeah, I also doubt Miles or Jimi were actually involved in this telegram.
Macca on bass makes no sense at all.

 

Interesting - is the actual quote available somewhere? Or is this a tape that is not in circulation?

 

I found it myself - the actual existence of the tape seems to be questioned. Interesting nonetheless.

 

Nah, Paul was a bigger doper than either Miles or Jimi at the time. Didn't he exist on pot?

 

It's always going to be hard to guess how something like this could have gone. Sure they were all strong willed musicians, but that doesn't mean nothing could have worked.
I wouldn't see it being a long term thing, but given the right mind frame, it could have been interesting.
The most interesting question to me would be who would be writing the material.... would they just jam some stuff and then form it into something ... would they be interpreting each others writing .... would they sit and write some ideas down and then work on arranging it.

Mccartney is a good musician so I don't see the need for any negativity about his being involved with these guys.

 

Here is a link to another article about the famous telegram -- complete with photo of that telegram and the telegram sent in sad declining of the invitation.

The super group that never was: Jimi Hendrix sent telegram inviting McCartney to join him and Miles Davis for a recording in 1969 (but he missed it because he was on holiday) | Daily Mail Online

 

based on the telegram ... did they actually record anything? even if it was just Jimi, Miles and Tony?

 

Pot isn't exactly the drug I was thinking of, Jimi died on pills and booze and Miles was into smack... he got shot at in his car during this period

A little less sedate than pot and sheep-shearing!

 

I don’t believe it ever got past the talking stage. It makes for an intriguing idea. McCartney is a brilliant musician in the pop/rock world and it would have been interesting to see how he would have interacted with a couple of jazz legends like Davis and Williams. It would also have made for a volatile dynamic given all of the strong wills present.

I don’t think Paul would have had any issues with a more riff based approach to the material, but let’s be honest, he’s no Ron Carter or Dave Holland when it comes to playing jazz, but I also doubt Miles would have expected him (or Jimi) to play Ginger Bread Boy either.

 

I'm not sure if I am correct, but my understanding is that prescription sleeping pills killed Jimi, and it was something to do with the script in another country being stronger than the ones he received in the US?

Anyhow, weed is not really going to make anyone flip their lid, in spite of government sponsored promo films to suggest otherwise. Weed was much less detrimental to me than alcohol

 

Wrong on both counts.
Miles was on heroin. In 1955!! He never took it again. I 1970 he was into fruit juice, veganism and boxing. And what the heck does being shot at have to do with heroin?
Jimi died from ingesting sleeping tablets, nothing else.
Paul was a bigger druggie than either of them in 1970, also semi-alcoholic.

 

A depressed man who was self medicated and looking for escape would NOT have done well in the NYC music scene circa 1969, just sayin'

 

There wouldn’t be enough space in the room with those egos.