Jimi was not only the greatest guitarist of all time, but he's an inspiration to everyone who has picked up a guitar today. His memory is so vital to modern music that players from around the world have gathered to play his songs in Santa Cruz. They include a huge diversity of generations, origins, musical styles and influences.

Experience Hendrix is a unique opportunity for fans to experience the music and legacy of Jimi Hendrix in a way that CDs simply cannot offer.

From his burning Strat at Monterey Pop to headlining Woodstock, to Vietnam-era political statements of Band of Gypsys to the historical Fillmore shows, Hendrix is still influencing music today.

Performing in no specific order with many surprises in store:

Bassist Billy Cox heard Jimi play one day in 1961 in a service club when the two were paratroopers in the U.S. Army together. The two began jamming regularly. When they left the military, they backed R&B acts in Seattle. Later, after playing with a five-piece at Woodstock, Jimi formed Band of Gypsys with Cox and recorded a live album--what would be his posthumous studio album, First Rays of the New Rising Sun.

Steve Vai, inspired by Jimi Hendrix to pick up a guitar, found good teachers in Joe Satriani and Frank Zappa. As a student at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, Vai transcribed several of Frank Zappa's most technically demanding compositions for guitar, sent a copy of one, "Black Page," to Zappa. Frank, totally impressed with the young guitarist, invited Vai to join his band. Later gigs included replacing flashy guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen in Alcatrazz, joining David Lee Roth's solo band and playing in Whitesnake in the height of its career. He also had a solo career releasing albums of all instrumental guitar work that has pushed him into the forefront of todays six-string players.

Few artists have come out of the gate as strongly as Jonny Lang. The Fargo, North Dakota native's first album, Lie to Me, was recorded when he was 15 and became a worldwide hit two years later. A decade and a half later, he mixed his stylized playing with serious gospel roots. Lang's playing reflects the spiritual side of Jimi, whose "Castles Made of Sand" and "Angel" are as spiritual as it gets.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd is one of the serious young guns of modern blues playing a scorching guitar in an honest enlightened style. This would make Jimi, the master, proud. The Shreveport, La. native never had a lesson but played Muddy Waters tunes by listening to his father's record collection. He jammed his first gig at 13 after being invited onstage by New Orleans bluesman Brian Lee. He rocked the house at the Santa Cruz Blues Festival's 17th year getting countless requests from fans asking for him to return.

Three time Grammy award winning artist, songwriter and producer Keb' Mo' promises a fresh view of Jimi's music. He has a background in laconic storytelling and country blues and a fiery slide guitar. His vocals chime.

Los Lobos front men, David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas, started a band in East L.A. that has become one of the most powerful purveyors of American music. These guys can do it all-- from dirty blues to rock to infinite jams. The San Jose Mercury News called them "not just the best Mexican American band in the U.S., but the best road band playing today." When they cover the Dead, it's like they have brought Jerry back to life. When they do Neil Young, it feels like he's on stage with them. Imagine what they will do with Jimi Hendrix.

Like Jimi Hendrix, the band Living Colour broke the color line in rock. After the multicultural 1960s, music was segmented for a decade with whites dominating rock and African Americans playing funk and soul. Mick Jagger produced Living Colour's first demo, and Vernon Reid, Corey Glover, Doug Wimbish and Will Calhoun went on to tear down the color wall and tear up the joint. Their album, Vivid, went platinum spurred by the MTV hit "Cult of Personality." Their career since shows there is no threshold they can't cross with spirit and style, whether it's rock, punk, jamming, or blues. Like Jimi, they are always ready to experience the next adventure.

Luther and Cody Dickinson, from The North Mississippi Allstars, won a Blues Music award for Best New Band in 2001 and has been spreading the Mississippi Hill Country Blues sound for a decade. Luther plays guitar and mandolin and sings. Cody is the backbeat on drums. They are the sons of Memphis producer Jim Dickinson whose skills behind the board were so great that the Rolling Stones traveled to his studio to record one of their best discs, Sticky Fingers. The Allstars backed John Hiatt last time he played the Festival and are a driving force in hard-hitting blues.

Drummer Chris Layton was the backbeat that held Double Trouble together behind another guitar legend Stevie Ray Vaughan. He went on to play in two Austin, Tx. supergroups, the Arc Angels and Storyville, both big Santa Cruz favorites. Storyville's album, Been a Long Time, was No. 1 on the Billboard Blues chart and swept the country into a fresh era of Texas blues. Layton has also backed W.C. Clark, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Buddy Guy and Doyle Bramhall.

Ernie Isley fronted another band of brothers—the Isley Brothers– who in 1964 recruited a young guitarist named Jimmy James to record and tour with them. Jimmy James later left and took on his real name, Jimi Hendrix. Jimi lived in his home and inspired Ernie to pick up a guitar. His family band, the Isley Brothers, had a long string of hits in his wake, with more than 40 Top 40 singles, including "It's Your Thing," "Fight the Power," "Between the Sheets," and "Who's that Lady." Few can stake such a close claim to the magic that was Jimi Hendrix.

Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford is the unsung hero of that Boston band, the backbone that kept them tight. His guitar was the one with the big eagle on it. Whitford not only plays driving rhythm and lead guitar, but wrote some of the band's most ambitious songs, "Round and Round," "Nobody's Fault," "Permanent Vacation" and "Last Child." Hendrix was huge for him. Driven by the rock/blues fire, Aerosmith went on to become one of the biggest rock bands in the world. While the group's singer is now a judge on American Idol, Whitford is carrying on the rock 'n' roll mantle, bringing Hendrix's fire to the world.

Chuck and Darick Campbell bring a totally unique approach to Hendrix music with the African-American gospel tradition, known as Sacred Steel, playing steel pedal guitar and lap steel respectively. They are part of the chart-topping group the Campbell Brothers. Their instrument, which has been heard in rock and country bands, was a staple in African American churches that couldn't afford an expensive organ. The slide produced a majestic and heartfelt sound that has become a religious music genre. The Slide Brothers have been crossing it over into secular trance and blues music which is one of the new hottest genres out there. They bring the same sacred rush to the music as Jimi did, and when their guitars burn, they don't use lighter fluid.

Mato Nanji's style is hugely influenced by Hendrix, whose music was even heard on the South Dakota reservation on which he was raised. His original songwriting put his albums on the Billboard Blues Top 10 list. He has shared the stage with artists of varying musical genres such as B.B. King, Santana, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, the Indigo Girls, Jackson Browne, Dave Matthews Band, and Los Lonely Boys. B.B. King liked Indigenous guitarist so much, he invited him on his Blues Festival Tour. Amazon.com named Indigenous Blues Artist of the Year and soon after they were featured on broadcast shows such as NPR's "All Things Considered", "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," "CBS Saturday Morning," and "Austin City Limits.

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
From the minute Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue hit the stage when he opened the 16th Annual Santa Cruz Blues Festival, the audience was in love.

They knew this young, highly-acclaimed musician who mixed traditional New Orleans instruments with heavy, dancing funk, was bound for bigger things, and they were right.

The trombone player who was born Troy Adams, honed his chops on the streets of New Orleans' famous Treme neighborhood, where he had to be great to keep an audience listening. He moved on to gigs with Lenny Kravitz, Green Day and U2 before starting his own band, which brought the New Orleans sound into the modern age.

He was the artist most requested for a return by Blues Fest fans, who can't get enough of the jump and swing he calls "Superfunk." They also love the fact that he loves playing here so much. He and his band hung in the audience dancing with fans through the whole show and then jammed at Moe's Alley afterwards.

Since his last appearance, Shorty has released a Billboard #1 album, "Backatown," which has 13 original songs and was nominated for a Grammy. He's played five continents, with the likes of Jeff Beck and Dave Matthews.

"Don't get me wrong, we got it goin' on in New Orleans," said Allen Toussaint who played on the album's cover of his 'On Your Way Down'. "He's just better."

Get ready to be rocked by this young and incredibly talented band.

Jackie Greene
Last time singer/songwriter Jackie Greene played the Santa Cruz Blues Festival fans lined up at 2 a.m. to get the best seats. They had driven down immediately after his show in Santa Rosa the night before.

He's an artist who inspires that kind of diehard passion and he gives every bit of it back to the fans. Since he started his music career right out of high school, Greene has relentlessly pushed the boundaries of his music, taking fans in surprising new directions with every project.

His latest disk, "Till the Light Comes," is clean, stylized, tightly-written songs in the tradition of the early days of the Band, Fleetwood Mac or the Elvis Costello. Each song sounds like a new FM radio classic, instantly familiar, something you want to sing alone to.

But you never know what you will get from Mr. Greene, who has fronted tours by the Dead and the Skinny Singers, as well as releasing six of his own disks.

Dubbed the "Prince of Americana" by the New York Times, Greene was born in Salinas and took to music quickly, eventually outgrowing the tastes of his peers. On his own, he discovered the lost sides of Ray Charles, Leadbelly and Muddy Waters.

Shortly after high school, he took the lessons of these records to this stage. Dubbed a "young blues prodigy" he moved to Sacramento, releasing the self-produced album "Rusty Nails" from the trunk of his car. It led to his signing with indie label Dig Music and two more albums, 2003's "Gone Wanderin'" and "Sweet Somewhere Bound," an amalgam of rustic blues and classic country.

By the tender age of 23, Greene had three albums, a DVD and miles of touring under his belt, sharing bills with B.B. King, Taj Mahal and Buddy Guy, to name a few.

He's also had the eclectic tastes and skills of a true musical genius. In solo shows he wanders from instrument to instrument, playing harmonica, acoustic and electric guitar and piano with astounding dexterity.

Mia Borders
New Orleans is the hottest music scene in the country right now, and Mia Borders is the new artist who is burning brightest.

A newcomer, she stole the San Jose Jazz Festival last year from considerably more famous artists. With strong songwriting comparable to Tracy Chapman and a Southern Fried Soul voice that channels the best of Aretha, Borders wins mountains of new fans with every performance.

She was picked as "New Orleans' hottest buzz band," by the city's Where Y' At magazine and was featured on a nationally-broadcast performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. USA Today called her one of the festival's hidden surprises. Her 2010 album "Magnolia Blue" got nominated for Best Emerging Artist from the Big Easy Music Awards.

She is going to rock the house in Aptos, like Trombone Shorty did years back, and undoubtedly her show will be talked about for years to come. This is one opening act no one wants to miss.