Ex. 1a shows the basic riff from “Who Knows,” from Band Of Gypsys. As usual with Hendrix, Cox is tuned down a half-step, allowing him to hammer from D# to low E. (Except where noted, the notation shown here reflects the actual pitches, while the tablature is based on Cox’s lowered tunings.) Cox and Hendrix play the line in unison except for the last 16th-note of beat two, where Cox adds a contrapuntal touch by favoring an E beneath the Gn of Hendrix’s chromatic descent. On beat four, hit that accented E hard—it’s essential to the feel. Toward the end of the tune Cox offers syncopated variations, such as Ex. 1b, that emphasize the tonic, C#. That note goes an octave lower on the same song on The Band Of Gypsys Return (Ex. 1c)—Cox confirms that he tuned down a minor 3rd to get the open-string C#.
The acknowledged influence of studio great Carol Kaye often shows up in Cox’s treatment of 16th-notes. Ex. 2a lays out the bare-bones line for “Hey Baby (New Rising Sun),” from First Rays of the New Rising Sun. Ex. 2b offers Kaye-approved syncopation and varied articulation in the form of a ghost-note, staccatos, and slides. Articulation also dominates Ex. 2c, with alternating tenutos and staccatos ratcheting up the funk in bar 1’s call-and-response figure. A bluesy b3 (Bbb) gives the line further spice as the upper-register figure moves down stepwise.
Cox delivers one of his most inspired, funky, and rocking performances on “Message of Love,” from Band Of Gypsys. In Ex 3a he lays the groundwork of his four-bar call-and-response treatment, with bars 3 and 4 offering a low-string answer to the opening assertion. (This example’s tablature is in standard tuning.) Note that the opening Bn-centered lick employs A# instead of the more rock-like b7 (An). It suggests Hendrix and Cox were thinking modally rather than basing the line on a more-conventional series of dominant-7 chords. More down to earth, note how he drives home the C#’s in bars 2–4. Ex. 3b corrals a slick variation, with bar 2’s pivoting three-note figure increasing the momentum of a romping performance every bass player should experience.