 John Frusciante recorded a tribute to Hazel's "Maggot Brain" on his 2009 album "The Empyrean" in the nine-minute-long "Before the Beginning".Hazel played in the vein of Jimi Hendrix and added "the aggressive rock and roll sound of Jimi Hendrix into the funky world of James Brown and Sly Stone".He used much reverb and was a "razor sharp" rhythm player, besides an exceptional soloist with "fuzz-drenched leads".