Nov 122008
He was…a great man.
Seriously, Jimi Hendrix Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell was one of rock’s coolest drummers. He was found dead in a Portland, OR hotel after wrapping up an all-star Jimi Hendrix Experience-themed supergroup tour. Like Keith Moon, he played in a free and nimble style that most drummers shouldn’t attempt to duplicate. Don’t try this at home, kids.
How he wasn’t snatched up and used to maximum effect by other musicians after Hendrix dumped him is beyond me. At least you can’t say the Experience left anything on the table.
(Thanks to Townsman Telewacker for directing us to this story.)
Man, he does have that cross-grip jazz thing going, like Moon, doesn’t he? Thin drum heads and thin sticks. Sad about that solo, though. Too many drums. Sethro should be thanking the kit editors if he watches that! And can we sing a round of “Poor Noel” while we’re here? Standing behind Hendrix with his chops and musical gravitas is hard enough, but then to be all faux bad-ass is just too much. I wonder what he was hollering there during Purple Haze? They had his mic way down, I suppose. And finally, that crowd? Were they flown in from some sitcom premier or what. After seeing them standing around uncomfortably adjusting their coccyges and what not, it seemed quite a distance to travel to get back to Hey Joe! RIP, Mr. Mitchell…
RIP Mitch. He was awesome.
On a darker front, I seem to recall some mention in these parts of highly influential rock bands – that all of them still had some surviving members. No more. But then, this is a topic for another thread.
Check out mile marker 3:36 in vuh-deo number one, where Jimi points at Mitch, smiles, and very clearly says “Scuse me… while I KISS THIS GUY.” Interesting that even that long ago, it seems to have been a famous enough mis-heard lyric that Jimi would poke fun at it.
RIP, Mitch, indeed. That guy kicked major swing-factor ass. A GREAT drummer.
One of my favorites. The perfect compliment to Hendrix on the Experience albums. His drums roll and crack in all the right spots, and only the right spots. Busy enough to keep up with Jimi, but never in the way.
I would also argue he had the perfect Look to go with Hendrix, too. Slocum nails the Noel problem – trying too hard to match Jimi – but Mitch slid right in there and was capable of pulling off all the sartorial and pilar requirements of being part of the Experience. Maybe the best example of the Rhythm Beard concept.
This is very sad. Too bad he never did much of note besides play with Hendrix. I checked Wikipedia to see if he had any credits I didn’t know about, and found this:
Strange.
Damn, what’s my roto-band gonna do now?