It is with great sadness to bring the news of the passing of drum great John 'Mitch' Mitchell last night at the age of 61. Mitch Mitchell was the explosive powerhouse drummer behind The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
Mr Mitchell was just barely out of his teens when he teamed up with Jimi Hendrix in 1966, as he said at the time, 'I'll give it a bash for two weeks and see what happens!' Mr Mitchell's legacy in the pantheon of the greatest Rock drummers is definitely carved in stone. His influence on drumming in the power trio format in particular is one that will reside with rhythm sections for decades to come.
Mitchell pioneered a style of drumming which would later become known as fusion. This is a "lead" style of playing distinguished by interplay with lead instruments such as guitar or keyboards, and the melding of jazz and rock drumming styles. Though lead drums was not a new concept in the world of jazz, it was relatively unheard of in the rock genre at the time. Upon joining Hendrix in late 1966, it soon became evident to Mitch that the trio format of the band was very similar to the recently formed Cream, and that it would allow him an opportunity to become more free with his playing. Like a jazz drummer, Mitch's playing not only provided a rhythmic support for the music, but also a source of momentum and melody. He made heavy use of snare rudiments, fast single and double stroke rolls, and jazz triplet patterns in his playing, and shifted between both traditional and matched grips. Notable examples of his style include the rudiment-heavy fills on "Hey Joe", which help to carry the song through a series increasingly intense crescendos. "Manic Depression" is a 3/4 rock waltz that finds Mitch playing a driving afro-cuban inspired beat, which then shifts to an explosion of triplets all around the drum kit during the outro. "Third Stone from the Sun" incorporates a jazz ride pattern to underpin Hendrix's jazzy surf guitar, and the spacey breakdown section features polyrythmic drum fills that float over the 4/4 meter. "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)" features military-style snare drum work and delicate cymbal playing that evokes the sound of wind chimes. The long blues jam "Voodoo Chile" features Mitch playing a deep blues groove with subtle hi-hat accenting and powerful drum fills that help to propel the song to new heights. Alongside Hendrix's revolutionary guitar work and songwriting, Mitchell's playing helped redefine rock music drumming.
His last days were spent celebrating the music and legacy of Jimi Hendrix with old and new friends on the 2008 Experience Hendrix tour. For nearly 4 weeks, the tour traveled coast-to-coast in the US, bringing the music of Jimi Hendrix to nearly 50,000 fans across the country in 18-city tour finishing in Portland. In addition to Mitchell, the tour featured Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eric Johnson, Cesar Rojas, David Hidalgo, Aerosmith's Brad Whitford, Hubert Sumlin, Chris Layton as well as Eric Gales and Mato Nanji (Indigenous). The tour ended 5 days before Mitchell was found dead at approximately 3 a.m. on November 12, 2008 in his room at the Benson Hotel in downtown Portland. Mitchell, 61, apparently died of natural causes, Erin Patrick, the Multnomah County Medical Examiner said. An autopsy is planned.(as of 11/12/2008) . He was the last surviving member of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, not counting Billy Cox. Mitchell was to leave Portland, on Wednesday, 12 November, and return to his home in England.
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Mr Picante-
Rudy Membiela