Mitch Mitchell

Fire is the song that got me into hendrix. me and a band that the place i take lessons from organized (picked the "best" of the students, for 3 different bands") played the song "fire" at a show. Went really well, and it was a hellova fun song to play to. Its got a fun, and funky beat, and its played pretty fast; all that making it fun!

Now im in love with hendrix. hendrix and led zeppelin being my two favorite bands.
Mitch has his own way of playing, and like mentioned earlyer, you can tell he was free to do whatever he wants, and really gets into it. also, like said before, when playing with jimi, they really go good together.

Some of my favorite hendrix songs (i have others, but theres nothing really special about the drumming in those): these are also in the "jammin" playlist on my ipod, that i play along to

Spanish Castle Magic
Foxy Lady (nothing crazy, but the groove is pretty fun)
Manic Depression
Fire (oh yes)
Ezy Ryder


Mitchel, as well as bonham, are the two drummers id most like to meet.
 
Great, great drummer. Innovative, groundbreaking, fearless. If you watch those early Hendrix clips, nobody looked cooler then Mitch. He played with this great confidence that just stands out (even when performing next to Jimi!)

The best pic I saw of him was one where is he wearing the usual hippie outfit but also has Converse All-Stars on. Cool!

Does anyone have that image?

Hes the first influence I had, I love all of his playing still to this day.. His playing on Third Stone from the Sun is outstanding

And drummerwannabe he was playing his Ludwig at Berkley, if you watch during "I don't live today" (my favorite live jam they did) it zooms out and shows the Ludwig symbol on the bass drum reso head.. I think thats at Berkley, I'll have to watch my DVDs again...
 

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Hes the first influence I had, I love all of his playing still to this day.. His playing on Third Stone from the Sun is outstanding

And drummerwannabe he was playing his Ludwig at Berkley, if you watch during "I don't live today" (my favorite live jam they did) it zooms out and shows the Ludwig symbol on the bass drum reso head.. I think thats at Berkley, I'll have to watch my DVDs again...

that picture always reminds me of the guy from even stevens
 
yeah man, mitch is kickass, my favorite drummer actually :)
also doesnt ever seem to get the respect and credit, all attention for 60s drummers is directed at moon, baker and bonham.

Saif

I'm a big fan of Ginger Baker's work with Cream & Keith Moon's drumming with the Who but Mitch Mitchell's drumming with Hendrix is awesome!

I find it so much more energetic and exciting than if I listen to Cream or the Who.

Love his chops in the instrumental "Drivin' South" by Hendrix... very groovy beats!
 
One of my favorite drummers of all time. His grooves are perfect with Jimi...a seriously amazing drummer...gotta love it.
 
Mitch Mitchell is probably the most underrated drummer in rock b/c Hendrix is the greatest rock guitarist, and possibly musician, of the 20th century. Even on a song like Fire, which is really Mitch's song, with (for Hendrix) relatively sparse guitar work, you can't ignore Hendrix's playing. But could any other guitarist have riden the choatic drum thunder that is Mitchell's drumming? The two were perfect musical partners. No wonder Mitch didn't play much after Hendrix's death--if you're used to filet, are you going to want ground chuck?

Despite playing straight eigth note rock (with a few exceptions, the brilliant 3/4 Manic Depression pops into mind) the guy swung as hard as any of the bop guys he grew up listening to--inserting little triplet based fills from time to time and really pushing the forward motion that swing/triplet playing sort of does on it's own.

One of my favorite Mitchell tracks is "Wait Unitil Tomorrow". If he just plays the skip notes on the ride, it's basically jazz.

Mitchell is to Hendrix as Elvin is to Coltrane: an emotional and technical player manning the rhythm section for a lead player throwing out tempo-fluctuating barrages of notes.
 
Mitch Mitchell is probably the most underrated drummer in rock b/c Hendrix is the greatest rock guitarist, and possibly musician, of the 20th century. Even on a song like Fire, which is really Mitch's song, with (for Hendrix) relatively sparse guitar work, you can't ignore Hendrix's playing. But could any other guitarist have riden the choatic drum thunder that is Mitchell's drumming? The two were perfect musical partners. No wonder Mitch didn't play much after Hendrix's death--if you're used to filet, are you going to want ground chuck?

Despite playing straight eigth note rock (with a few exceptions, the brilliant 3/4 Manic Depression pops into mind) the guy swung as hard as any of the bop guys he grew up listening to--inserting little triplet based fills from time to time and really pushing the forward motion that swing/triplet playing sort of does on it's own.

One of my favorite Mitchell tracks is "Wait Unitil Tomorrow". If he just plays the skip notes on the ride, it's basically jazz.

Mitchell is to Hendrix as Elvin is to Coltrane: an emotional and technical player manning the rhythm section for a lead player throwing out tempo-fluctuating barrages of notes.

Ok here's a politically incorrect controversial statement - Jimi, ... the way he played chords, and riffs, and squeals, and growls, while singing, drawling and grunting those amazing songs,ALL AT THE SAME TIME, didnt really need anybody else. It didnt matter who played with him...It didnt matter If anybody played with him.

That was the power of his music. Yeah, there was Mitch and the Bass guy, and they were'nt bad but.....

ok, now you can shoot me
 
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Ok here's a politically incorrect controversial statement - Jimi, ... the way he played chords, and riffs, and squeals, and growls, while singing, drawling and grunting those amazing songs,ALL AT THE SAME TIME, didnt really need anybody else. It didnt matter who played with him...It didnt matter If anybody played with him.

That was the power of his music. Yeah, there was Mitch and the Bass guy, and they were'nt bad but.....

ok, now you can shoot me

BANG! Your dead.

No, but really I'm going to disagree. The thing is that Mitch Mitchell was so good with Hendrix is that fact that he complimented him so well and in some songs like 'In From the Storm' its as if they're having an instrumental conversation (if you get my jist...) I've already mentioned in another thread that my thoughts on Buddy Miles and the fact that I think he was a good drummer, but too solid and stiff, whichh really tied Hendrix down and didn't let him really 'get into it'. Yes okay Hendrix's music was INCREDIBLE, his presence unbelievable, his solos something else - but he was really able to do that BECAUSE of Mitch complimenting him, giving him space at times or building up the intensity with his powerful fills. Hendrix didn't call Mitch 'his Elvin Jones' for no reason.

I might agree with you on the bass players though, maybe not Billy Cox I reckon he and Hendrix worked well together, but Noel Redding - he didn't really interest me that much. Okay now shoot me.

EDIT: Haha, it's funny how opinions change - after hearing Band of Gypsies, I'm afraid I now agree with Aydee and I think Buddy Miles was actually a better choice for Hendrix.
 
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Funny that nobody mentioned his only brush song (that I know of): Up From the Skies ... every time I'm practicing with my brushes that song pops into my head ... very tight & funky. Only thing that sucks about Mitch is there's so little of him on record!
 
Story goes that Noel Redding was the one who suggested Mitch to play brushes on that one. He truly was a fine brush player - so crisp and tight.
 
They fed off each other.

How's this for one-line statements?
 
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