The Genius Of Mitch Mitchell

so let's hear once again the Jimmy Hendrick experience so you both agree that Mitch Mitchell was your favorite drummer yeah our favorite growing up listening to Mitch Mitchell play with Jimmy Hendricks was quite the experience this great towering this Monument of drums was Jimmy Hendrick's drummer well how would you describe him well Jimmy was Mitch's guitarist Mitch Mitchell was an English drummer best known for his work with the jimmi Hendrick experience he's recognized for completely rewriting the rules of rock drumming by fusing jazz elements with his hard-hitting Rock style since the passing of Hendrick the guitarist Legend has grown to mythical proportions often overshadowing Mitchell's Innovative approach in reality his drumming matched Jimmy's guitar Wizardry rightly earning him a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and being named as one of the greatest drummers of all time by Rolling Stone for not only keeping up with Jimmy henders but just laying down that foundation for Jimmy to to do his thing over top is is no easy task join us as we dive into the genius of Mitch Mitchell [Music] sometime you kick her out right before your [Music] friends I born in eing in 1946 Mitchell's life was always a little bit different as a teenager he starred in the children's TV series Jennings at school and then starred in a leading role in the 1960 comedy film Bottoms Up you look very pleased with yourself whenever exactly sir but Mitchell's Focus soon shifted growing up in a musical family he quickly developed an interest for percussion instruments he started taking lessons at Jim Marshall's Drum Shop the founder of Marshall amps while he was still at school at only 16 years old he started touring and doing session work with local bands like Frankie Reed in the casuals the pretty things the riot Squad and Bill Knight in the scepter he even briefly stepped in as a session drummer for The Who as they were in the process of replacing Doug sandum with Keith Moon but it wasn't until British rocker Georgie Fame invited him to play in his band the blue flames in 1965 that he earned some [Music] notoriety Mitchell was still developing his sound here but you could recognize his foundation of blues-based British Innovation pop as well as touches of classic blues and R&B drumming underneath all of this are seeds of his loose swinging approach to timekeeping which was heavily influenced by jazz in a 2 15 interview Fame recalls his main hero was Jazz drummer Ronnie Stevenson and if you look at early film clips of Mitch he had that Ronnie Stevenson look the way he set his jaw and he loved crashing around on the symbols like Ronnie but in my band I like the arrangements pretty tight when he started splashing around I'd say just play the high hat Mitchell was a jazz drummer at heart and was deeply influenced by the great postbob drummers of the era in his book inside the experience Mitchell writes that through playing with these musicians I got to hear thonus monk col train and Oliver Nelson drummers like Max Roach Elvin Jones Philly Joe Jones and of course Tony Williams changed my life you know Mitch and I later became friends you know asked him what he thought about rock and R thought he was a vile rubbish he said oh you know Elvin Jones and Philly Joe Jones and Max Roach all these people he's a jazz guy who met Jimmy Hendricks and they created a whole thing that was kind of out of context as was the case with many of these alltime greats it was clear that Mitchell's Dynamic drumming couldn't be contained to the role of timekeeper even in the early days he loved adding texture and color giving a glimpse of his unique approach to the instrument steuart Copeland nailed it when he said when it seems that drums should be boring and when the band starts muttering about meat and potatoes there's always Mitch Mitchell to remind us otherwise from there it wasn't long before Mitchell linked up with Jimmy Hendrick forever changing the landscape of Blues and rock [Music] music after Mitchell stint with Georgie Fame came to an end he threw himself into session work in the London music scene but it wasn't long until he received a call from Chaz Chandler former basist of the animals inviting him to play with some guy he brought over from America little did Mitchell know that this was actually an audition for the Jimmy Hendrick experience he made it to the last round alongside anley Dunbar and was famously chosen in a coin toss you know L we we were just thrown together you know we weren't friends we never met or anything one those things three guys being thrown together s of there you are you're in group now let's see what you can sort out you know from the GetGo it became clear that the two of them had a special musical chemistry the two of them lived and breathed their musical instruments as Mitchell explains in this interview from 1990 you've always had a guitar with anywhere you went B to you know to the bathroom I I saw him literally one day doing eggs and bacon in the kitchen still with a guitar under around his back frying some eggs and bacon up oh wait a minute I think I've got that was the kind of thing than he was Mitchell's Jazz influence style of drumming Blended seamlessly with Hendrick's Innovative guitar playing he could be loose and funky sharp and precise or soft and Spacey all within a single song the intro from fire ATT track from the band's 1967 debut album are you experienced showcases the natural Synergy between the two of them locking in with n reading on the Bas Mitchell filled the spaces Hendrick left for him in some very creative [Music] ways so that's just one of the cool parts from the song Fire that drum intro is so legendary but we actually have the full drum transcription available on drum for this song plus tons of other jimmi Hendrick tracks so if you want to check those out you can go to the link in the description dro.com trial and you can try Dro free for 7 Days Mitchell was also capable of following Jimmy's magical flow on the guitar Mitchell's Parts bring the drums to the Forefront of the music rather than simply keeping time in the background the driving intro of can you see me is another great [Music] example purple hay is one of the biggest hits off the debut album showcases the Duo's unique approach Mitchell's contributions on this one run deep and this section wouldn't be nearly as iconic without his Dynamic hard-hitting drum fills [Music] let's take a closer look at this section which has played slightly different on the [Music] record Mitchell's rudiment based drum field were an integral part of the band's overall sound in foxy lady Mitchell supports Jimmy's frantic guitar solo with a variety of 16th note and triplet based drum [Music] fills he had a special way of supporting Jimmy's revolutionary guitar solos there was an improvisational element to them especially the more psychedelic ones when the two were locked in it was pure magic but Hendrick recognized that Mitchell could easily hold his own showcasing his creativity chops and and speed during his solos on numerous occasions ironically Mitchell wasn't a fan of drum solos but this 1969 solo of his in Stockholm is Iconic to this day Mitchell's ability to orchestrate syncopated rhythms around Jimmy's riffs really set him apart from other drummers from this era in Spanish Castle Magic from a as bold as love Mitchell introduces an offbeat rhythm with a snare hit on the and of Beat 4 elevating the [Music] [Music] track Mitchell's contributions to the band song writing process is often overlooked he was a sounding board for Jimmy's ideas and pushed his creative boundaries in ways only he could in the track if six was nine Mitchell pushes and pulls in interesting ways interjecting syncopated groovus with more traditional Jazz inspired ride patterns all of this is done with a loose sense of time that is uniquely his [Music] own about the Synergy between Hendrick and Mitchell legendary sound engine engineer Eddie Kramer who is behind the booth for all three of the experienced albums once wrote very few drummers could begin to approach Mitch's speed and ability to think he had this innate ability to think ahead and to challenge Jimmy and to do things that were ridiculous he would do a fill where you would think oh no there's no way he's going to land on one it would be outrageous I remember very clearly that in the sessions he would do stuff and Jimmy would just laugh because they were so silly as outrageous and experimental as many of their collaborations were Mitchell could also pull down a mean driving back beat at medium tempo of course with his trademark eighth note swing field take a listen to The Groove from Little [Music] wi by the time the 1968 record electric ladyland rolled around the band hit its stride seamlessly meshing Funk R&B Jazz and rock elements the classic tune cross town traffic showcases Mitchell's incredible versatility the over thear line 3 over4 pattern sets up a funky Groove underneath quarter notes played on the high hat by keeping high hat sparse he creates a little more syncopated tension in the groove than if he had played a more straightforward eighth note pattern a pivotal song written during the height of the Vietnam War Mitchell wrote a drum part that matches the song's theme let's check out the intro section right now where the drums actually come in on the end of beat 3 [Music] between 1966 and 1970 in only four short years Hendrick and Mitchell wrote three iconic records together that would go on to shape rock music for the following decades years after Hendrick's untimely passing in 1970 Mitch reminisced about his relationship with him I think what it comes down to is a kind of mutual respect for each other musically I give him a hard time he'd give me a hard time though it was a very compatible situation from my side it was very interesting to work with someone who would give you that ultimate Freedom there were no boundaries there were no limits at all Jimmy was Irreplaceable both as a friend and a musician I miss him as much today well Hendrick revolutionized the way guitarists approach the electric guitar Mitchell similarly set the new standard for drummer worldwide doing away with the boundaries that previously Define traditional Jazz and rock drumming after all the Jacks are in the boxes and the clowns Mitchell wasn't alone in blending Jazz and rock drumming Styles but he may have pushed the concept further than anyone who came before him whether you call it Fusion Jazz rock or something else playing mixed the improvisational and swing feel from Jazz with the power of rock and roll this combination meant that the art of drumming would never be the same manic depression off the experience's debut album sees Mitchell experiment with the two seemingly opposing genres this tune is in 34 with a rolling triplet feel and Mitchell's feel here is a real throwback to his drum hero Elvin Jones let's take a closer look but Mitchell wasn't trying to change rock and roll he just wanted to lay down some great drum tracks with his dry British demeanor Mitchell explained I'm just like any other drummer I stole things from other drummers I could think of manic depression comes to mind I stole that completely from of all people the drummer called Ronnie Stevenson it came from John dankworth African Walts it's just what fitted in I heard this Rhythm that Jimmy was playing on the guitar and I thought oh yeah it's that kind of feel so thank you Ronnie Stevenson Mitchell was also a master of integrating traditional Jazz techniques as well he quickly switch from using traditional grip to matched grip allowing him to have a lighter touch and feel without having to compromise the power he also popularized the use of more varied rudiment based fills like in this section from he Joe where he uses a combination of single strokes and [Music] paradental [Music] Mitchell's versatility is also showcased on tracks like Dolly dagger where he holds down a funky Mott toown inspired Groove uh here's the drums he would also bring out the brushes on occasion when the song called for it like in this similarly experimental track up from the skies [Music] around this time in 1969 the original basis for the experience n reading left the band and Jimmy's friend Billy Cox joined Mitchell was starting to experiment with more Funk elements charting a new direction for the band when Billy came into the band properly if it's such a thing as a three-piece unit it gave me a lot more freedom I just felt in started to feel incredibly happy I think it was it's a very cool balance of power between Mitch's Newfound funkiness if you will integrated with his Jazz feel and and Billy solidness down down below keeping it all tied together and the fact that they communicated very very well the three of them Billy and Mitch immediately connected forming a powerful Funk driven Rhythm Section this funk sensibility can also be seen in Voodoo Child where Mitchell's unconventional approach to entering the song is far more memorable than the choices many other drummers would have made during this era Mitchell plays a funky double bass drum part that begins with alternating patterns of 16th notes let's take a closer [Music] look After Jimmy passed away Mitchell finished production work with engineer Eddie Kramer on some incomplete Hendrick recordings and this resulted in the releases The Cry of love and Rainbow Bridge these tracks feature some hidden gems like hey baby New Rising Sun [Music] as well as Freedom which he performed together with Billy Cox in [Music] 2008 after Mitchell moved on from the jimmi Hendrick experience he went on to form the band ramatam although the band didn't achieve Commercial Success Mitchell's drumming still stands out embodying a funkier role as seen towards the tail end of the Hendrick [Music] days in 1968 Mitchell was also briefly part of the super group The Dirty Mac which also featured John Lennon Eric Clapton and Keith Richards at the height of their [Music] Fame for the rest of the 1970s through to the '90s Mitchell was semi-retired and living in Europe only occasionally performing in recording no other gig quite reached the same Heights as the one with Hendrick legendary Jazz guitarist Larry Corel best sums up Mitchell's influence he was a generous and Soulful person who was always searching for something musically he didn't want to be an ordinary drummer and he really wasn't interested in repeating something he had already done in many ways Mitch Mitchell was the right drummer in the right place at the right time few other drummers during this era had the ability to blend elements from Rock and Jazz together Mitch Mitchell expanded the drummer's role beyond that of just being a timekeeper and ultimately the music industry benefited from the excitement that came along with it you both agree that Mitch Mitchell was your favorite drummer yeah favorite of all time this was Jimmy Hendrick's drummer I think we should explain to those of you who are not as old as let's say we are well that's the travesty right there this great towering this Monument of drums was Jimmy hendrix's drummer well how would you describe it well Jimmy was Mitch's guitarist okay perf Mitch Mitchell is undeniably one of the most influential drummers of all time his technique Dynamic Edge and style and versatility set the precedent for everyone moving forward who were hoping to emulate the raw power of jimmi Hendrick's early records he played with both flare and precision and his energy continues to be unmatched despite often being overshadowed by Jimmy in the mainstream he's truly a drumers drummer with many of the all-time greats naming him as a main influence Carman a pce once said he had such a great flow he never seemed to run out of things to play and he was one of the guys in the early 60s that set a foundation of rock drumming that still exists today another legendary drummer Vinnie Kuda once said Mitch was a big part of the amazing musical revolution of the 60s at that time the identity of music and players were not squelched and homogenized Mitch went into the jimmi Hendrick experience playing in the way that he played and brought a lot of heavy Jazz influence drumming the mixture of those elements was groundbreaking and Mitch was a part of that because of that I wouldn't be afraid to list him as an innovator Mitchell's approach was also a huge influence on Chad Smith from the chili peppers directly impacting some of the drum tracks heard on the blood sugar [Music] album Chad summarized Mitchell's iconic drumming saying the Jimmy Hendrick experience was a short Spurt of Genius creativity you can't say more about the experience than that it exploded no B was more influential especially on the other musicians of the day everybody looked to them the Beetles the stones if you're a rock drummer or any kind of drummer those three records are required listening that's why Mitch was so important and influential as rock music has become more commercial over the years there's been a tendency for it to become this very straight up and down almost precision-based Perfection with electronically produced rock music drum tracks are often quantized to a grid making it feel machine-like and while this does have a place in the music industry the Psychedelic looseness and rawness exhibited by Mitchell still feels fresh all these years later Mitchell's Legacy also lives on through the experien Hendrick's tours which features a rolling roster of All-Star musicians and drummers paying tribute to the band's legendary music although Mitchell had a prolific track record outside the jimmi Hendrick experience it was most definitely the defining moment of his career in the dedication section at the beginning of his book Mitchell wrote there are very few musicians who are given the chance of working with someone as unique as Jimmy he gave me the space time encouragement and inspiration I was so lucky all right there you have it the genius of Mitch Mitchell hopefully you enjoyed this deep dive into Mitch's drumming and learned something new about one of the innovators of jazz Rock drumming I think it's fair to say that Mitch Mitchell elevated the instrument to new heights and influence countless drummers that came after him now before you go make sure you leave a comment below and let me know one thing that you've learned from listening to Mitch Mitchell also stay tuned for the next episode in the genius of series which is on the legendary session drummer Jeff picaro who also played drums with Toto it's going to be a good one and you don't want to miss it and lastly if you want to dive even deeper into Mitch Mitchell's drumming we have tons of resources inside of dro full note fornote transcriptions where you can see exactly what he's playing at every point in the song if you want to check those out there's a link down below dro.com trial and you can try Dro free for 7 days and with that thank you so much for watching and I'll see you all in the next video cheers baby look here baby

Channel: Drumeo

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Id: yzVx2DzNMF0

Length: 22min 35sec (1355 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 21 2024