Okay, so that’s obviously ridiculous, but I overstate to make a point: Mitch Mitchell was a fantastic musician. He could float like a butterfly and sting like a bee – a very hefty, angry bee – and as iconic as Jimi Hendrix was, it’s impossible to imagine the Experience’s first 3 records without Mitch Mitchell.
His drumming supported the bruising power of Hendrix’ riffs, but instead of reinforcing them to the point of bombasticity (which is not a word, but looks like one), it supplied a level of sly nuance and implied alternate possibilities. Which then became explicit when the band explored jazzier music, or roared off into freak-flag improvisation.
Mitch Mitchell was my first favorite drummer. I’ll miss him.
[If you have no idea who I’m talking about, check this out:]