Bent Rej: The photographer who captured The Jimi Hendrix Experience away from the stage
The ‘Swinging Sixties’ remains a storied time in the development of contemporary culture as we know it today. Sex, drugs and unfettered creativity was in the air. It was the decade that saw the future break off from the past, delivering a host of innovations, from the music of The Beatles to the haircuts of Vidal Sassoon and some of the greatest movies of all time. Regarding the musical flourishes of the era, one man established a selection of the most candid and extensive photographic accounts: Bent Rej.
In 1965, the late Danish photographer found himself in the “right place at the right time”, and a relationship with The Rolling Stones was born. He became great friends with founding member Brian Jones and the rest of the band, opening him up to the other artists of the period. This allowed Rej to create what might be the most eye-opening pictorial narrative of the decade that changed the world. His lens captured a myriad of the musical heavyweights of the period in some of their most natural states, from their primal performances to the relaxed downtime between shows.
“So much has been written about the rebellious music of the sixties—but nothing captures the freedom, recklessness and sex drugs and rock ‘n’ roll as the photography,” the Bent Rej Archive writes. “Rej’s photographs are glimpses of a magical era where music tested its limits, and the new genre of rock was in the throes of its birth.”
One of the most revered outfits lucky enough to be snapped by Rej and immortalised by his lens was The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Chas Chandler’s conduit for the genius of the American guitarist. Whilst much of the discussion is often centred on the man who gave the group its name, for obvious reasons, the band also featured one of the best rhythm sections of the day, comprised of afroed bassist Noel Redding and vibrant drummer Mitch Mitchell.
When looking back on time with The Experience and their manager Chandler, Bent Rej explained to Sixties Rock Legends – On Stage Back Stage how their friendship came to be: “The bands I met at the clubs made it easy to fix up photo sessions, without the hassle of going through managers and publicists. One band I got to know that way were The Animals and Chas Chandler, their bass player, in particular.”
Continuing, the photographer added: “In late 1966, Chas brought Jimi Hendrix over to London and was managing him. When the Jimi Hendrix Experience came to Denmark in May 1967 Chas called me and asked me if I’d like to do some photographs with Jimi, Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell. I took posed shots in the afternoon of 21st May and later shots of them on stage at their concert that evening.”
The shots that Bent Rej took of Hendrix on the afternoon of May 21st, 1967, rank amongst the most powerful of the late guitarist. In one, taken from a low side angle, Hendrix is pictured sitting on a chair, with his hands clasped together, decked out in colourful garb. His bright orange, frilly shirt is matched by stripy green, red and blue trousers, with the guitarist staring commandingly into the lens.
Augmenting the sense that Hendrix was the most important musician on earth at that point, the psychedelic clothing jumps out from the white painted walls and wooden floor and door, screaming that he was much bigger than confinement. After all, 1967 was the year Hendrix burst onto the scene and made the music world raise its levels.
In his work, Rej exhibits the warm and friendly charm of Hendrix’s personality. As the guitarist is sitting on a chair, smiling into the lens, Rej manages to convey a sense of being deep in thought through both his colour and monochrome shots. It’s not all about Hendrix, though, and it is hard not to fall immediately in love with the photographs of the smiling Noel Redding and the mischievous-looking Mitch Mitchell. Again, the monochrome film communicates a genuine image of the band in their downtime away from the stresses of touring. Whilst the tales of the trio arguing are famous, the group photo does away with these momentarily, with togetherness the overarching factor, helped by Mitchell’s hands on Chandler’s shoulders.
For the showstopper, a more saturated monochrome effort than the others on show, Hendrix is caught after strumming his Fender Stratocaster, Mitchell is almost gurning whilst riding on his cymbals, and Redding is staring into the distance mid-chug. A multifaceted capturing of a band at its peak, when everyone was fully onboard and deep in concentration, it makes you wish you were there to see their combined power.
