The one Jimi Hendrix lineup that Mitch Mitchell hated
When the Jimi Hendrix Experience first descended upon the London clubs in the late 1960s, there was no question who everyone was paying attention to. From the opening blasts of ‘Purple Haze’, Hendrix had become everyone’s new favourite guitar hero, blending elements of everything from rock to soul to blues and turning it into an extension of his musical personality. While the rest of the band also deserves their fair share of accolades, Mitch Mitchell claimed that one piece of Hendrix’s band was far from perfect.
Then again, Mitchell was more than just a fly-by-night drummer. Together with bassist Noel Redding, the sound of the Experience was born out of everyone working off each other, giving Hendrix the proper foundation to transcend the limitations of rock and roll.
When looking at it from an outside perspective, Hendrix seemed to work in a similar style to what Eric Clapton had done with Cream. Since both Redding and Mitchell were known for playing a variety of different genres, Hendrix was able to challenge himself to stretch far beyond the capacity of traditional guitar playing, whether that was expanding the blues standard ‘Hey Joe’ or making his original masterpieces like ‘The Wind Cries Mary’.
As the 1960s wore on, Hendrix fell out of step with the other band members. While assembling the tracks for what would become his double album Electric Ladyland, Hendrix started to work with other musicians who had a different feel for what he was aiming for.
By the time he made his legendary performance at Woodstock, the stage would populated by all-new members of his band. Focusing on showcasing various black musicians, Hendrix would enlist artists like Billy Cox on bass, Larry Lee on rhythm guitar, and various jazz musicians like Juma Sultan and Gerardo ‘Jerry’ Velez.
Christened Gypsy Sun and Rainbows, the lineup would have their first handful of rehearsals with Mitchell, who brought his own jazzy flair to the backbeat while Hendrix worked his magic up front. Even though the band played as perfectly as they could, Mitchell did not love what they had created.
In the book Jimi and Me, screenwriter Jonathan Stathakis remembers how Mitchell didn’t think the band were evolving properly, saying, “Mitch thought the band was terrible, that it lacked cohesion and direction. He was accustomed to the tight pop, three-and four-minute rock ’n’ roll structures of The Experience. The new band was about improvisation and exploration. And Mitch saw that Jimi was floundering in his new role as an improvisatory band leader”.
While Hendrix may not have been able to wrangle a six-piece band together as gracefully as he used to, he would eventually find his groove in a few months. Stripping down his sound for the Band of Gypsys live album, Hendrix would feature Cox and drummer Buddy Miles making their way through the greatest jams of the 1960s on songs like ‘Machine Gun’. Even though Hendrix may not have been able to translate what he wanted from his band all the time, it’s no surprise that his blossoming talent led to artists like Miles Davis taking notes from him.
