John Pazdan

I was just having a conversation about the two different kinds of real drummers in this world. There are those who viciously lay down the fahnk by playing one pattern to death..and that’s a very good thing..they might push or pull inside the pattern, vary it a bit in response to the other players..but for the most part, they hold the groove by staying on the pattern. Clyde Stubblefield and Jabo Starks with James Brown, Al Foster with Miles..

Then there’s the drummers who hear the groove in a different stylee’. They play the pattern and division(s), but improvise through it. I am not talking about the super humans here..Tony Williams, Elvin Jones..”merely” the drummers who can take the fahnk and transport it with a “jazz” development, playing phrases that morph and respond to their musical environment. Mike Clark with Herbie..Jack DeJohnette with Miles (and if you think Jack is a “jazz” drummer only, have a listen to his work with Michael Henderson in the Cellar Door concerts with Miles..especially “What’d I Say”..). My friend Jeff Thomas…(he’s on a few tunes in my free download section, listen to his work on “Lazyass”).

So, two different approaches, each as good as the people doing them, and in the case of the people I just listed, elevated to a very high form of expression.

One person who doesn’t get mentioned much, a drummer who falls into the second camp, just passed away.

Mitch Mitchell was one of my favorites. When I was a kid, I had NO CLUE as to what he was playing. (of course I understood Jimi Hendrix..right. ). The older I got, the more music I listened to..the more I began to understand, and he amazed me. Outside of a few bass notes occasionally sneaking past..the Experience was really Jimi and Mitch. After a while, Hendrix went back to his R&B roots and played with Buddy Miles and Billy Cox; music that was firmly rooted in the first tradition above, and I like a lot of it..who doesn’t think Band of Gypsies is one of the best live rock albums ever recorded? But the Experience (Mitch and Jimi) in full flight left everything else in the dust. Maybe Buckethead on a good day with a great drummer (who??)…the “promise” of fusion in the early 70’s had a good start, and John Mclaughlin with Billy Cobham, (or for that matter Jan Hammer with Billy Cobham) seemed to be a good tip, but it died in a flurry of “jazz competitions”/chop fests that left the soul..out. And after that..nadda. Someone tell me I am wrong, point me to something I haven’t heard.

So again I have to write this stuff..he was only 61, didn’t OD, was, according to the people who were close to him on the Experience Tour, in good health..but musicians, the majority of us..have really shitty lives..some of which is self induced, some of which ain’t.

RIP Soulman…see you in the next whirl.. and say hi to that guitar player for us.

I have no idea about which picture to use..there’s a lot on the ‘net..but here’s a shot of the Duo on a runway in England in 1967..right about the time they had realized that what they were up to was about to explode in  concert halls around the world…and they are smiling…cause they knew.