In the documentary “After the Experience,” one of two bonus documentaries on the new Buddy Miles DVD Changes, the former Band of Gypsys drummer explains that not only does he feel blessed to be playing music on the road, but that he has been privileged to play with some of the greats (Jimi Hendrix aside). From Santana to Buddy Guy to Rory Gallagher to sitting in with
Buddy Rich who said Miles was the best rock drummer he had ever seen — Buddy Miles is known far and wide as a rock drummer second-to-none, as well as a noteworthy songwriter and vocalist (he sang “Heard It Through The Grapevine” in the famous California Raisins commercial). Changes gives us a glimpse into the big man’s particular brand of genius with interviews and footage from two separate concerts filmed in the mid 90s.
Anyone familiar with the history of Jimi Hendrix will recall his forming the Gypsys with Miles and bassist Billy Cox after he disbanded The Experience in 1969. Band of Gypsies was one of the first all-black rock groups, producing a historic self-titled live album 197O, recorded at the Fillmore East. Since the new songs on this album weren’t ever properly recorded — and some of tunes featured were Miles compositions — this made the entire Band of Gypsies experience (if you will) all the more important in the Hendrix story and in Buddy Miles’ career. But Miles was more than just Hendrix’s drummer. Much more.
What I really like about Changes is that Miles looks back fondly on his Hendrix years, paying tribute to what he calls the “divine brotherhood” of Band of Gypsies. He even performs a tight Hendrix melody with his band MST, featuring a truly blistering performance of a bluesier “Hey Joe,” perhaps the highlight of the concert footage. At the same time, Miles shows us he was simply a working musician loving the life he was leading. The man’s spirit and style were as immense as his size. And when you consider
the guy was working for decades, signed to the Casablanca label (home of Kiss, Donna Summer and the Village People) at one point, writing songs for Cheech and Chong movies, and jamming with just about everybody, you can see why there really was so much to Buddy Miles.
I really had no idea Miles played guitar, which he does during the second concert featured on the DVD (essentially two songs from a 1996 show in Paris). For the previous concert from Switzerland’s “New Morning Rock Heroes Festival,” Miles and his band MST cook through the aforementioned Hendrix medley as well as Miles’ own “Them Changes,” “Knock On Wood” and a really cool version of the Beatles’ “Come Together.” Buddy Miles died February 26, 2008 from congestive heart failure. He is missed far and wide by musicians and fans alike. It’s impossible to watch the man play and sing, hear him speak about music and look at his discography (which is also featured on the DVD) without realizing that Buddy Miles was truly one of the greats.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
