Jack DeJohnette (born August 9, 1942) is an American
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
drummer, pianist, and composer.
Known for his extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians including
Charles Lloyd,
Freddie Hubbard
Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives fo ...
,
Keith Jarrett
Keith Jarrett (born May 8, 1945) is an American jazz and classical music pianist and composer. Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey and later moved on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s, he has also been a ...
,
Bill Evans
William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...
,
John Abercrombie,
Alice Coltrane
Alice Coltrane (' McLeod; August 27, 1937January 12, 2007), also known by her adopted Sanskrit name Turiyasangitananda, was an American jazz musician and composer, and in her later years a swamini. An accomplished pianist and one of the few har ...
,
Sonny Rollins
Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a ...
,
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...
,
Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...
,
Michael Brecker
Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of M ...
,
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...
and
John Scofield
John Scofield (born December 26, 1951), sometimes referred to as "Sco", is an American guitarist and composer whose music over a long career has blended jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention in the ...
, DeJohnette was inducted into the ''
Modern Drummer
''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, and columns offering advice on technique, as well as information for the general public. ''Mo ...
'' Hall of Fame in 2007. He has won two GRAMMY awards and been nominated for five others.
Biography
Early life and musical beginnings
DeJohnette was born in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, to Jack DeJohnette (1911–2011) and Eva Jeanette DeJohnette (née Wood, 1918–1984).
[Stephen L. Barnhart, ''Percussionists: a Biographical Dictionary'' (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000), 88.] Although of predominantly
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
heritage, he has stated that he has some
Native American ancestry, specifically
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, an ...
and
Crow
A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. Crows are generally black in colour. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not pinned scientifical ...
. He began his musical career as a pianist, studying from age four and first playing professionally at age fourteen. He later switched focus to the drums.
When Jack switched to drums he was also taught drumming techniques from a local jazz drummer, Bobby Miller Jr, who lived in the same neighborhood. DeJohnette credits his uncle,
Roy Wood, Sr. (1915–1995), a Chicago disc jockey and vice president/co-founder of the
National Black Network of Black Broadcasters, as his inspiration to play music.
DeJohnette played
R&B,
hard bop
Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop (or "bop") music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz that incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospe ...
, and
avant-garde
The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...
music in Chicago. He led his own groups in addition to playing with
Richard Abrams,
Roscoe Mitchell
Roscoe Mitchell (born August 3, 1940) is an American composer, jazz instrumentalist, and educator, known for being "a technically superb – if idiosyncratic – saxophonist". ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' described him as "one of the key figures ...
and other eventual core members of the
Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1965 in Chicago by pianist Muhal Richard Abrams, pianist Jodie Christian, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran. The AACM is devot ...
(founded in 1965).
He also occasionally performed with
Sun Ra
Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific out ...
and
his Arkestra, and later in New York as well. In the early 1960s, DeJohnette had the opportunity to sit in for three tunes with
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...
and his quintet, an early foray into playing with big-name jazz musicians.
[Lewis Porter, "Jack DeJohnette," in Barry Kernfield, ed., ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'', volume 1 (New York: Grove, 2002), 594.]
In 1966 DeJohnette moved to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, where he became a member of the
Charles Lloyd Quartet.
A band that recognized the potential influence of
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...
on jazz, Lloyd's group was where DeJohnette first encountered pianist
Keith Jarrett
Keith Jarrett (born May 8, 1945) is an American jazz and classical music pianist and composer. Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey and later moved on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s, he has also been a ...
, who would work extensively with him throughout his career. However, DeJohnette left the group in early 1968, citing Lloyd's deteriorating, "flat" playing as his main reason for leaving. While Lloyd's band was where he received international recognition for the first time,
it was not the only group DeJohnette played with during his early years in New York, as he also worked with groups including
Jackie McLean
John Lenwood "Jackie" McLean (May 17, 1931 – March 31, 2006) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator, and is one of the few musicians to be elected to the ''DownBeat'' Hall of Fame in the year of their deat ...
,
Abbey Lincoln
Anna Marie Wooldridge (August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010), known professionally as Abbey Lincoln, was an American jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress. She was a civil rights activist beginning in the 1960s. Lincoln made a career out of deli ...
,
Betty Carter
Betty Carter (born Lillie Mae Jones; May 16, 1929 – September 26, 1998) was an American jazz singer known for her improvisational technique, scatting and other complex musical abilities that demonstrated her vocal talent and imaginative inter ...
, and
Bill Evans
William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...
.
DeJohnette joined Evans' trio in 1968, the same year the group headlined the
Montreux Jazz Festival
The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annual ...
and produced the album ''
Bill Evans at the Montreux Jazz Festival
''Bill Evans at the Montreux Jazz Festival'' is a 1968 album by the American jazz pianist Bill Evans, recorded live at that year's Montreux Jazz Festival. The trio's performance on this album won them the 1969 Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental A ...
''. In November 1968 he worked briefly with
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of ...
and his quartet, which led to his first recordings with
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...
.
The Miles Davis years
In 1969, DeJohnette left the Evans trio and replaced
Tony Williams in Miles Davis's live band. Davis had seen DeJohnette play many times, one of which was during a stint with Evans at
Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club
Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club that has operated in Soho, London, since 1959.
History
The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was set up and managed by musicians Ronnie Sco ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
in 1968, where he also first heard bassist
Dave Holland
David “Dave” Holland (born 1 October 1946) is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for over 40 years.
His extensive discography r ...
. Davis recognized DeJohnette's ability to combine the driving grooves associated with rock and roll with improvisational aspects associated with jazz.
DeJohnette was the primary drummer on ''
Bitches Brew
''Bitches Brew'' is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Miles Davis. It was recorded from August 19 to 21, 1969, at Columbia's Studio B in New York City and released on March 30, 1970 by Columbia Records. It marke ...
''. DeJohnette and the other musicians saw the ''Bitches Brew'' sessions as unstructured and fragmentary, but also innovative: "As the music was being played, as it was developing, Miles would get new ideas...He’d do a take, and stop, and then get an idea from what had just gone on before, and elaborate on it...The recording of Bitches Brew was a stream of creative musical energy. One thing was flowing into the next, and we were stopping and starting all the time." While he was not the only drummer involved in the project, as Davis had also enlisted
Billy Cobham
William Emanuel Cobham Jr. (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian Americans, Panamanian–American jazz drummer who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra.
He was indu ...
,
Don Alias
Charles "Don" Alias (December 25, 1939 in New York City – March 28, 2006 in New York City) was an American jazz percussionist.
Alias was best known for playing congas and other hand drums. He was, however, a capable drum kit performer: for e ...
, and
Lenny White
Leonard "Lenny" White III (born December 19, 1949) is an American jazz fusion drummer who was a member of the band Return to Forever led by Chick Corea in the 1970s. White has been called "one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion". He has won ...
, DeJohnette was considered the leader of the rhythm section within the group. He played on the live albums that would follow the release of ''Bitches Brew'', taken from concerts at the
Fillmore East
The Fillmore East was rock promoter Bill Graham's rock venue on Second Avenue near East 6th Street in the (at the time) Lower East Side neighborhood, now called the East Village neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan of New York City. ...
in New York and
Fillmore West
The Fillmore West was a historic rock and roll music venue in San Francisco, California, US which became famous under the direction of concert promoter Bill Graham from 1968 to 1971. Named after The Fillmore at the intersection of Fillmore Stre ...
in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
. These ventures were undertaken at the behest of
Clive Davis
Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer, in 2000.
From 1967 to 1 ...
, then president of
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
.
DeJohnette continued to work with Davis for the next three years, which led to collaborations with other Davis band members
John McLaughlin John or Jon McLaughlin may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* John McLaughlin (musician) (born 1942), English jazz fusion guitarist, member of Mahavishnu Orchestra
* Jon McLaughlin (musician) (born 1982), American singer-songwriter
* John McLaug ...
,
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", " 500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and ...
, and Holland; he also drew Keith Jarrett into the band.
He contributed to such Davis albums as ''
Live-Evil'' (1971), ''
Jack Johnson'' (1971), and ''
On the Corner
''On the Corner'' is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer Miles Davis. It was recorded in June and July 1972 and released on October 11 of the same year by Columbia Records. The album continued Davis's exploration o ...
'' (1972), along with sessions later released on the 1981 compilation album ''
Directions''. He left the Davis group in the middle of 1971, although he returned for several concerts through the rest of that year.
Solo and bandleader in the 1970s and '80s
DeJohnette's first record, ''
The DeJohnette Complex
''The DeJohnette Complex'' is the debut album by Jack DeJohnette featuring Bennie Maupin, Stanley Cowell, Miroslav Vitous, Eddie Gómez, and Roy Haynes recorded in 1968 and released on the Milestone label in 1969.
Reception
The Allmusic review ...
'', was released in 1968; on the album, he played
melodica
The melodica is a handheld free-reed instrument similar to a pump organ or harmonica. It features a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. The keyboard usual ...
as well as drums, preferring often to let his mentor,
Roy Haynes
Roy Owen Haynes (born March 13, 1925) is an American jazz drummer. He is among the most recorded drummers in jazz. In a career lasting over 80 years, he has played swing, bebop, jazz fusion, avant-garde jazz and is considered a pioneer of jazz ...
, sit behind the set. He also recorded, in the early 1970s, the albums ''
Have You Heard "Have You Heard?" is a 1952 popular song written by Lew Douglas, Charlie LaVere, and Roy Rodde.
Have You Heard?' may also refer to:
* ''Have You Heard?'' (Jack DeJohnette album), 1970
* ''Have You Heard'' (Dick Morrissey album), 1963
* "Have Yo ...
'', ''
Sorcery
Sorcery may refer to:
* Magic (supernatural), the application of beliefs, rituals or actions employed to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces
** Witchcraft, the practice of magical skills and abilities
* Magic in fiction, ...
'', and ''
Cosmic Chicken''.
He released these first four albums on either the
Milestone
A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...
or
Prestige
Prestige refers to a good reputation or high esteem; in earlier usage, ''prestige'' meant "showiness". (19th c.)
Prestige may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Films
* ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnet ...
labels,
and then switched to
ECM for his next endeavors; ECM gave him a "fertile platform" for his "atmospheric drumming and challenging compositions."
The musical freedom he had while recording for ECM offered DeJohnette many dates as a sideman and opportunities to start his own groups.
He first formed the group
Compost
Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant, food waste, recycling organic materials and manure. The resulting m ...
in 1972, but this was a short-lived endeavor, and DeJohnette cited the music as far too experimental to achieve commercial success. During this period, DeJohnette continued his career as a sideman as well, rejoining Stan Getz's quartet from 1973 to October 1974, and also enticing Dave Holland to join Getz's rhythm section.
This stint briefly preceded the formation of the
Gateway Trio, a group that DeJohnette helped form but did not lead. This group came directly out of DeJohnette's time with Getz, as Holland joined him in this group along with guitarist
John Abercrombie, both of whom would become associated with DeJohnette throughout his career.
His next group effort was
Directions, a group formed in 1976 featuring saxophonist
Alex Foster, bassist
Mike Richmond, and Abercrombie, showing the links between the members of the Gateway trio. This was another short-lived group, yet it led directly to the formation of DeJohnette's next group,
New Directions, which featured Abercrombie again on guitar along with
Lester Bowie
Lester Bowie (October 11, 1941 – November 8, 1999) was an American jazz trumpet player and composer. He was a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and co-founded the Art Ensemble of Chicago.
Biography
Born in t ...
on trumpet and
Eddie Gómez
Edgar Gómez (born October 4, 1944) is a Puerto Rican jazz double bassist, known for his work with the Bill Evans Trio from 1966 to 1977.
Biography
Gómez moved with his family from Puerto Rico at a young age to New York, where he was raised. ...
on bass. This group coexisted with another DeJohnette group, Special Edition, which was the first DeJohnette-led group to receive critical acclaim.
This group also helped the careers of many lesser-known young horn players, as it had a rotating front line that included
David Murray,
Arthur Blythe
Arthur Murray Blythe (May 7, 1940 – March 27, 2017) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer. He was described by critic Chris Kelsey as displaying "one of the most easily recognizable alto sax sounds in jazz, big and round, with a f ...
,
Chico Freeman
Chico Freeman (born Earl Lavon Freeman Jr.; July 17, 1949) is a modern jazz tenor saxophonist and trumpeter and son of jazz saxophonist Von Freeman. He began recording as lead musician in 1976 with ''Morning Prayer'', won the New York Jazz Award ...
, and
John Purcell, among others.
During this period, especially with Special Edition, DeJohnette offered "the necessary gravity to keep the horns in a tight orbit" in his compositions while also treating his listeners to "the expanded vocabulary of the avant-garde plus the discipline of traditional jazz compositions." DeJohnette's work with Special Edition has been interrupted regularly by other projects, the most significant of which are his recordings in 1983 and tours from 1985 as a member of Keith Jarrett's trio, which was totally devoted to playing
jazz standards
Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive list ...
.
The trio included his long-time compatriot Jarrett and bassist
Gary Peacock
Gary George Peacock (May 12, 1935September 4, 2020) was an American jazz double bassist. He recorded a dozen albums under his own name, and also performed and recorded with major jazz figures such as avant garde saxophonist Albert Ayler, pianist ...
, and all three have been members of the group for over 25 years.
At the start of the eighties he played on the album
80/81 with
Pat Metheny
Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer.
He is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works, and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progre ...
,
Charlie Haden
Charles Edward Haden (August 6, 1937 – July 11, 2014) was an American jazz double bass player, bandleader, composer and educator whose career spanned more than 50 years. In the late 1950s, he was an original member of the ground-breaking ...
,
Dewey Redman
Walter Dewey Redman (May 17, 1931 – September 2, 2006) was an American saxophonist who performed free jazz as a bandleader and with Ornette Coleman and Keith Jarrett.
Redman mainly played tenor saxophone, though he occasionally also played ...
and
Michael Brecker
Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of M ...
. In 1981 he performed at the
Woodstock Jazz Festival
The Woodstock Jazz Festival was held in 1981 in Woodstock, New York.
It was a celebration of the tenth anniversary of the Creative Music Studio, founded in 1971 by Karl Berger and Ornette Coleman.Creative Music Studio
The Creative Music Studio (CMS) was a premier study center for contemporary creative music during the 1970s and 1980s, based in Woodstock, New York. Founded in 1971 by Karl Berger, Ingrid Sertso, and Ornette Coleman, it brought together leading i ...
.
1990s to the present
![Jack DeJohnette](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Jack_DeJohnette.jpg)
DeJohnette continued to work with Special Edition into the 1990s, but did not limit himself to that. In 1990 he toured in a quartet consisting of himself,
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...
,
Pat Metheny
Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer.
He is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works, and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progre ...
, and his long-time collaborator Holland,
and released ''
Parallel Realities'' with this group the same year.
In 1992 he released a major collaborative record, ''
Music for the Fifth World
''Music for the Fifth World'' is an album by Jack DeJohnette, featuring performances with Will Calhoun, Michael Cain, Vernon Reid, Lonnie Plaxico and John Scofield plus vocalists, recorded in 1992 and released on the Manhattan label in 1993.
R ...
'', which was inspired by studies with a Native American elder and brought him together musically with players like
Vernon Reid
Vernon Alphonsus Reid (born 22 August 1958) is an English-born American guitarist and songwriter. Reid is the founder and primary songwriter of the rock band Living Colour, Reid was named No. 66 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's 2003 list of the ...
and
John Scofield
John Scofield (born December 26, 1951), sometimes referred to as "Sco", is an American guitarist and composer whose music over a long career has blended jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention in the ...
.
He had also, during the 1980s, resumed playing piano, which led to his 1994 tour as an unaccompanied pianist. He also began working again with Abercrombie and Holland, reviving the Gateway trio.
In 1990, DeJohnette was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...
.
In 2004 he was nominated for a
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
award for his work on Keith Jarrett's live album ''
The Out-of-Towners'', and continued to work with that group into 2005.
In the next few years DeJohnette would begin and lead three new projects, the first of which was the Latin Project consisting of percussionists
Giovanni Hidalgo
Giovanni Hidalgo a.k.a. "Mañenguito" (born November 22, 1963) is a Latin jazz percussionist.
Early years
Hidalgo was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he received his primary education. His grandfather was a musician, and his father, José ...
and Luisito Quintero, reedman
Don Byron
Donald Byron (born November 8, 1958) is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist. He primarily plays clarinet but has also played bass clarinet and saxophone in a variety of genres that includes free jazz and klezmer.
Biography
His mother w ...
, pianist Edsel Gomez, and bassist
Jerome Harris
Jerome Harris (born April 5, 1953) is an American jazz musician specializing in electric and acoustic bass guitar, electric guitar, voice, and occasionally lap steel and small percussion.
He came to prominence in 1978 playing bass guitar and gui ...
. The other two new projects were the Jack DeJohnette Quartet, featuring Harris again alongside
Danilo Perez
Danilo is a given name found in Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Serbian.
Notable people with the name Danilo include:
Athletes Footballers
* Danilo (footballer, born 1979), Brazilian footballer Danilo de Andrade
* Danilo (footballer, born 19 ...
and
John Patitucci
John Patitucci (born December 22, 1959) is an American jazz bassist and composer.
Biography
John James Patitucci was born in Brooklyn, New York. When he was 12, he bought his first bass and decided on his career. He listened to bass parts in R ...
, and the
Trio Beyond Trio Beyond is an avant-jazz, avant-jazz fusion organ trio, formed in 2003.
The trio was formed in 2003 by drummer Jack DeJohnette as a way of paying tribute to the importance of fellow drummer Tony Williams (drummer), Tony Williams. Guitarist John ...
, a tribute to DeJohnette's friend
Tony Williams and his trio
Lifetime (consisting of Williams,
Larry Young and
John McLaughlin John or Jon McLaughlin may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* John McLaughlin (musician) (born 1942), English jazz fusion guitarist, member of Mahavishnu Orchestra
* Jon McLaughlin (musician) (born 1982), American singer-songwriter
* John McLaug ...
), featuring
John Scofield
John Scofield (born December 26, 1951), sometimes referred to as "Sco", is an American guitarist and composer whose music over a long career has blended jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention in the ...
and
Larry Goldings
Lawrence Sam “Larry” Goldings (born August 28, 1968) is an American jazz keyboardist and composer. His music has explored elements of funk, blues, and fusion. Goldings has a comedic alter ego known as Hans Groiner.
Life and career
Gold ...
.
He also founded his own label, Golden Beams Productions, in 2005. That same year, he released ''
Music in the Key of Om
''Music in the Key of Om'' is an album by Jack DeJohnette. It was recorded in 2003 and issued in 2005 by DeJohnette's Golden Beams Productions as the label's inaugural release. The album features DeJohnette on synthesizer, bells, and a new line of ...
'' on his new label, an electronic album which he created for relaxing and meditative purposes on which he played synthesizer and resonating bells, which was nominated for a Grammy in the
Best New Age Album category.
He continued to make albums as a leader and sideman throughout this period as well, one of which was ''
The Elephant Sleeps But Still Remembers'', a collaboration that documents the first meeting of DeJohnette and guitarist
Bill Frisell
William Richard Frisell (born March 18, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist, composer and arranger. Frisell first came to prominence at ECM Records in the 1980s, as both a session player and a leader. He went on to work in a variety of contexts ...
in 2001 and led to another tour, with Frisell and Jerome Harris.
The next year Trio Beyond released ''
Saudades'', a live recording of a concert commemorating Tony Williams in London in 2004. In 2008, he toured with
Bobby McFerrin
Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American folk and jazz singer. He is known for his vocal techniques, such as singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rap ...
,
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", " 500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and ...
, and the Jarrett trio, and the next year won the
Grammy Award for Best New Age Album
The Grammy Award for Best New Age Album is presented to recording artists for quality albums in the new-age music genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several ca ...
with ''
Peace Time
''Peace Time'' is an album by Jack DeJohnette recorded in 2006 and released on the Golden Beams label in 2007.
Reception
The Allmusic review by Michael G. Nastos states, "Jack DeJohnette's follow-up recording to ''Music in the Key of Om'' is ...
''.
In 2010, he founded the Jack DeJohnette Group, featuring
Rudresh Mahanthappa
Rudresh Mahanthappa (born May 4, 1971) is a New York-based jazz alto saxophonist and composer.
Biography
Mahanthappa is the son of Indian emigrants to the U.S. He was born in Trieste, Italy as a result of his father's job in academia, but spent ...
on alto saxophone,
David Fiuczynski
David Fiuczynski (born March 5, 1964) is an American contemporary jazz guitarist, best known as the leader of the Screaming Headless Torsos and David Fiuczynski's KiF, and as a member of Hasidic New Wave. He has played on more than 95 albums as ...
on double-neck guitar,
George Colligan
George Colligan (born December 29, 1969) is an American jazz pianist, organist, drummer, trumpeter, educator, composer, and bandleader.
Early life and education
Colligan was born in New Jersey and raised in Columbia, Maryland. He attended the P ...
on keyboards and piano, and long-time associate
Jerome Harris
Jerome Harris (born April 5, 1953) is an American jazz musician specializing in electric and acoustic bass guitar, electric guitar, voice, and occasionally lap steel and small percussion.
He came to prominence in 1978 playing bass guitar and gui ...
on electric and acoustic bass guitars.
In 2012, DeJohnette released ''
Sound Travels'', which included appearances by McFerrin, Quintero,
Bruce Hornsby
Bruce Randall Hornsby (born November 23, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. His music draws from folk rock, jazz, bluegrass, folk, Southern rock, country rock, jam band, rock, heartland rock, and blues rock musical traditions ...
,
Esperanza Spalding
Esperanza Emily Spalding (born October 18, 1984) is an American bassist, singer, songwriter, and composer. Her accolades include five Grammy Awards, a Boston Music Award, and a Soul Train Music Award.
A native of Portland, Oregon, Spalding be ...
,
Lionel Loueke
Lionel Loueke (born 27 April 1973) is a guitarist and vocalist born in Benin. He moved to Ivory Coast in 1990 to study at the National Institute of Art.
Biography
Loueke grew up in what he has described as a family of poor intellectuals in the W ...
, and
Jason Moran Jason Moran may refer to:
* Jason Moran (criminal) (1967–2003), Australian mobster
* Jason Moran (musician)
Jason Moran (born January 21, 1975) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and educator involved in multimedia art and theatrical inst ...
. The same year, he was awarded an
NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship for his "significant lifetime contributions
hich
Ij ( fa, ايج, also Romanized as Īj; also known as Hich and Īch) is a village in Golabar Rural District, in the Central District of Ijrud County, Zanjan Province, Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also ...
have helped to enrich jazz and further the growth of the art form."
Style
DeJohnette's style incorporates elements of
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
,
free jazz
Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians during ...
,
world music, and
R&B, contributing to him being one of the most highly regarded and in-demand drummers. Initially a
traditional grip
In percussion, grip refers to the manner in which the player holds the percussion mallet or mallets, whether drum sticks or other mallets.
For some instruments, such as triangles and large gongs, only one mallet or beater is normally used, held ...
player, he later switched to
matched grip
In percussion, grip refers to the manner in which the player holds the percussion mallet or mallets, whether drum sticks or other mallets.
For some instruments, such as triangles and large gongs, only one mallet or beater is normally used, held ...
due to a problem with
tendinitis
Tendinopathy, a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder (rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow (tennis elb ...
.
His drumming style has been called unique; one critic writes that he is not merely a drummer but a "percussionist, colourist and epigrammatic commentator mediating the shifting ensemble densities" and that "his drumming is always part of the music's internal construction." In a 2004 interview, ''Modern Drummer'' magazine called DeJohnette's drumming "beyond technique."
DeJohnette calls himself an "abstract thinker" when it comes to soloing, saying that he puts "more weight on the abstract than, 'What were you thinking in bar 33?' I don't like to think that way. I can do it, but I like to be more in the flow."
In terms of what he feels when he plays, DeJohnette said that when he plays, he goes "into an altered state, a different headspace. I plug into my higher self, into the cosmic library of ideas."
He has remarked that he has to play with a lot of restraint when playing in Keith Jarrett's trio, in order "to play with the subtlety that the music requires."
Discography
* ''
The DeJohnette Complex
''The DeJohnette Complex'' is the debut album by Jack DeJohnette featuring Bennie Maupin, Stanley Cowell, Miroslav Vitous, Eddie Gómez, and Roy Haynes recorded in 1968 and released on the Milestone label in 1969.
Reception
The Allmusic review ...
'' (
Milestone
A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...
, 1968
969
Year 969 ( CMLXIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 1st millennium, the 69th ...
* ''
Have You Heard "Have You Heard?" is a 1952 popular song written by Lew Douglas, Charlie LaVere, and Roy Rodde.
Have You Heard?' may also refer to:
* ''Have You Heard?'' (Jack DeJohnette album), 1970
* ''Have You Heard'' (Dick Morrissey album), 1963
* "Have Yo ...
'' (Milestone, 1970)
* ''Jackeyboard'' (Trio, 1973)
* ''Time & Space'' (Trio, 1973)
* ''
Sorcery
Sorcery may refer to:
* Magic (supernatural), the application of beliefs, rituals or actions employed to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces
** Witchcraft, the practice of magical skills and abilities
* Magic in fiction, ...
'' (
Prestige
Prestige refers to a good reputation or high esteem; in earlier usage, ''prestige'' meant "showiness". (19th c.)
Prestige may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Films
* ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnet ...
, 1974)
* ''
Cosmic Chicken'' (Prestige, 1975)
* ''
Untitled
Untitled or (Untitled) may refer to:
Artworks
* '' Untitled (2004)'', by Banksy
* ''Untitled'' (1982 painting), by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
* ''Untitled'' (Devil), a 1982 painting by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
* ''Untitled ...
'' (
ECM, 1976)
* ''
Pictures
An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensiona ...
'' (ECM, 1976
977
Year 977 ( CMLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place Europe
* May – Boris II, dethroned emperor (''tsar'') of Bulgaria, and his brother Roman ma ...
* ''
New Rags
''New Rags'' is an album by Jack DeJohnette released on the German ECM label in 1977.
Track listing
#"Minya's the Mooch" – 11:22
#"Lydia" – 3:43
#"Flys" (Alex Foster) – 6:05
#"New Rags" – 9:08
#"Steppin' thru" (Alex Foster) – 10:30
...
'' (ECM, 1977)
* ''
New Directions'' (ECM, 1978)
* ''
Special Edition
The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, or collector's edition, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints, r ...
'' (ECM, 1979
980
* ''
New Directions in Europe'' (ECM, 1979
980
* ''
Tin Can Alley'' (ECM, 1980
981
Year 981 ( CMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
Births
* Abu'l-Qasim al-Husayn ibn Ali al-Maghribi, Arab statesman (d. 1027)
* Giovanni Orseolo, Venetian ...
* ''
Inflation Blues'' (ECM, 1982
983
Year 983 ( CMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* Summer – Diet of Verona: Emperor Otto II (the Red) declares war against the Byza ...
* ''
Album Album
''Album Album'' is a 1984 jazz album by Jack DeJohnette’s Special Edition featuring five compositions by DeJohnette and a cover of Thelonious Monk's "Monk's Mood". A ''JazzTimes'' reviewer selected it in 2012 as one of DeJohnette's key albums.
...
'' (ECM, 1984)
* ''
The Jack DeJohnette Piano Album
''The Jack DeJohnette Piano Album'' is an album by Jack DeJohnette with Eddie Gómez and Freddie Waits recorded in 1985 and released on the Landmark label. This is DeJohnette's first album playing piano exclusively, rather than his more familiar ...
'' (
Landmark
A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances.
In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...
, 1985)
* ''
Zebra
Zebras (, ) (subgenus ''Hippotigris'') are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: the Grévy's zebra (''Equus grevyi''), plains zebra (''E. quagga''), and the mountain zebra (''E. zeb ...
'' (
MCA, 1989)
* ''
In Our Style'' (DIW, 1986)
* ''
Irresistible Forces'' (MCA/
Impulse!
Impulse! Records (occasionally styled as "¡mpulse! Records" and "¡!") is an American jazz record company and label established by Creed Taylor in 1960. John Coltrane was among Impulse!'s earliest signings. Thanks to consistent sales and positiv ...
, 1987)
* ''
Audio-Visualscapes'' (MCA/Impulse!, 1988)
* ''
Parallel Realities'' (MCA, 1990)
* ''
Earthwalk'' (
Blue Note
In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical co ...
, 1991)
* ''
Music for the Fifth World
''Music for the Fifth World'' is an album by Jack DeJohnette, featuring performances with Will Calhoun, Michael Cain, Vernon Reid, Lonnie Plaxico and John Scofield plus vocalists, recorded in 1992 and released on the Manhattan label in 1993.
R ...
'' (
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, 1992)
* ''
Extra Special Edition'' (Blue Note, 1994)
* ''
Dancing with Nature Spirits'' (ECM, 1995)
* ''
Oneness
Oneness may refer to:
Economy
* Law of one price (LoP), an economic concept which posits that "a good must sell for the same price in all locations".
Religious philosophy
* Oneness Pentecostalism, a movement of nontrinitarian denominations
* Nond ...
'' (ECM, 1997)
* ''
The Elephant Sleeps But Still Remembers'' (Golden Beams, 2001) with
Bill Frisell
William Richard Frisell (born March 18, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist, composer and arranger. Frisell first came to prominence at ECM Records in the 1980s, as both a session player and a leader. He went on to work in a variety of contexts ...
* ''
Music from the Hearts of the Masters'' (Golden Beams, 2005)
* ''
Music in the Key of Om
''Music in the Key of Om'' is an album by Jack DeJohnette. It was recorded in 2003 and issued in 2005 by DeJohnette's Golden Beams Productions as the label's inaugural release. The album features DeJohnette on synthesizer, bells, and a new line of ...
'' (Golden Beams, 2005)
* ''Hybrids'' (Golden Beams, 2005), The Ripple Effect
* ''
Saudades'' (ECM, 2006),
Trio Beyond Trio Beyond is an avant-jazz, avant-jazz fusion organ trio, formed in 2003.
The trio was formed in 2003 by drummer Jack DeJohnette as a way of paying tribute to the importance of fellow drummer Tony Williams (drummer), Tony Williams. Guitarist John ...
* ''
Peace Time
''Peace Time'' is an album by Jack DeJohnette recorded in 2006 and released on the Golden Beams label in 2007.
Reception
The Allmusic review by Michael G. Nastos states, "Jack DeJohnette's follow-up recording to ''Music in the Key of Om'' is ...
'' (Golden Beams, 2006
007
* ''
Music We Are'' (Golden Beams, 2009)
* ''
Sound Travels'' (eOne/Golden Beams, 2012)
* ''
Made in Chicago'' (ECM, 2013
015 with
Muhal Richard Abrams
Muhal Richard Abrams (born Richard Lewis Abrams; September 19, 1930 – October 29, 2017) was an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the free jazz medium. He recorded and toured the Uni ...
,
Larry Gray
Larry Gray is a Chicago musician known for his compositions and skill on the double bass and cello. His primary teachers were Joseph Guastafeste, longtime principal bassist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and cellist Karl Fruh.University of Il ...
,
Roscoe Mitchell
Roscoe Mitchell (born August 3, 1940) is an American composer, jazz instrumentalist, and educator, known for being "a technically superb – if idiosyncratic – saxophonist". ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' described him as "one of the key figures ...
,
Henry Threadgill
Henry Threadgill (born February 15, 1944) is an American composer, saxophonist and flautist. He came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles rooted in jazz but with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating other genres of music. He h ...
* ''
In Movement
''In Movement'' is a studio album by American jazz drummer and composer Jack DeJohnette with saxophonist Ravi Coltrane and bassist Matthew Garrison recorded in 2015 and released on the ECM label. '' (ECM, 2016)
* ''
Return
Return may refer to:
In business, economics, and finance
* Return on investment (ROI), the financial gain after an expense.
* Rate of return, the financial term for the profit or loss derived from an investment
* Tax return, a blank document or t ...
'' (Newvelle, 2016), solo piano (vinyl LP)
* ''
Hudson
Hudson may refer to:
People
* Hudson (given name)
* Hudson (surname)
* Henry Hudson, English explorer
* Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back
* Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudso ...
'' (Motema, 2017)
As a guest
*
If on a Winter's Night... -
Sting
Sting may refer to:
* Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger
* Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself
Fictional characters and entities
* Sting (Middle-eart ...
(2009) - drums on one song ''The Burning Babe''
Awards
* Fellow of
United States Artists
United States Artists (USA) is a national arts funding organization based in Chicago. USA is dedicated to supporting living artists and cultural practitioners across the United States by granting unrestricted awards.
Mission
The organization' ...
(2012)
*
NEA Jazz Master
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), every year honors up to seven jazz musicians with Jazz Master Awards. The National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowships are the self-proclaimed highest honors that the United States bestows upon ...
(2012)
* GRAMMY Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Skyline, 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards
* GRAMMY Award for Best New Age Album, Peace Time, 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards
* Five additional GRAMMY Award nominations
Bibliography
* Barnhart, Stephen L. ''Percussionists: a Biographical Dictionary''. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000.
* Himes, Geoffrey. "Jack DeJohnette and Art Blakey", ''The Washington Post'', June 3, 1983.
* Hovan, C. Andrew
"Live Reviews: Jack DeJohnette Latin Project" All About Jazz, February 19, 2005 (accessed April 24, 2012).
* Nicholson, Stuart. ''Jazz Rock: a History''. New York: Schirmer Books, 1998.
* Porter, Lewis. "Jack DeJohnette". In Barry Kernfield, ed., ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'', volume 1. New York: Grove, 2002.
* Tingen, Paul. ''Miles Beyond: the Electric Explorations of Miles Davis, 1967-1991''. New York: Billboard Books, 2001.
"Jack DeJohnette: Biography" Jack DeJohnette official website (accessed April 23, 2012).
"Jack DeJohnette" ''Modern Drummer'', May 12, 2004 (accessed April 23, 2012).
"Sound Travels" Jack DeJohnette official website (accessed April 24, 2012).
References
External links
Official web siteJack DeJohnette's MySpace page– Discography and equipment list
Jack DeJohnette Interview – NAMM Oral History Library (2009)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dejohnette, Jack
1942 births
Living people
Avant-garde jazz musicians
African-American pianists
American jazz composers
American male jazz composers
American jazz drummers
American jazz pianists
American male pianists
Free jazz drummers
Jazz fusion drummers
Melodica players
Musicians from Chicago
ECM Records artists
20th-century American drummers
American male drummers
20th-century American pianists
Jazz musicians from Illinois
21st-century American pianists
20th-century American male musicians
21st-century American male musicians
Trio Beyond members
Gateway (band) members
20th-century African-American musicians
21st-century African-American musicians