Jack DeJohnette facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jack DeJohnette
DeJohnette in 2015
Background information
Born	(1942-08-09) August 9, 1942 (age 82) Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genres	Jazz, jazz fusion, new-age
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer
Instruments	Drums, piano, percussion, melodica
Years active	1961–present
Labels	Milestone, Prestige, ECM, MCA, Blue Note, Columbia
Associated acts	Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Rollins, Charles Lloyd, Michael Brecker, Pat Metheny, John Abercrombie, McCoy Tyner, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Don Byron, Compost (band)

Jack DeJohnette, born on August 9, 1942, is an amazing American jazz musician. He plays the drums and piano, and he also writes music. He's famous for playing with many legendary musicians like Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett, and Herbie Hancock.

Jack DeJohnette was added to the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2007. He has also won two Grammy Awards!

Biography

Early Life and Musical Start

Jack DeJohnette was born in Chicago, Illinois. He started playing the piano when he was just four years old. By age fourteen, he was already playing music professionally!

Later, he switched his main focus to the drums. A local jazz drummer, Bobby Miller Jr., taught him drumming techniques. Jack says his uncle, Roy Wood, Sr., who was a disc jockey, inspired him to play music.

In Chicago, Jack played different types of music. These included R&B, hard bop (a style of jazz), and avant-garde music (which is very experimental). He led his own bands and also played with other musicians. He even played sometimes with the famous musician Sun Ra. In the early 1960s, he got to play with John Coltrane, a very famous jazz artist.

Moving to New York and Gaining Fame

In 1966, Jack DeJohnette moved to New York City. There, he joined the Charles Lloyd Quartet. This band was special because it mixed jazz with rock and roll ideas. In this group, Jack met pianist Keith Jarrett, who he would work with a lot later on.

Jack left Charles Lloyd's band in 1968. He felt the music wasn't as exciting anymore. Even though he left, this band helped him become known around the world. During his early years in New York, he also played with other great musicians like Jackie McLean and Bill Evans. He joined Bill Evans's trio in 1968. That same year, their group was the main act at the Montreux Jazz Festival.

Playing with Miles Davis

In 1969, Jack DeJohnette joined Miles Davis's live band. Miles Davis was a legendary jazz trumpeter. Davis had seen Jack play many times and liked how he could mix rock and roll rhythms with jazz improvisation.

Jack became a key part of Miles Davis's band. He was seen as the leader of the rhythm section. He played on important Miles Davis albums like Live-Evil (1971) and Jack Johnson (1971). He also helped bring Keith Jarrett into the band. Jack played with Miles Davis for about three years, leaving in mid-1971.

Solo Work and Leading Bands in the 1970s and 1980s

Jack DeJohnette released his first solo album, The DeJohnette Complex, in 1968. On this album, he even played the melodica! He released several other albums in the early 1970s.

Later, he started recording with ECM, a record label that gave him a lot of freedom to create his own music. This led to many chances to play with other musicians and to start his own groups.

He formed a group called Compost in 1972, but it didn't last long. He felt their music was too experimental for most people. He also rejoined Stan Getz's band for a while.

Then, he helped form the Gateway Trio with bassist Dave Holland and guitarist John Abercrombie. These two musicians would become very important partners for Jack throughout his career.

Jack then formed a group called Directions in 1976, and later New Directions. He also had a very successful group called Special Edition. This group helped many young horn players become known.

During this time, Jack's music with Special Edition was praised for being both experimental and disciplined. He also regularly played with Keith Jarrett's trio, which focused on playing classic jazz songs. This trio, with Jarrett and bassist Gary Peacock, has played together for over 25 years!

In the early 1980s, he also played on the album 80/81 with famous musicians like Pat Metheny and Michael Brecker.

1990s to Today

Jack DeJohnette in 2006

Jack DeJohnette continued to work with Special Edition in the 1990s. But he also did many other projects. In 1990, he toured with a quartet that included Herbie Hancock and Pat Metheny. He released an album called Music for the Fifth World in 1992, which was inspired by Native American studies.

He also started playing the piano more often again. In 1994, he even toured as a solo pianist. He also brought back the Gateway trio with Abercrombie and Holland. In 1990, he received an honorary music degree from Berklee College of Music.

In 2004, he was nominated for a Grammy award for his work with Keith Jarrett's live album The Out-of-Towners. In the next few years, Jack started three new projects:

• The Latin Project, with percussionists Giovanni Hidalgo and Luisito Quintero.
• The Jack DeJohnette Quartet.
• The Trio Beyond, which was a tribute to his friend Tony Williams.

In 2005, Jack also started his own music label called Golden Beams Productions. He released an electronic album called Music in the Key of Om on his new label. This album was made for relaxing and meditating, and it was nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Age Album category.

He continued to make albums and play with others. In 2008, he toured with Bobby McFerrin and Chick Corea. The next year, he won a Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for his album Peace Time. In 2010, he formed the Jack DeJohnette Group.

In 2012, Jack released Sound Travels, which featured many guest artists. That same year, he received an NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship. This award recognized his important contributions to jazz music.

Musical Style

Jack DeJohnette's drumming style is very unique. It mixes different kinds of music like jazz, free jazz (a very open style of jazz), world music, and R&B. This makes him one of the most respected drummers.

One critic said that he is not just a drummer, but someone who adds "color" and "commentary" to the music. His drumming is always a deep part of the song's structure. Modern Drummer magazine even said his drumming was "beyond technique."

Jack calls himself an "abstract thinker" when he plays solos. He likes to be "in the flow" of the music. He says that when he plays, he goes "into an altered state" and connects to a "cosmic library of ideas." He also mentioned that he has to play with a lot of control when he's with Keith Jarrett's trio, because the music needs a very subtle touch.

Discography

As a Guest Musician

• If on a Winter's Night... - Sting (2009) - drums on one song The Burning Babe

Awards and Honors

• Fellow of United States Artists (2012)
• NEA Jazz Master (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

See also

In Spanish: Jack DeJohnette para niños