Anyone considering Jack DeJohnette’s artistic career will immediately notice the sheer number of his collaborations, along with his prolific output as a leader and composer. No other drummer in the history of jazz has combined these two dimensions so decisively, in terms of both quantity and stylistic range. This is undoubtedly a result of his technical and stylistic approach, defined by maximum openness, curiosity, and flexibility. Yet the deeper reasons lie primarily in DeJohnette’s choices – choices rooted in omnivorous musical interests, a rare ability to inhabit each situation fully, and a desire to reach beyond the usual boundaries of the jazz audience, as we shall see. There is more, however. DeJohnette was determined to follow his instincts. He left Miles Davis’s band in 1971, at a moment when he was a central member of that group. “I changed music as fast as I changed musicians,” Davis writes in his […]
Jack DeJohnette
His recent passing calls for a reexamination of his fundamental role in the development of improvised music since the 1960s.
