NEW YORK — Jack DeJohnette, famous jazz drummer who worked with Miles Davis on his landmark 1970 fusion album and collaborated with Keith Jarrett and many others in the genre, died aged 83.
The renowned drummer died Sunday in Kingston, New York, of congestive heart failure surrounded by his wife, family and close friends, his assistant Joan Clancy told The Associated Press.
Winner two Grammy awards, DeJohnette, born in Chicago, began his musical life as a classical pianist, beginning training at age 4, and then began playing drums in his school band. In his early years he was in demand as a pianist and drummer.
He achieved international recognition in the 1960s through his participation in the Charles Lloyd Quartet. According to biographical materials provided by representatives, over the years he has collaborated not only with Davis and Jarrett, but also with John Coltrane, Sun Ra, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Stan Getz, Eddie Harris, Herbie Hancock, Betty Carter and many others.
In 1968, DeJohnette joined Davis and his band to work on music leading up to Davis' 1970 studio album, Bitches Brew.
IN Sessions Panel InterviewDeJohnette talked about how he was freelancing in New York when he had the opportunity to join Davis in the studio at a time when experimenting with genres had become “the new frontier, so to speak.”
“Miles was in a creative mood,” DeJohnette said, “the process of using the studio to come in every day and experiment with grooves. Most of the music isn't that structured… it was a matter of grooves and sometimes a few notes or a few melodies. You put the tape on and just let it roll.”
“This is going to go on for days and days and days,” DeJohnette added. “We never thought about how important these records would be, we just knew it was important because Miles was there and he was moving forward with something different.”
Rolling Stone magazine, which named DeJohnette one of the 100 best drummers of all time (40th), noted the drummer's “innate ability to create catchy melodies.”
DeJohnette has recorded on various labels, but primarily with ECM. In addition to his many projects and groups, he was part of a trio with Jarrett and Gary Peacock for over 25 years.
His two Grammy Awards were for a new age album (“Peace Time”) in 2009 and for an instrumental jazz album (“Skyline”) in 2022.
