Republished from Drumming News Network
Jack DeJohnette, one of jazz’s most inventive and wide-ranging drummers, whose supple, multidirectional rhythms helped redefine modern jazz for more than six decades, died Sunday in Kingston, N.Y. He was 83. The cause was congestive heart failure, according to his wife and manager, Lydia DeJohnette.
From his emergence in 1960s Chicago to his groundbreaking work with Miles Davis, Charles Lloyd, and Keith Jarrett, DeJohnette combined technical mastery with an ever-curious musical spirit. His drumming — loose yet precise, earthy yet exploratory — expanded the language of jazz percussion.
A pianist before he was a drummer, DeJohnette developed a harmonic sensitivity that colored his playing behind generations of innovators. He rose to prominence in Lloyd’s genre-bending quartet, then joined Davis during the fusion revolution, recording on the seminal Bitches Brew (1970). He later became a cornerstone of Jarrett’s famed Standards Trio, whose spontaneous interplay defined acoustic jazz for more than three decades.
As a leader, DeJohnette explored every corner of sound — from the fusion of Directions and New Directions to the expressive horn textures of Special Edition. His later projects, including Hudson and Made in Chicago, bridged generations and genres, reaffirming his role as a restless collaborator and sonic explorer.
DeJohnette’s artistry earned him two Grammy Awards and the title of NEA Jazz Master in 2012. He continued to compose, perform, and record into his 80s, often returning to the piano that first inspired him.
“The best gift that I have is the ability to listen,” he once said. “Not only with my ears, but with my heart.”
He is survived by his wife, Lydia; their two daughters, Farah and Minya; and an enduring legacy as one of jazz’s most vital creative forces.
A video below of one of my favorite songs from the “Tales From The Hudson” Album. Song For Bilbao. The interplay with the band is mesmerizing and the solo at 7:40 shows Jack’s mastery of time and space. Brilliant. - Editor