Jack DeJohnette

Jack DeJohnette (b. 1942) is an American jazz drummer and pianist.

DeJohnette was born in Chicago, Illinois. Besides the drums, he studied the piano, which he plays on several recordings. He first became known as a member of Charles Lloyd's band, a band that Keith Jarrett also was a part of at that time. From 1969 to 1972 he played with Miles Davis and recorded many albums for ECM as both leader and sideman. DeJohnette has led several groups since the mid-1970's including Directions (with John Abercrombie, Alex Foster, Warren Bernhardt, and Mike Richmond), New Directions (with Abercrombie, Lester Bowie, and Eddie Gomez), and Special Edition (with David Murray, Chico Freeman, Arthur Blythe, Peter Warren, and others). Since the 1980s, he has been a member of what has become known as Keith Jarrett's Standards Trio. He is a dazzling improvisor and a clear stylistic successor of Roy Haynes, and two of the greatest drummers of the 1960s, Tony Williams and Elvin Jones. Since 2003, Jack has been part of Trio Beyond with fellow musicians Larry Goldings (organ) and John Scofield (guitar). The trio was set up in tribute to The Tony Williams Lifetime trio led by Tony Williams with Larry Young (organ) and John McLaughlin (guitar).

He successfully incorporates elements of free jazz while maintaining the deep groove of an R&B drummer. His exceptional experience over time and style, combined with astounding improvisational inginuity make him one of the pioneers of modern drumming.