Jack DeJOHNETTE’s Parallel Realities - Live Philadelphia 1990

Jack DeJOHNETTE’s Parallel Realities - Live Philadelphia 1990

Jazz

In March 1990 Parallel Realities appeared on the international music market, the latest album by the drummer Jack DeJohnette on which he plays with the all stars Herbie Hancock and Pat Metheny. The three were then joined by their friend Dave Holland for a tour of the United States of America, Canada, Europe and Japan between June and August of that same year. Their concert and festival performances were repeatedly sold out and the press fell over themselves to pay homage to the group. The unusual quartet played two concerts on 23 June 1990 at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, which were recorded using state-of-the-art picture and sound technology by the multiple award-winning New York based Rebo Studios team. Consequently we can now relive this extraordinary musical event, a milestone in the history of jazz, in outstanding quality.
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Jack DeJohnette- (Drums);
Pat Metheny- (Guitars);
Dave Holland- (Bass);
Herbie Hancock- (Piano).
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Disc One:

01.Shadow Dance
02.Indigo Dreamscapes
03.9 Over Reggai
04.Solar
05.Silver Hollow

Disc Two:

01.The Good Life
02.Blue
03.Eye Of The Hurricane
04.The Bat
05.Cantaloupe Island
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Jack DeJOHNETTE's Directions - New Rags 1977

Jack DeJOHNETTE's Directions - New Rags 1977

Jazz

Drummer Jack DeJohnette's "Directions" was a rather unusual quartet. With the leader doubling on piano and matching his creativity with guitarist John Abercrombie, Alex Foster (on tenor and soprano) and bassist Mike Richmond, this was obviously a talented all-star group. The compositions on New Rags (all by DeJohnette or Foster) are difficult, rather dry and unpredictable, and the ensemble is not shy to utilize electronics and the subtle influence of rock. It is easy to see why this unit did not catch on, but its music is still fresh.
By Scott Yanow.
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Jack DeJohnette- Drums, Piano
John Abercrombie- Electric Guitar, Electric Mandolin
Alex Foster- Tenor and Soprano Saxophones
Mike Richmond- Bass, Electric Bass
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01. Minya's The Mooch  11:22
02. Lydia  3:41
03. Flys  6:03
04. New Rags  9:06
05. Steppin' Thru  10:28
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Jack DeJOHNETTE, Foday Musa SUSO - Music From The Hearts Of The Masters 2005

Jack DeJOHNETTE, Foday Musa SUSO - Music From The Hearts Of The Masters 2005

Jazz
     
Conventional wisdom has it that Africa is the home of the drum, and over the years many an American musician has looked to the Dark Continent for rhythmic inspiration. But this particular collaboration turns the tables on that assumption, so to speak, by placing veteran jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette in the company of a kora (21-stringed West African harp/lute) player from the Gambia. Foday Musa Suso is no stranger to this sort of joint effort, having worked closely with Herbie Hancock and Philip Glass, among others, over the years. It was, in fact, his Hancock collaboration Village Life (Columbia, 1984) which first got DeJohnette interested in his music. The kora has a distinctively warm, resonant, and gently pulsating sound that lends it versatility in many musical settings.

Any time two players this experienced from such vastly different backgrounds get together, they test your expectations. Will DeJohnette introduce his own powerful swinging aura into the decidedly non-swinging music of the Senegambia? Will Suso steer events toward the time-tested traditions of Manding music? (He is, after all, a griot, having inherited his position in a family of musicians, storytellers, and historians that stretches back hundreds of years.)

Both expectations are realized to some extent on Music from the Hearts of the Masters. Look no further than the fifth track, Kaira(peace), which has become an essential part of the kora canon ever since Sidiki Diabate popularized it back in the ’40s. Suso repeats the gently rolling melody and its constantly interlaced string counterpoint, gradually establishing a trance-like state and providing space for DeJohnette to expand and contract time. Yes, some of those cymbal triplets are definitely swinging. You might not notice it because the kora playing is so direct and regular, but Suso also plays with time in subtle and clever ways as he delivers each cascade of notes.

Other than Kaira and the closing “Sunjatta Keita (a traditional piece named after the founder of the ancient Empire of Mali), the rest of these tunes are credited to Suso and/or DeJohnette (mostly both). Their hybrid music can´t be easily labeled, since it´s a product of both two separate cultures and two distinct individuals, but it´s remarkably consistent.

The musicians wisely choose to occupy a middle zone of trance-like repetition where Suso can freely explore theme and variation, call and response, melody and counterpoint while DeJohnette does the same in his own polyrhythmic way on the drums. This is lyrical, flowing, hypnotic music that´s best appreciated from a distance, lest you lose the forest for the trees and thus also sacrifice the golden opportunity to expand your mindspace in these rolling grooves.
By Nils Jacobson.
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Jack DeJohnette- Drums
Foday Musa Suso- Kora and Dousinguni.
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01.Ocean Wave  6.25
02.Ancient Techno  5.10
03.Rose Garden  6.45
04.Worldwide Funk  6.44
05.Kaira  7.48
06.Mountain Love Dance  4.37
07.Party  9.31
08.Voice Of The Kudrus  5.41
09.Sunjatta Keita 6.25
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Jack DeJOHNETTE - Selected Recordings, Rarum XII 2004

Jack DeJOHNETTE - Selected Recordings, Rarum XII  2004
Recorded in Oslo, Norway; Los Angeles, California and
New York, New York, United States between 1971 and 1997.

Jazz

As with the other releases in ECM's "Rarum" series, these tracks were selected by the artist himself.
Although Jack Dejohnette has recorded as a leader and sideman for many labels, I personally feel his long association with ECM is really where he has done his best work-at least to date.
I could argue with some of the selections here-personally I would choose something like "Ebony" from the never available on CD "Inflation Blues" release to better represent his work with his Special Edition horn-oriented band. I have also been waiting for the CD release on ECM of his "Untitled" CD with his band "Directions" from 1976 and would have selected something from that as well, since I place that recording in Dejohnette's top 5 ever. Please release this on CD ECM!
However, for all the tracks that I feel may be missing from this, it is still 1) An excellent sampler of Jack Dejohnettes work, or for fans like me, a nice re-visitation. 2)Very interesting from the point of view that Dejohnette himself chooses these particular selections as having that "something special".
Dejohnette oddly doesn't even focus on his own compositions-he includes an original from guitarist Mick Goodrick's solo album where Jack plays drums as a sideman as well as a Keith Jarrett composition from their very early duet recording "Ruta and Daitya".
Personally though I have many compilations made from my Dejohnette collection for my own listening over the years and I feel that there are 4 "must have" tracks that I cannot leave off any compilation of my favorite Jack Dejohnette recordings, and 3 of them are here.
They are "Pictures 5 & 6" from my very favorite Dejohnette recording "Pictures" (and I feel the 2 best tracks off of that record) and "Silver Hollow" from his "New Directions" recording. The only truly "best piece" that I find missing here is "Blue" that originally appeared on the Gateway 2 recording and also appeared on Dejohnette's other best of compilation on ECM "Works"-so try to find a remaining copy of that compilation as well for an even more complete overall picture of Dejohnette's best ECM years.
Jack Dejohnette is not only a classic creative musician but a classy human being as well, one that continues to inspire me-as he has done in the nearly 30 years since I first discovered his music.
Long live Jack Dejohnette!!
By Phasedin.
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Jack DeJohnette- (Piano, Drums, Percussion);
John Purcell- (Alto Sax);
David Murray- (Tenor Saxophone);
John Surman- (baritone Sax);
Lester Bowie- (Trumpet);
Howard Johnson- (Tuba);
Michael Cain- (Piano);
Keith Jarrett- (Electric Piano);
John Abercrombie- (Guitar, Mandolin);
Jerome Harris, Mick Goodrick- (Guitar);
Rufus Reid, Eddie Gomez, Dave Holland- (Acoustic Bass);
Don Alias- (Percussion).
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01. Third World Anthem-Jack DeJohnette's Special Edition  10:52      
02. Jack In-Jack DeJohnette  12:34      
03. Feebles, Fables And Ferns-Mick Goodrick  7:58  
04. Overture - Communion-Keith Jarrett    5:57  
05. How's Never-Gateway     7:30      
06. Silver Hollow-Jack DeJohnette New Directions  8:24      
07. Picture 5-Jack DeJohnette    6:06  
08. Picture 6-Jack DeJohnette    7:53
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Jack DeJOHNETTE - Pictures 1976

Jack DeJOHNETTE - Pictures 1976
Label: ECM
Audio CD: 2002
Jazz

At his best, Jack DeJohnette is one of the most consistently inventive jazz percussionists extant. DeJohnette's style is wide-ranging, yet while capable of playing convincingly in any modern idiom, he always maintains a well-defined voice. DeJohnette has a remarkably fluid relationship to pulse. His time is excellent; even as he pushes, pulls, and generally obscures the beat beyond recognition, a powerful sense of swing is ever-present. His tonal palette is huge as well; no drummer pays closer attention to the sounds that come out of his kit than DeJohnette. He possesses a comprehensive musicality rare among jazz drummers.

That's perhaps explained by the fact that, before he played the drums, DeJohnette was a pianist. From the age of four, he studied classical piano. As a teenager he became interested in blues, popular music, and jazz; Ahmad Jamal was an early influence. In his late teens, DeJohnette began playing drums, which soon became his primary instrument. In the early '60s occurred the most significant event of his young professional life -- an opportunity to play with John Coltrane. In the mid-'60s, DeJohnette became involved with the Chicago-based Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. He moved to New York in 1966, where he played again with Coltrane, and also with Jackie McLean. His big break came as a member of the very popular Charles Lloyd Quartet from 1966-1968. The drummer's first record as a leader was 1968's The DeJohnette Complex. In 1969, DeJohnette replaced Tony Williams in Miles Davis' band; later that year, he played on the trumpeter's seminal jazz-rock recording Bitches Brew. DeJohnette left Davis in 1972 and began working more frequently as a leader. In the '70s and '80s, DeJohnette became something like a house drummer for ECM, recording both as leader and sideman with such label mainstays as Jan Garbarek, Kenny Wheeler, and Pat Metheny.

DeJohnette's first band was Compost; his later, more successful bands were Directions and Special Edition. The eclectic, avant-fusion Directions was originally comprised of the bassist Mike Richmond, guitarist John Abercrombie, and saxophonist Alex Foster. In a subsequent incarnation -- called, appropriately, New Directions -- bassist Eddie Gomez replaced Richmond and trumpeter Lester Bowie replaced Foster. From the mid-'70s, Directions recorded several albums in its twin guises for ECM. Beginning in 1979, DeJohnette also led Special Edition, a more straightforwardly swinging unit that featured saxophonists David Murray and Arthur Blythe. For a time, both groups existed simultaneously; Special Edition would eventually become the drummer's performance medium of choice. The band began life as an acoustic free jazz ensemble, featuring the drummer's esoteric takes on the mainstream. It evolved into something quite different, as DeJohnette's conception changed into something considerably more commercial; with the addition of electric guitars and keyboards, DeJohnette began playing what is essentially a very loud, backbeat-oriented -- though sophisticated -- instrumental pop music.

To be fair, DeJohnette's fusion efforts are miles ahead of most others'. His abilities as a groove-centered drummer are considerable, but one misses the subtle colorations of his acoustic work. That side of DeJohnette is shown to good effect in his work with Keith Jarrett's Standards trio, and in his occasional meetings with Abercrombie and Dave Holland in the Gateway trio. DeJohnette remains a vital artist and continues to release albums such as Peace Time on Kindred Rhythm in 2007.
By Chris Kelsey, All Music Guide.
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John Abercrombie- Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar, Guitar (Electric)
Jack DeJohnette- Organ, Main Performer, Piano, Keyboards, Drums, Guitar, Synthesizer
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01. Picture     4:50  
02. Picture     8:01      
03. Picture     5:16  
04. Picture     5:24  
05. Picture     6:09  
06. Picture     7:55
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