JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
The jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette has died. He was 83 years old. For decades, he collaborated with artists like Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett and Alice Coltrane. And he became a composer and band leader in his own right. 91ÖÆƬ³§'s Isabella Gomez Sarmiento has this appreciation.
ISABELLA GOMEZ SARMIENTO, BYLINE: Jack DeJohnette is known as one of the most influential drummers in modern jazz.
(SOUNDBITE OF JACK DEJOHNETTE, ET AL.'S "IN MOVEMENT")
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: But growing up in Chicago in the 1940s and '50s, DeJohnette studied a different instrument - classical piano. As a young man, he accepted an offer to tour with saxophonist Eddie Harris. And as he told 91ÖÆƬ³§ in an archival interview, those shows would launch his trajectory.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED 91ÖÆƬ³§ CONTENT)
JACK DEJOHNETTE: It was Eddie who told me, he said, you know, you play good piano and - but I think you play great drums more than you play piano.
ROBERT SIEGEL: (Laughter).
DEJOHNETTE: He said, and if you stick with drums, you're going to go far.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: In the 1960s, DeJohnette moved to New York City and began playing with The Charles Lloyd Quartet.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHARLES LLOYD'S "FOREST FLOWER: SUNRISE")
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: The band embraced the avant-garde, free-spirited approach of the counterculture and became a crossover success with younger audiences.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHARLES LLOYD'S "FOREST FLOWER: SUNRISE")
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Later, DeJohnette continued to push rock and jazz experimentation forward, becoming one of the key percussionists on Miles Davis' kaleidoscopic album, "B* Brew."
(SOUNDBITE OF MILES DAVIS' "PHARAOH'S DANCE")
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: DeJohnette became a prolific sideman and bandleader, known for his ability to pivot from jazz fusion to standards. He was especially loved for his deep grooves and expansive improvisational skills. He told 91ÖÆƬ³§ that his motto came from Davis.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED 91ÖÆƬ³§ CONTENT)
DEJOHNETTE: As Miles would say, be prepared to play what you don't know.
(SOUNDBITE OF MILES DAVIS' "PHARAOH'S DANCE")
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: DeJohnette's career spanned over six decades. In 2012, he received the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Award. In 2015, he told 91ÖÆƬ³§ how much he valued longevity, not just in his own career, but in his creative collaborations.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED 91ÖÆƬ³§ CONTENT)
DEJOHNETTE: Everybody's playing music with the wisdom and youthful vitality and energy and passion that, you know, we still got things to say.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: DeJohnette never stopped playing piano. But in the last chapter of his life, he returned to the instrument with a renewed focus. Although health concerns kept him from touring, he performed concerts near his home in Upstate New York until the very end.
Isabella Gomez Sarmiento, 91ÖÆƬ³§ News.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by 91ÖÆƬ³§, Copyright 91ÖÆƬ³§.
91ÖÆƬ³§ transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an 91ÖÆƬ³§ contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of 91ÖÆƬ³§â€™s programming is the audio record.
