Jack DeJohnette, beloved influential jazz drummer, dead at 83

Jack DeJohnette was part of the "Lost Quintet" that included Miles Davis and Chick Corea.
Jack DeJohnette: The jazz drummer, who formed bands and also played with greats such as Miles Davis, died Oct. 26. He was 83. (Jack Vartoogian/Getty Images)

Jack DeJohnette, a beloved jazz drummer who excelled in bands fronted by Miles Davis, Charles Lloyd and Keith Jarrett, died Sunday. He was 83.

DeJohnette died in a hospital in Kingston, New York. A representative for his family, Joan Clancy, said DeJohnette’s cause of death was congestive heart failure.

“He was very comfortable and at peace,” Clancy said in a statement. “He was surrounded by his wife, Lydia, family, and friends. He was an NEA Jazz Master, and his legacy will go on for generations.”

During the 1960s, DeJohnette performed in groups led by saxophonists Jackie McLean, Stan Getz and Joe Henderson and was part of the Bill Evans Trio.

“I’m like a colorist on the drums,” DeJohnette said in a 2015 video interview, comparing himself to a painter. “So I can work within time, but I can also be free of it, more elastic in that sense.”

DeJohnette was recruited to join Davis during the jazz legend’s “electric period.” He joined saxophonist Wayne Shorter, keyboardist Chick Corea and bassist Dave Holland to create what would be dubbed the Lost Quintet. The group never recorded in the studio but performed a run of shows in Europe.

DeJohnette also spent decades playing the drums with Jarrett’s Standards Trio. He joined Jarrett and bassist Gary Peacock in 1983, and the trio would be a major concert favorite for the next 30 years.

During the 1970s, DeJohnette was the bandleader of several groups, including New Directions and Special Edition.

Born in Chicago, DeJohnette originally was a pianist but switched to the drums when he was 18.

He would win a pair of Grammy Awards. In 2022, he won best jazz instrumental album for “Skyline,” where he collaborated with pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba and bassist Ron Carter.

In 2009, DeJohnette won best new age album for “Peace Time,“ where he played synthesizers in addition to percussion.

DeJohnette was born in Chicago on Aug. 9, 1942, and was mostly raised by his grandmother.

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