Chicago-born drummer. After switching from the piano around 1960, DeJohnette joined Miles Davis' Bitches Brew-era band. During his early Chicago years, DeJohnette played everything from R&B to free jazz (he was practicing 4 hours a day on both the piano _and_ drums. After moving to New York in 1966, he played with John Patton, Jackie McLean, Betty Carter and Abbey Lincoln. From 1966-9, he achieved his first national exposure with Charles Lloyd's quartet (which included Keith Jarrett and Ron McClure), one which toured US rock concert halls, Europe 6 times, and the Far East, and was the first modern jazz band to play in Russia.
While in NY, DeJohnette also gigged with John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Freddie Hubbard, Bill Evans, Jarrett, Chick Corea, and Stan Getz. Between August 1969 and April 1970, he was a member of Miles Davis band (including on the seminal recording Bitches Brew.
Thereafter, DeJohnette formed his own ensemble Compost, and appeared as an ECM sideaman for Kenny Wheeler, John Abercrombie and Jan Garbarek. His quartet New Directions included Abercrombie, Lester Bowie, and Eddie Gomez.
Since 1983, DeJohnette has been a member of Keith Jarrett's standards trio, in which DeJohnette has virtually redefined the drummer's role. During the 1990s, he has also been part of a trio (including Bobby McFerrin and keyboardist Lyle Mays) called Voicestra -- all three sing, or otherwise make noises with their mouths :).
An expert at a number of instruments, DeJohnette is also skilled at nearly every musical style, from R&B to rock, various world music, reggae, bebop and free improvisation...
Among his recordings are New Directions (1978), Special Edition (1979), Tin Can Alley (1980), Inflation Blues (1982), Album Album (1984) -- all on ECM -- Earth Walk (1991; Blue Note), on Pat Metheny's 80/81 and Kenny Wheeler's Gnu High.
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