Monday 19 October 2009

Jack DeJohnette - Music We Are


Drummer Jack DeJohnette established his name playing with Miles Davis during his 'electric period', featuring on the seminal Bitches Brew. Acknowledged as one of jazz's finest drummers, DeJohnette has led and backed many influential names and in particular has enjoyed a fruitful 40-year recording relationship with fellow Davis alumnus Keith Jarrett. Here, for the first time, he is flanked by both bassist John Patitucci and pianist Danilo Perez, towering names in contemporary jazz and members of Wayne Shorter's (an earlier Davis protégé) much-lauded current quartet. The record is genuinely experimental, veering from tango (classy opener 'Tango African' featuring an overdubbed DeJohnette on melodica) to abstract classical, post-bop to free improvisation. Though perhaps conceptually incoherent, the trio's post-modern genre-bending is best understood not in terms of its component styles but rather as the successful summation of individually outstanding musical talents. This album is a gem of forward-thinking music.

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