If You Don't Know Jack (DeJohnette)

Drummer Jack DeJohnette shows up in a lot of jazz in my collection, playing alongside many of my heroes.  I confess that I was not familiar until today with his work as leader.  That has been remedied.  ECM has released a box set of four albums that DeJohnette recorded under the group title Special Edition.  Jack DeJohnette: Special Edition is the kind of treasure I value very highly: a good slice of an artist's work, offering you several fine albums for a very reasonable price ($27.09 for the MP3 download).  In addition, a number of musicians that I have invested in are featured, including David Murray, Arthur Blythe, and Chico Freeman. 

The four albums are:

1. Special Edition
2. Album Album
3. Tin Can Alley
4. Inflation Blues

The last of these has not been released on CD before now.  Special Edition presents a lot of edgy avant garde compositions, but it is reasonable accessible over all.  DeJohnette's leadership and the brilliance of his co-conspirators is everywhere evident.  There is a lot of slithering horn on many of the pieces and I am a big fan of the low horns.  One thing that the four albums demonstrate is DeJohnette's command of a number of basic realms in jazz space.  

I am playing 'I know' from Tin Can Alley. This might be my favorite cut from the collection, a delicious walking blues with lots of screaming over guttural horn lines.  

• Baritone Saxophone, Alto Saxophone – John Purcell
• Bass Clarinet, Flute, Tenor Saxophone – Chico Freeman
• Double Bass, Cello – Peter Warren
• Drums, Piano, Vocals – Jack DeJohnette

I'm playing 'Monk's Mood' from Album Album.  This has a nice big band sound, putting Monk back into the contexts from which he drew his brilliant melodies.  There is a nice pastel feel to the solos by Murray and Johnson. 

• Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass – Rufus Reid
• Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – John Purcell
• Drums, Keyboards, Producer, Liner Notes – Jack DeJohnette
• Tenor Saxophone – David Murray
• Tuba, Baritone Saxophone – Howard Johnson (3)

 From Inflation Blues, I am playing 'Starburst'. 

• Bass – Rufus Reid
• Clarinet [Bass], Saxophone [Soprano, Tenor] – Chico Freeman
• Composed By, Clavinet, Drums, Piano, Vocals – Jack DeJohnette
• Flute, Saxophone [Alto, Barritone], Clarinet – John Purcell

This one reminds me of some of Miles Davis' spacy second quintet recordings, except for the marvelous bass clarinet.  

Finally, I offer 'India' from Special Edition. 

• Alto Saxophone – Arthur Blythe
• Bass – Peter Warren
• Drums, Piano, Melodica, Producer – Jack DeJohnette
• Tenor Saxophone, Bass Clarinet – David Murray

This great adventure story by John Coltrane is a very fine example of why I love Murray and Blythe and why I have now fallen for DeJohnette.  Be sure to take your passport for this one.  

It could be said that DeJohnette is only covering ground already explored by other intrepid jazz men, but boy does he cover it well.  The Special Edition box is a great buy.  This is one fine jazz man. 

Meanwhile, I am adding 'Meaning of the Blues' from Standards Vol. 1, by Keith Jarrett.  DeJohnette plays drums and Gary Peacock is on bass.  Enjoy.  

ps.  check out the video clips at DeJohnette's home page.  

Is Keith Jarrett Too Popular to be Good?

Here is a bit of personal jazz history. My first exposure to jazz came when I made friends with an English professor, Meade Harwell. He turned me on to Bill Evans, which might have been one of the greatest gifts anyone ever gave me. Okay, now fast forward: I left Arkansas and went to college in Tucson Arizona. My best friend in my first year there had a copy of Keith Jarrett's Köln Concert. I remember asking Spet to let me borrow it, but he wouldn't let me play it on my old Panasonic suitcase record player. He did play it for me on his stereo, and I was entranced.

The Köln Concert is surely one of jazz music's best sellers. Like Kind of Blue, it continues to rake in the revenue, year after year. According to Wikipedia, it is the best selling jazz solo album. I don't doubt that. But unlike KOB, the success of TKC seems to have made Jarrett's status in jazz somewhat problematic. Jazz fans are used to the idea that the music they love best is never going to be top forty. It's easy to go from there to the idea that any jazz record that appeals to a large audience isn't really authentic. My daughter, who is a big indie music fan, seems to have that same attitude.

Jarrett's trio style certainly seems to be at home in the living room with the unused piano, the white carpet, and the city view out the window. Pour a wine spritzer, do some blow, and listen to Jarrett. But none of that is his fault.

Keith Jarrett is as serious a jazzman as his generation ever produced. There is real depth and genius in The Köln Concert. I am just beginning to explore his work. I picked up his Standards2. This is great trio. Bass is Life, you will like it. Gary Peacock (another Zen enthusiast) plays bass. Jack DeJohnette is on drums. The recording is stellar, the trio is feeling their way around a very large and resonant space. Here is a sample:

Keith Jarrett/So Tender/Standards 2

Give it a listen and then get the disc. iTunes has it. And keep me posted. I need confirmation!