Jack DeJohnette, whose drumming helped give shape to a number of jazz genres — from post-bop to fusion to the avant-garde — was born on this day (August 9) in Chicago in 1942. Throughout his prolific career, DeJohnette has played with a host of jazz greats: Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Freddie Hubbard and Michael Brecker among them. And he was also an integral member of such pioneering bands as the AACM, The Charles Lloyd Quartet and the Keith Jarrett Standards Trio.
Our Song of the Day comes from an album made by a similarly all-star ensemble. Parallel Realities, released in 1990, was a fusion album featuring DeJohnette in the company of the top artists of the day: guitarist Pat Metheny and keyboardist Herbie Hancock. Its opening cut, “Jack In,” is a majestic original composition by DeJohnette that emphasizes the strengths of his bandmates, allowing plenty of space of Metheny’s soaring guitar lines and Hancock’s melodic comping within a robust harmonic atmosphere.