Special Edition Jack DeJohnette

• Special Edition (ex ECM 1152)
• 1 One for Eric 09:56
• 2 Zoot Suite 11:27
• 3 Central Park West 03:16
• 4 India 06:02
• 5 Journey to the Twin Planet 08:46
• Tin Can Alley (ex ECM 1189)
• 6 Tin Can Alley 10:54
• 7 Pastel Rhapsody 14:33
• 8 Riff Raff 06:56
• 9 The Gri Gri Man 04:45
• 10 I Know 10:19
• Inflation Blues (ex ECM 1244 - previously NOT released on CD)
• 11 Starburst 09:19
• 12 Ebony 08:41
• 13 The Islands 08:37
• 14 Inflation Blues 06:45
• 15 Slowdown 06:26
• Album Album (ex ECM 1280)
• 16 Ahmad the Terrible (44.1kHz) 06:13
• 17 Monk's Mood (44.1kHz) 07:40
• 18 Festival (44.1kHz) 06:03
• 19 New Orleans Strut (44.1kHz) 06:49
• 20 Third World Anthem (44.1kHz) 10:50
• 21 Zoot Suite (44.1kHz) 05:07
• Total Runtime 02:49:24

Info for Special Edition

Special Edition – a band with revolving membership and an incredible cast of soloists including David Murray, Arthur Blythe and Chico Freeman – was one of the most sophisticated vehicles for Jack DeJohnette’s all-around talents. This set brings together the albums Special Edition, Tin Can Alley, Inflation Blues and Album Album, underscoring the excitement of invention and possibility one can hear in this era of DeJohnette’s career. The recordings reveal him as an artist in touch with tradition even as he sought the cutting edge of the day, paying homage to his jazz heroes yet experimenting with new sounds. There are echoes of old New Orleans grooves and Swing-era big bands in this collection, as well as material crafted with the techniques of ’80s pop singles; there are ambitious suite-like compositions, and there is spontaneously lowdown rhythm & blues.

Recorded 1979-1984 and remastered from original tapes for ECM’s Old & New Masters series.

Jack DeJohnette, drums, piano, organ, congas, timpani, melodica, vocals
David Murray, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
Arthur Blythe, alto saxophone
Chico Freeman, soprano and tenor saxophones, flute, bass clarinet
John Purcell, alto and baritone saxophones, flutes, alto clarinet
Rufus Reid, bass, electric bass
Peter Warren, double bass, cello
Baikida Carroll, trumpet

Special Edition
One For Eric (Jack DeJohnette)
Zoot Suite (Jack DeJohnette)
Central Park West (John Coltrane) India (John Coltrane)
Journey To The Twin Planet (Jack DeJohnette)

Recorded March 1979
Generation Sound Studios, New York
Engineer: Tony May
Mixing at Tonstudio Bauer, Ludwigsburg: Martin Wieland, Manfred Eicher
Produced by Jack DeJohnette
Executive producer: Manfred Eicher

Tin Can Alley
Tin Can Alley (Jack DeJohnette)
Pastel Rhapsody (Jack DeJohnette)
Riff Raff (Peter Warren)
The Gri Gri Man (Jack DeJohnette)
I Know (Jack DeJohnette)

Recorded September 1980 Tonstudio Bauer, Ludwigsburg
Engineer: Martin Wieland
Produced by Manfred Eicher

Inflation Blues
Starburst (Jack DeJohnette)
Ebony (Jack DeJohnette)
The Islands (Jack DeJohnette)
Inflation Blues (Jack DeJohnette)
Slowdown (Jack DeJohnette)

Recorded September 1982, Power Station, New York
Engineer: Jan Erik Kongshaug
Produced by Manfred Eicher

Album Album
Ahmad The Terrible (Jack DeJohnette)
Monk’s Mood (Thelonious Monk, arr. Howard Johnson)
Festival (Jack DeJohnette)
New Orleans Strut (Jack DeJohnette)
Third World Anthem (Jack DeJohnette)
Zoot Suite (Jack DeJohnette)

Recorded June 1984, Power Station, New York
Engineer: David Baker
Mixing at Tonstudio Bauer, Ludwigsburg: Martin Wieland, Manfred Eicher
Produced by Jack DeJohnette

Jack DeJohnette
Born in Chicago in 1942, GRAMMY® winner Jack DeJohnette is widely regarded as one of jazz music's greatest drummers. Music appreciation flourished in DeJohnette's family. He studied classical piano from age four until fourteen, before beginning to play drums with his high school concert band and taking private piano lessons at the Chicago Conservatory of Music. DeJohnette credits his uncle, Roy I. Wood Sr., who was one of the most popular jazz DJ's in the South Side of Chicago, later vice president of the National Network of Black Broadcasters, as the person who initially inspired him to pursue music.

In his early years on the Chicago scene, he led his own groups and was equally in demand as a pianist and as a drummer. He played R & B, hard bop, and avant-garde and was active with the experimentalists of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) in its early days, with the likes of founder Muhal Richard Abrams, Roscoe Mitchell and Joseph Jarman. In 1966, he drummed alongside Rashied Ali in the John Coltrane Quintet. International recognition came with his tenure in the Charles Lloyd Quartet, one of the first jazz groups to receive cross-over attention, which also alerted the world to Keith Jarrett's skills.

Jack DeJohnette has collaborated with most major figures in jazz history. Some of the great talents he has worked with are John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins, Sun Ra, Jackie McLean, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Stan Getz, Keith Jarrett, Chet Baker, George Benson, Stanley Turrentine, Ron Carter, Lee Morgan, Charles Lloyd, Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Abbey Lincoln, Betty Carter and Eddie Harris, who is responsible for convincing DeJohnette to stick with drums because he heard DeJohnette's natural talent.

It was in 1968 that DeJohnette joined Miles Davis's group in time for the epochal upheaval marked by Bitches Brew, an album that changed the direction of jazz. In his autobiography, Miles Davis said, 'Jack DeJohnette gave me a deep groove that I just loved to play over.' Jarrett soon followed DeJohnette into the Davis group, and the drummer's first ECM recording, the duet Rutya and Daitya was made in 1971. Working with Miles also brought about collaborations with John McLaughlin, Chick Corea and Dave Holland.

In 1968 he recorded his first album as a leader on the Milestone label, called The DeJohnette Complex, where Jack played the melodica along with his mentor Roy Haynes on drums. In the early 70's he recorded Have You Heard in Japan and two albums for Prestige, called Sorcery and Cosmic Chicken. These early sessions united Jack with Gary Peacock, Bennie Maupin, Stanley Cowell, Miroslav Vitous, Eddie Gomez, Alex Foster and Peter Warren.

Jack began to record as a leader for ECM, with each of his successive groups Directions, New Directions, and Special Edition making important contributions to the evolution of jazz. The New Directions band featured two musicians who would have long-term associations with DeJohnette: John Abercrombie and Lester Bowie. A friend from Chicago days, Bowie played intermittently with DeJohnette until the end of his life. Most notably, Lester and Jack collaborated on a duo album called Zebra, which was a world beat influenced video soundtrack and CD. Abercrombie continued to work with DeJohnette in the Gateway Trio, along with Dave Holland. Special Edition, with its rotating front line, helped introduce the sounds of David Murray, Rufus Reid, Howard Johnson, Arthur Blythe, Chico Freeman, Greg Osby, Michael Caine, Lonnie Plaxico, Gary Thomas and John Purcell to a wider audience. Jack most recently worked with Abercrombie on another long-time collaborator's album, John Surman's Brewster's Rooster (ECM, 2009).

DeJohnette has recorded as a leader on Columbia, Landmark, MCA/GRP, and Toshiba/EMI/Blue Note, but the bulk of his recordings are on the ECM label. He also has a growing catalogue on his own imprint, Golden Beans Productions, since the label’s launch in 2005.

While continuing to lead his own projects and bands, DeJohnette has also been a 25-year-plus member of the immensely popular Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Jack DeJohnette Trio. DeJohnette has appeared on more ECM albums than any other musician; his numerous recordings for the label display his subtle, powerful playing and the “melodic” approach to drums and cymbals that makes his touch instantly recognizable. Read more on DeJohnette‘s homepage.

Booklet for Special Edition