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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteJack DeJohnette, the drummer who played on Miles Davis’s landmark album Bitches Brew, died on October 26, 2025, at age 83. The Associated Press reported that he died in Kingston, New York, of congestive heart failure, citing his assistant Joan Clancy. DeJohnette was also a pianist, composer and bandleader whose career reached far beyond his work with Davis.
Who was Jack DeJohnette?
Born in Chicago on August 9, 1942, DeJohnette began with classical piano as a child, later took up drums and became part of the city’s jazz scene, according to the Associated Press. He developed into a multi-instrumentalist and composer as well as a drummer, leading his own projects from early in his career. His first album as a leader, The DeJohnette Complex, appeared in 1968, according to his official biography.
Before joining Davis, DeJohnette gained wider recognition through his work with Charles Lloyd’s quartet. In 1968, he joined Davis’s group shortly before the Bitches Brew sessions. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) dates his principal association with Davis to 1969–72; his official biography describes his time in the group as three years.
What was DeJohnette’s role on Bitches Brew?
DeJohnette performed on Bitches Brew; he was one member of the album’s percussion team, not its sole drummer. Both the [Miles Davis official album page](URL) and the NEA’s [DeJohnette biography](URL) identify his participation. The album grew out of sessions in which Davis and the musicians experimented with grooves in the studio. AP quoted DeJohnette describing Davis as “in a creative mood” and recalling a process of experimenting with grooves day after day.
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The Davis connection continued on recordings including Live-Evil and On the Corner. His official biography also notes his participation in A Tribute to Jack Johnson. Those credits mark an important stretch of his career, but they are only part of a much broader body of work.
What defined his career beyond Miles Davis?
The NEA describes DeJohnette as a drummer, keyboardist and composer who worked with Herbie Hancock, Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins and Abbey Lincoln, among many others. His partnership with pianist Keith Jarrett lasted for decades. He also made records as a bandleader, beginning with The DeJohnette Complex in 1968, and became a significant presence in ECM’s jazz catalog.
DeJohnette’s musicianship was rooted in attentive interplay, not just rhythmic drive. In an NEA interview quoted by AP, he put it this way: “The best gift that I have is the ability to listen, not only listen audibly but listen with my heart.”
What honors did Jack DeJohnette receive?
- The NEA named him a Jazz Master in 2012.
- AP reported that he won two Grammy Awards: for Peace Time in 2009 and Skyline in 2022.
Where can you start listening?
Bitches Brew is a natural starting point for hearing DeJohnette within Davis’s adventurous electric ensemble. To follow his work as a leader, try The DeJohnette Complex; his recordings with Jarrett offer another route into the range and longevity of his career.
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- Miles Davis
- Bitches Brew
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