Jack DeJohnette, John Patitucci and Danilo Perez Record Together For The First Time As A Trio
Friday, August 28, 2009
Who’s playing that melodica on ‘Tango African’, the first track on Music We Are? It’s actually a drummer and he’s overdubbed himself on the instrument which has increasingly become a presence on many a jazz album, with its beguilingly innocent sound palette.
It’s a fleeting and tantalising glimpse setting the scene for a distinctive album. It’s not just any drummer as the album out on Monday 7 September is the latest group outing by the great Jack DeJohnette who for the first time teams up in the studio as a co-operative trio with stellar pianist Danilo Perez and leading bassist John Patitucci, both pillars of the Wayne Shorter Quartet.
The 11-track album features four DeJohnette originals, three jointly written by the trio, two by Perez, one by Patitucci and the eighth track the ballad ‘Panama Viejo’ by Ricardo Fabrega. The album was recorded last year in New York state.
Jack DeJohnette recalls that he first worked with John Patitucci for the first time in Japan in 1991 and two years later joined Danilo Perez when the Panamanian made his debut as a leader. John Patitucci adds that DeJohnette actually introduced Perez to him around 1994. “I think it presents a fresh way of looking at the piano trio setting,” DeJohnette says. The CD also comes with a 30-minute DVD on the making of the album.
– Stephen Graham