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Home , Ira Sullivan, Jack DeJohnette, Jodie Christian, Larry Gray, Made in Chicago, Muhal Richard Abrams

ECM

JACK DEJOHNETTE MADE IN

Live at the Chicago Festival Henry Threadgill bass

Roscoe Mitchell sopranino saxophone soprano saxophone alto saxophone baroque flute bass recorder

Muhal Richard Abrams

Larry Gray violoncello

Jack DeJohnette Live at the drums Chant 17 : 01 Roscoe Mitchell

Jack 5 14 : 53 Muhal Richard Abrams

This 12 : 13 Roscoe Mitchell

Museum of Time 13 : 37 Jack DeJohnette

Leave Don’t Go Away 10 : 19 Henry Threadgill

Ten Minutes 6 : 06 DeJohnette / Threadgill / Abrams / Mitchell / Gray

Publishers Roscoe Mitchell: Publishing Company Muhal Richard Abrams: RIC_PEG Publishing Co. Henry Threadgill: yTo Publishing Jack DeJohnette: DeJohnette Music Larry Gray: Graywater Music

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 MADE IN CHICAGO When you play music with people well has been a consistent mirage before the eyes, many decades long, and it creates a bond that is never broken. the promise of fulfillment remains their purpose and ob ­session. – Muhal Richard Abrams A timeline to help explain why this group joined together for a concert on August 29, 2013 begins in the previous summer. Jack DeJohnette, just This recording from Jack DeJohnette, Muhal Richard Abrams, Larry Gray, turned seventy and recently named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Roscoe Mitchell and Henry Threadgill – the Special “Legends” Edition – is ­Master, received a letter from the producers of the Chicago Jazz Festival their first ever (and we hope there will be more) performance, and it offers stating that they would like to honor him. He was asked to perform at the a superb realization of what constitutes the Improviser’s Art. Here we have festival in 2013, free to present any program of music and amalgam of five musicians adept at grasping everything, and then using it all, within ­musicians he would like. themselves and together as one. Because they are satisfied with nothing “I saw this as a great opportunity to come home and reunite everyone,” less than everything, they present questions not wholly answered and enig ­ said Jack, and the timeline jumps back to 1962, when the drummer was matic riddles for listeners to ponder. But such are the rich and complex primarily a pianist and studying music at Wilson Junior College (now Ken­ gifts that honor the aesthetic experience and busy traverse between artist nedy_King College) on Chicago’s South Side with classmates Roscoe Mit­ and audience. chell and Henry Threadgill. “We had one free period each week, and Jack Nothing exists by itself in the Improviser’s Art. An intricate network of said, ‘Let’s have a (jam) session during the free period.’ It goes all the way relationships imbues and informs each moment, whether sensed and un ­ back to there,” remembered Roscoe. More gatherings took place in each derstood, or not. People, project; the where and when; purpose, emotion; other’s homes, if family members and roommates acquiesced, with other eagerness, aspiration, soulfulness, gratitude, the weather – it adds up in friends like and showing up to play as well. unique creations that are continuously re_shaped and re_imagined, becom ­ When asked to stop, the musicians simply packed up and went looking for ing, in time, the shared knowledge and full gloried sustenance that benefits the next session. our being beyond words. “In Chicago, the jam sessions in the clubs were how you earned some The expressive, passionate creations experienced in this concert, “the credibility around town,” said Jack. “I was playing piano and sitting_in wher ­ whirl and churn,” come from an identifiable well of inspiration: a music scene ever I could. The musicians worked until two in the morning, but then there in Chicago growing out of a time in history. For these five thirsty ­artists, the were ‘breakfast jams’ that began at nine a.m. Chicago was great in that

12 13 respect; there were always musicians playing somewhere.” At the Won ­ ‘Go get books – you don’t need a lot of money,’ he told us. He’d already der Inn, a tavern found at 75 th Street and Cottage Avenue, DeJohnette first taught himself orchestration and how to play clarinet; he had studied all the heard , and Muhal Richard Abrams, then later piano players. And yet he still has the child_like attitude toward things – he he brought one of his first bands, a quintet, into the Archway Lounge near was full of wonder. Around the piano, even today, you get the sense that South Park; Muhal was in the house, and took notice. he’s still a kid.” Before long, Jack was invited to be a regular member of Muhal’s famed When there are a lot of strong, creative individuals who want to express Experimental Band, and his friends Roscoe, Henry, Malachi and Joseph soon themselves, it is necessary to figure out how it can be accomplished in a followed him. The Monday night “workshop” rehearsals took place at Lin ­ collective fashion. The solution came to everyone “naturally,” Muhal said, coln Center on 39 th Street. Later, a space opened up on Oakland Boulevard and added, “We were very fortunate to be in that space at that time. Every ­ where the musicians could put on concerts and offer lessons – from which body that came into that space drew energy from each other. It felt special the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) was and unique because everyone was there for the right reasons, and every ­ born in May 1965. one’s efforts seemed synchronized.” Jack: “Muhal’s door was always open. He wanted to explore different Henry: “We gravitate toward people with a certain kind of voice and ways of composing and improvising, and then demonstrated to me, Roscoe, vision. I’m talking about that moment when we were a lot younger, but we Joseph and Malachi those different . It felt natural, and we saw knew that about each other. This person has an individual kind of thing there were other ways to express ourselves through improvisation. Most they’re trying to do – when you’re young, you like to look for people who importantly, we began to recognize something in each other.” want to try the things you want to try, to find some kind of comradeship.” Muhal: “It wasn’t a process of encouragement. Everyone came ready Roscoe extolled the collaboration and community that characterized to be an individual. That’s all it took. And it’s quite strong to be amongst the Experimental Band and led to the founding of the Association for the people who want to pursue their individualism and accept that realization.” Advancement of Creative Musicians. “All of the people I love and admire in Jack: “Ornette may have been an influence on all of us; he freed the mu ­ music have that kind of history,” he said. “If you look at and sic and wasn’t compartmentalizing it. But Muhal was a Re ­naissance Man, the band, their accomplishments grew out of who they were as individuals who taught himself all these things. He was always telling us, ‘Go to the and collectively as a group. And it is the same with the AACM. Every time I library.’ Practicing every day wasn’t enough; he wanted us to be serious. get together with musicians from the AACM it’s like we are just picking up

14 15 from wherever we left off. So, to me, it’s just a continuation. I think you can Muhal, again: “Music seems to thrive on the fact that it infuses everything achieve great things in music by having these longstanding relationships and everybody. That must be why it speaks to all kinds of individuals in all with people. If you told me back then that this thing never stops, I might not walks of life. It must be that important.” have believed you. But now I see that’s really true.” With Muhal’s encouragement, Jack, who’d made the transition from piano Henry: “People have to stay engaged in their art form, and I think every ­ to drums in the year prior, moved to New York City in 1964, coming back for one of us has done so. You also have to keep in touch. It’s the basis of a quick visit as a substitute for Elvin Jones in ’s band for a gig friendship. But you have to be completely working at what you do, and at the “Plugged Nickel”. Roscoe recalled that Jack asked Coltrane to let that’s why Jack was able to pull everyone together. We’re doing what we do some of his Chicago friends sit in, “and it was a glorious evening – we were at a hundred and fifty percent, and stayed in some contact with each other.” playing together with John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, , and The nurturing, and sanctuary, as well, provided by the Experimental Rashied Ali. We got to play, way past club time. Eventually the club’s owners Band and then AACM made a life_or_death difference to these improvisers threw us out. came down and played. It’s a wonderful memory.” during a tumultuous era in Chicago, where racial violence, segregation and Full years and decades ensued for these improvisers, their creative en ­ crime filled every day with fear and uncertainty. Finding good, steady gigs deavors now legend and history, part of our nation’s cultural fabric. Larry outside the sanctuary required persistence and imagination; success, even Gray, another Chicago native, catches on to AACM in his teens during the across varying genres, was never enough. The gradual transition to focus ­ early 1970s, rises in renown on his instrument in classical and jazz circles, ing on personal projects heralded a new era in the history of jazz. and eventually plays with Muhal, Roscoe and Jack. (This concert brings Muhal: “If there was something tired about music, and it dissipated, we Larry and Henry together for the first time.) would have dissipated. And we didn’t dissipate. We deal with what it is. Larry: “I met Jack in 1994, and we worked on a wonderful gig for a week, That doesn’t mean you aren’t aware of your surroundings. We were always a quintet, again, with a group of legendary Chicago jazz musicians. Von aware of our surroundings. But we know this: all kinds of people play music. Freeman, and , so it was a great chance to know You know what I mean? All around the world. We travel around the world, him. He has a close connection to his history, and to all different types of see people speaking different languages, and they all play music. What music, and a complete understanding of his own voice within that context. ­phenomenon is that?” Jack had this deep love of all these musicians who came out of Chicago Music – the human experience in its full glory. because they were his roots.”

16 17 Jack put Special “Legends” Edition Chicago in motion, made calls. Muhal: “It as the drums were set up and instruments unpacked, the musicians went wasn’t a surprise to me when he said that he wanted to do this. It was like, right to work, breaking only for a short lunch. Each of the musicians, ex ­ well, we finally got something that we can do.” Roscoe: “I knew it would cepting Larry, brought a composition in to rehearse. The work was fluid, happen eventually.” Henry: “I couldn’t imagine what was in Jack’s mind. I intense. Jack showed Muhal some chord progressions on the piano for his knew that he would have a plan, but I couldn’t enter in to that. So I’d have “Museum of Time” (titled in homage to visionary author Jane Roberts) … to wait and find out what was going to happen. I knew that it was going ­Roscoe and Henry worked on the declining voicings that snap to attention to be something that would have to work. And there’s nothing wrong with in Muhal’s “Jack 5” … Larry working next to the piano, Jack watching, as that. I’m discouraged if it doesn’t work. But I have faith in things, that they’ll Muhal lifts “Don’t Go Away” into a swing section. work.” Larry: “When Jack called – I couldn’t believe it. He’s been a real model After a short break, Muhal was back on piano, Jack on the brushes, for me – just his attitude and everything else; that spirituality he communi ­ tickling all of the drums. By a hidden signal, they decreased the tempo on cates. It’s like a roundness, a round thing, a vibration that descends upon “Museum of Time,” and already the five musicians were back in a groove, him. When he solos his eyes are looking up and he’s watching something. empathic and fixed with extra comfort, that time hadn’t erased. I’m always trying to copy that!” The next morning, at the venue Constellation on the North Side of Chica­ Jack: “When the opportunity arose, I knew we needed a bassist, and go, Muhal played piano for nearly an hour while everyone set up and un ­ Larry was the first to come to mind. As for the rest of us, our connections packed – classical études, stride, blues. Some visitors, too: Jack’s cousins stayed strong. We are always in touch, and look to see each other out on Brenda (“Boo”) and Arthur, music journalist Marc Myers, others. Roscoe tour. But here was an occasion for us to open the festival and go full circle assembled a big wooden bass recorder while Henry emitted warm_up as composers and improvisers. Chicago Legends! It would be historic to honks in another room. Larry took turns tuning his bass and cello. Everyone have us all together for a special project, but it would also be validation and started looking at the music, knowing there was a tough day ahead and celebration. We’re all seniors now, but still enthusiastic about doing what eager to get down to business. They worked on Henry’s tune to get the we can. The music remains our spiritual food.” tricky funk syncopations right, and Henry danced around when it finally Two days before the concert a day_long rehearsal took place at the Jazz sounded good. A pairing of Henry on bass flute and Roscoe on soprano Showcase, Joe Segal’s renowned club in the South Loop. Big, oversized sax sounded beautiful. During the lunch break Muhal continued to play photos of jazz greats from the pantheon line the walls of the club. As soon piano – Rachmaninoff? – and then they finished working on “Museum of

18 19 Time” after lunch. Muhal: “That was on it.” And then Muhal, again, later, to all: “There are no songs! Either you play this or that, then that’s art. It’s not a song.” At nearly 6 p.m., having ­finished a gorgeous run_through of Roscoe’s “This,” the Edition re_visited “Jack 5” and played its hardest, best and most explosive jazz of the day. Over six hours of rehearsal has elapsed, and to put on an exclamation point on the effort, Jack finished the rehearsal with a powerful, trademark drum solo. When he was done, Muhal faced him and said, “Thank you, Jack. I’m proud of you. You’re always looking down the road and forward in terms of music.” Special “Legends” Edition Chicago took the stage of the Jay Pritzker ­Pavilion in Millennium Park on August 29, 2013 just as dusk was beginning to fall and the lights on the nearby skyscrapers turned on. The notorious dragon’s breath of the Midwest summer was thankfully absent – temps stayed in the 80s – and threatened thunderstorms roiled elsewhere. The mayor’s office delivered a framed proclamation announcing that it was offi ­ cially “Jack DeJohnette Day” in the fair City of Chicago, which flabbergasted one native son and truly impressed the 10,000 others in attendance. Then it was time to play – together, finally, after so many years – and grasp everything, again, use it all. Thomas Staudter

20 21 Produced by Dave Love and Jack DeJohnette Recording engineer: Martin Walters Assistant engineers: Jeremiah Nave, Daniel Santiago Recorded live August 29, 2013 at the Pritzker Pavilion Millennium Park Chicago at the 35th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival Sponsored by Chicago’s Department Of Cultural Affairs & Special Events Programming in part by the Jazz Institute Of Chicago Tour manager: Ken Jablonski

Mixed at Avatar Studio, New York by , Jack DeJohnette and James A. Farber (engineer) Mastered at MSM Studios, München by Christoph Stickel Photos: Paul Natkin Design: Sascha Kleis Executive producer: Manfred Eicher

An ECM Production

> < 2015 ECM Records GmbH Postfach 600 331, 81203 München www.ecmrecords.com

22 23 Jack DeJohnette performs exclusively with Sonor Drums, Sabian Cymbals and Vic Firth sticks and Korg Keyboards. Henry Threadgill appears courtesy of Pi Records.

Transportation provided by Celebration Limousines Hotel Accommodations provided by Hotel Allegro Archivist: Thomas Staudter

Management: Montuno Productions America LLC

Special recognition to following people for their support of this project: Executive Director Lauren Deutsch and The Jazz Institute Of Chicago. Michelle Boone, Angel Ysaguire, Jennifer Washington and Carlos Tortolero of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events. Mayor Rahm Emanuel for the wonderful Proclamation Of Recognition. Dayna Calderon, Erin Miesner and Joseph Fernicola for your production expertise at Millennium Park. Transportation Specialist and Pianist Greg Temple for getting us where we needed to be. and Constellation for providing the spaces to prepare for our performance. Lydia, Brenda and Arthur for their love and support in Chicago. Manfred, Steve, Guido and Sarah for the opportunity to present our music. Dave and Dani for taking care of business. Especially to the City of Chicago’s greatest ambassadors of Jazz, my long_time friends and musical brothers who I am always grateful to collaborate with: Muhal Richard Abrams, Roscoe Mitchell, Henry Threadgill and Larry Gray.

Jack DeJohnette

Jack DeJohnette’s Made In Chicago was supported by New Music USA, made possible by annual program support and / or endowment gifts from the Helen F. Whitaker Fund, Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust. ECM 2392 378 0935