Mark O'Leary Jack DeJohnette

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Not too long after I recorded with Paul Motian, I tried to get in contact with Jack. I didn't know anyone with Jacks telephone number, eventually, a contact at my alma mater, Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, put me in touch with someone who put me in touch with someone who could get and did get it. I cold called Jack and he was incredibly congenial but relayed to me in no uncertain terms that he gets the bare minimum of between ten and twelve tapes every day all year round (sometimes many more) with requests to play, from stars, bands, the full nine yards. So, he was reticent and would not make any promises, eventually I sent him some music and called him a month later and he said he got it, listened to it, and basically said, "you can play alright, but your oblique melodies and harmonies intrigue me, I agree to play with you and your band doesn't sound like Gateway, that's a plus and you don't sound like Abercrombie, another plus( I loved John Abercrombie)." From there I managed to put together a series of duo concerts which were two of the best attended concerts the city had seen at that juncture outside a festival. We played some of my material, some of Jacks, me on Guitar, Jack played Drums, Electronic Drums and Keys. Fantastic stuff, some funky stuff, some ECM stuff, some post Miles, some Standards, the feedback from the audience and curators alike was tremendous. I became friendly with Jack and his wife Lydia. Jack was one of a kind; a giant, an ambassador, a teacher, an inspiration to so many people.

Uploaded: 2025-10-29
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