HUDSON: Jack DeJohnette, Larry Grenadier, John Medeski & John Scofield | June 11

It’s hard to talk about jazz – and impossible to talk about jazz drumming and percussion – without talking about Jack DeJohnette. Since the early 1960s, this multi-talented artist has also established himself over the years as an accomplished pianist and composer, and has pushed the boundaries of the genre – not only through his collaborations with seminal artists like Bill Evans, Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny and numerous other luminaries, but also as a solo composer and performer. Over the past half-century, he has cemented his reputation as one of the most versatile and influential drummers in the history of jazz.

DeJohnette will turn 75 in the summer of 2017. In celebration of this milestone, he’ll hit the road in June for a North American tour with Hudson, an all-star group that includes bassist Larry Grenadier, keyboardist John Medeski and guitarist John Scofield. The ensemble takes its name from the idyllic Hudson Valley area of New York State, where each of these musicians resides.

The group originally came together in the fall of 2014 to perform in the Woodstock Jazz Festival. “There is a kindred spirit in the Hudson Valley,” says DeJohnette, “and there are many musicians who live in the area who represent a variety of genres. In recent years, we have only been able to collaborate locally on occasion due to our individual musical obligations, but the fact remains that there’s a common language that we all speak – something that emerges from our shared environment.