Jack DeJohnette (born August 9, 1942) is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer who stands as one of the most influential and versatile musicians in modern jazz. Known for his extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians including Charles Lloyd, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, John Abercrombie, Alice Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Joe Henderson, Michael Brecker, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock and John Scofield, DeJohnette has left an indelible mark on jazz across multiple generations.

He was born in Chicago, Illinois and began his musical career as a pianist, studying from age four with Antoinette Rich, the leader of an all-female symphony orchestra in Chicago, and first playing professionally at the age of 14. When Jack was 13, he switched to drums and was taught drumming techniques from a local jazz drummer, Bobby Miller Jr, though he would continue to develop as a multi-instrumentalist throughout his career.

His breakthrough came when in 1966 DeJohnette moved to New York City, where he became a member of the Charles Lloyd Quartet, where he first encountered pianist Keith Jarrett, beginning a musical partnership that would span decades. Perhaps most significantly, in 1969, DeJohnette left the Evans trio and replaced Tony Williams in Miles Davis's live band, becoming the primary drummer on Bitches Brew, the landmark album that helped define jazz fusion.

He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2007 and has won two Grammy Awards and been nominated for five others. In 2012, he was awarded an NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship for his significant lifetime contributions have helped to enrich jazz and further the growth of the art form.

His approach transcends traditional drumming; critics describe him not merely as a drummer but as a percussionist, colourist and epigrammatic commentator mediating the shifting ensemble densities whose drumming is always part of the music's internal construction. His musical philosophy embraces an abstract thinker approach to soloing, going into an altered state, a different headspace. I plug into my higher self, into the cosmic library of ideas.