Chicago-born Jack DeJohnette took his first piano lessons at 4, and discovered a strong passion for drums during his teens, performing early on in his career with John Coltrane and Jackie McLean. In the 1960s, he joined the Charles Lloyd Quartet, and in 1968, Miles Davis's group, with whom he recorded the legendary album Bitches Brew. The same year, DeJohnette released his first album as a leader, and continued to pursue various other musical projects under the prestigious label ECM, such as the groups Directions, New Directions, Special Edition and the Standards Trio with pianist Keith Jarrett and bassist Gary Peacock. In 2003, DeJohnette performed four consecutive nights as part of the Festival's Invitation series, and released Music We Are in 2009, followed by Sound Travels in 2012.