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BILLBOARD CANADA FYI
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Jack DeJohnette
FYI
Obituaries: Legendary Jazz Drummer Jack DeJohnette, Canadian Record Label Exec Al Andruchow
This week we also acknowledge the passing of Scottish folk ambassador Archie Fisher
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Al (Albert) Andruchow, a popular Canadian record label executive, died on Oct. 26, at age 83.
Andruchow had a long stint working for EMI Music Canada, rising to the position of vice president of sales in the 1980s.
Messages posted to his official obituary page show that Andruchow was held in high regard by his Canadian music industry peers.
Here is a selection.
Derrick Ross (of Slaight Music and formerly with EMI) and Jen Walsh: "Every time we hear a Boz Scaggs song we think of Al. He loved Boz Scaggs. Al was a great man, an important mentor, had an awesome sense of humour, and a giant heart. Just the other day we were talking about what an important person he was in our lives, especially as we were getting started in our careers, and we all loved working with him. He was the best. We are very sad for his loss and he will be missed."
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Paul Shaver (head of CMRRA): "An amazing human, Al was a teacher, mentor, and class act. So many amazing memories for the EMI crew. My deepest condolences to Barb and his family."
Olie Kornelson: "Al, you were always one of the good guys and made a lot of good things happen when we were here and way back in Alberta. I can still hear your crazy outburst of laughter on many of the fun times. And I know that I wouldn’t have enjoyed the successes and times at EMI without you Al. I sincerely hope in retirement you were happy. I’ll never forget you. God Bless You and Rest in Peace, and I really hope you find something up there to build!"
Tony Tarleton: "So very sad that Al has passed. Al hired me at EMI for the best job I ever had and I will always be very thankful he took a shot on me. I loved working under him. My condolences to his family."
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Don Oates: "We were "competitors" back in the day...Al at EMI and I at CBS/Sony but our friendship and mutual respect for each other surpassed any uneasiness that may have risen...my condolences to Al's family...RIP my friend."
George Maniatis: "Al was a mentor. A kind soul to me in my early days at an indie record company I worked at. There was never an agenda with Al. He was just an amazing man who always reached out. Rest in Peace Al."
Damhnait Doyle: "So sorry to hear this. Sending all of my love to Al's family. He was an absolute gem and will be missed xo."
Fraser Hill: "When I worked with Sarah Brightman to help her on one of her albums, Al and Deane [Cameron] were in the meeting with Sarah, myself and our team supporting my assistance with Sarah. To this day I will never forget Al saying how good a job I did in working with her! Thank you Al. RIP my friend."
RJ Guha: "Al was a good man, and champion of Canadian music. He was a solid ally when I had numerous artists working with EMI Canada. I'll remember him fondly."
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Carole MacDonald: "Al was one of my favourite people not only at EMI, but the broader music industry. We had some great laughs. RIP Al."
Steve Kane (former president of Warner Music Canada): "My condolences to Barb and family. I'll be forever grateful for Al's friendship and tutelage."
Donations in Andruchow's memory may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Online condolences may be shared at ferrisfuneral.com.
International
Jack DeJohnette, a Grammy-winning jazz drummer and composer recognized as one of the most important jazz drummers ever, died on Oct. 26, at age 83.
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In its obituary, Toronto radio station JazzFM notes that "With a career spanning over 60 years, Jack DeJohnette is widely regarded as one of the most influential drummers in modern jazz, known for his remarkable versatility, creativity, and ability to blend genres. His drumming on Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew merged jazz improvisation with rock and funk and transformed the genre.
"His long career as a bandleader, composer, and collaborator further expanded the rhythmic possibilities of jazz, integrating world music, electronic, and R&B, influencing generations of drummers and improvisers. Jack DeJohnette was a legend who tested possibilities, pushed boundaries, and encouraged all of us to 'come to the music with an open mind and open heart' to discover its joyousness."
In its obituary, JazzTimes describes DeJohnette's skill this way: "Devising, as he did, his own fluid and multidirectional drum style, DeJohnette came at you from a dozen varied angles and tonalities. He surrounded you with the potency and nuance of the drum — a quadrophenic, if you will — and changed the way listeners experience rhythm (and how other drummers approached their kits). Within his sound there were wild brassy and woody timbres, pocket-deep grooves and impossible-to-identify tics."
Born and raised in Chicago, DeJohnette played R&B, hard bop, and avant-garde music there. He led his own groups in addition to playing with Richard Abrams, Roscoe Mitchell and other eventual core members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (founded in 1965). DeJohnette also occasionally performed with Sun Ra and his Arkestra. In the early 1960s, DeJohnette sat in for three tunes with John Coltrane and his quintet, an early foray into playing with big-name jazz musicians.
In 1966, DeJohnette moved to New York City, where he became a member of the Charles Lloyd Quartet. A band that recognized the potential influence of rock and roll on jazz, Lloyd's group was where DeJohnette first encountered pianist Keith Jarrett, who would work extensively with him throughout his career.
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JazzTimes reports that "DeJohnette logged sideman hours with Bill Evans, Jackie McLean and Betty Carter before his historically important time with Miles Davis, first as the replacement drummer for Tony Williams, then as the irrepressible polyrhythmatist on Bitches Brew, Live-Evil, Jack Johnson and On the Corner."
In its obituary, The Guardian writes that "DeJohnette’s playing exhibited a life-force that was entirely his own. To hear him play on 'What I Say' from Miles Davis’s album Live-Evil is to marvel at apparently superhuman drive as he maintained an impactful funk/rock beat for 20 minutes. DeJohnette, who also played on Davis’s epoch-defining Bitches Brew, had by 1970 become the trumpeter’s drummer of choice in a meeting of mighty musical minds.
Guardian critic Philip Clark recalls that "Talking to DeJohnette, he told me how he loved playing those funk figurations with Davis because 'I could sit in grooves and let them saturate me,' but also spoke of his desire to generate more wide-angled musical soundscapes, always open-ended and therefore healthy for the brain. He complained about the 'safe confines' of pop music with its repetitive patterns.“
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"His own 1968 debut album, The DeJohnette Complex, immediately proposed that his was a voice intimately connected with a jazz scene exploding in a thousand directions around him, while he remained doggedly independent. The compositions DeJohnette wrote for his album were harmonically ornate and asserted jazz/rock energy while also occasionally leaning towards free-form improvisation. He featured himself playing melodica, and his folky melodic inventions soared."
"After leaving Davis, he was signed to ECM Records. In 1976 he released Untitled, a hectic quintet album, but also Pictures in which he played piano, drums and organ, and duetted on some tracks with guitarist John Abercrombie, an album that was sparse and bare-bones in contrast to Untitled."
DeJohnette's versatility was showcased over an extensive discography that included 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.
His mid-'70s group Directions, featuring John Abercrombie, had a brief impact, one surpassed by following project, Special Edition, the first DeJohnette-led group to receive critical acclaim. This group also helped the careers of many lesser-known young horn players, as it had a rotating front line that included David Murray, Arthur Blythe, Chico Freeman, and John Purcell, among others.
DeJohnette's work with Special Edition ran into the '90s, in parallel with his recordings in 1983 and tours from 1985 as a member of Keith Jarrett's trio, which was totally devoted to playing jazz standards. The trio included his long-time compatriot Jarrett and bassist Gary Peacock, and all three were members of the group for over 25 years.
His musical range was in evidence on 2005 album Music in the Key of Om, an electronic album that he created for relaxing and meditative purposes, on which he played synthesizer and resonating bells. It was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best New Age Album category.
DeJohnette was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2007. He won two Grammy Awards, for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for Skyline, and Best New Age Album, for Peace Time. He earned six other Grammy nominations and was named an NEA Jazz Master.
Fellow musicians flooded social media with tributes to DeJohnette upon news of his passing. His work had a major impact on multiple generations of Canadian jazz players, and two noted Canadian drummers paid tribute to Billboard Canada.
Longtime Blue Rodeo drummer Glenn Milchem offered this homage: "I grew up listening to Jack DeJohnette. My dad was a jazz lover and his passion for the music rubbed off on me, especially when I started playing the drum kit at age 10. Jack, Tony Williams and Buddy Rich were some of the first jazz drummers I remember being in awe of.
"Jack had an amazing technical facility that became even more finely honed during the course of his career, but he was also funky, experimental, and unfailingly musical. He's one of those rare drummers who you could identify in seconds just by his distinctive sound and feel. Some of my favourite recordings with Jack include Forest Flower with Charles Lloyd, Bitches Brew with Miles Davis, and Somewhere (Live In Lucerne / 2009) with Keith Jarrett and Gary Peacock, easily one of the greatest trios in jazz history.
"But I've never heard a recording with him that doesn't sound exemplary. One of the greatest drummers in history is gone, but his creative genius will be with us forever. Long live Jack DeJohnette."
Juno-winning drummer, composer and bandleader Ernesto Cervini (Turboprop, Myriad3) sent this tribute: "Jack was a constant source of inspiration for me. His spirit and creativity behind the kit was always incredible to watch and hear. I remember seeing him at the Toronto Jazz Festival when I was a teenager, and I was completely blown away!"
Archie Fisher, a folk musician and former BBC Scotland presenter known as a global ambassador for Scottish folk music, died on Nov. 1, at age 86.
A BBC obituary noteds that "The singer, songwriter and guitarist presented BBC Radio Scotland's Travelling Folk from 1983 to 2010. Born in Glasgow into a singing family, he released a number of albums over the years and was among the earliest steel-string players in British folk music."
In all, Fisher released seven solo albums, beginning with a self-titled debut in 1968. He released two joint albums with Canadian folk star Garnet Rogers, Off The Map (1986) and The Best Times After All (2019).
In 2006, Fisher was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours for services to traditional Scottish music.
In posts on social media, Scottish singing star Barbara Dickson describes him as "My musical mentor and huge cultural icon here in Scotland. Rest in Peace, Archie."
Hayley Valentine, director of BBC Scotland said: "Archie was a popular voice on BBC Radio Scotland for many years and an influential figure in the country's traditional music scene. As the long-time presenter of Travelling Folk, he brought warmth and a deep musical insight to generations of listeners. We are saddened by the news of Archie's passing and send our condolences to his family, friends, and former colleagues."
Donald Shaw, creative producer of Celtic Connections, says: "Archie Fisher was one of the great tradition bearers of the Scottish folk scene, and an inspiring, much-loved singer-songwriter before his success as a radio presenter.
"Songs like 'Men of Worth' — his powerful tribute to Scots fishing — have become part of the contemporary folk repertoire, testament to his natural writing style. His celebratory 80th anniversary concert at Celtic Connections a few years ago was a highlight from the festival over the years, with artists from across the world seeking a turn on the night. As anyone on the music scene today will tell you, he was full of wit, kindness and knowledge. He will be sorely missed."
Over his long career, Fisher performed many times in Canada, and was much-loved by Canadian folk musicians. The Goderich Celtic Roots Festival posted this Facebook tribute: "We are saddened to hear of the passing of renowned Scottish singer-songwriter, Archie Fisher, earlier today. On behalf of the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival, we extend our condolences to his family and to all who knew and loved Archie and his music.
"We were so blessed to have Archie at our festival many times over the years and to know how much he loved Goderich. In 2024, he once again graced our stages when he and Garnet Rogers were at our festival as part of his last visit to Canada. Rest easy Archie and thank you for your kindness and your music."
Noted Canadian folk singer-songwriter and festival director James Keelaghan also paid homage on Facebook: "He's reached the haven of Fiddler's Green. Archie Fisher has passed. The word is bandied about, but Archie truly was, and will remain, a legend.
"He has been a part of my life for a long time, from when my dad took me to the tapings of the Makem and Clancy TV shows in Calgary when I was a very skinny 13, to when I was invited to breakfast with him, Hamish Imalach and Garnet Rogers in my early 20s when I began to know him personally.
"I was proud to do a couple of joint tours with him, as well as one with him and @JezLowe. I was also pleased to book him a couple of times at the Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival. He was a fountain of stories, the very personification of the bard.
"I stopped in to see him and to spend the night at the hacienda near Galashiels last June. We ate curry, we told stories, drank whisky and played some songs. And in the early afternoon, I took my leave. It was the last time I saw him. But it won't be the last time we'll be together. Tonight I will sing 'Dark-eyed Molly,' 'The Final Trawl,' 'Bill Hosie' and 'Witch of the Westmerland,' and we will be together again. And if we keep singing his songs, he'll never die."
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