This is the official Website of Jack DeJohnette’s independent record Label, Golden Beams Productions.
For business inquiries please use the contact information in the right hand side of this page.
Label releases are listed below in order of release date including the Grammy Award winning ‘Peacetime’.
Latest Releases
Amazon’s pick for Top Ten Best Jazz Album of the year!
More than 13 years ago, Jack DeJohnette first floated the notion of one day playing with bassist John Patitucci and pianist Danilo Perez. That idea finally comes to fruition on Music We Are, an adventurous and remarkably harmonious trio project.
Recorded during a snow storm near DeJohnette’s home in the Catskills in New York, Music We Are, captures the trio’s unparalleled connection, improvisational compositions, and as DeJohnette explains, “a process of connecting in the studio and collectively following what made the most sense in a given moment” to deliver a musical statement of profound depth and remarkable range.
Produced by DeJohnette and co-produced by Patitucci and Perez, Music We Are combines strictly composed pieces, organically developed in the studio by the trio, with spacious collective improvisations to showcase the three virtuosos performing double-duty: DeJohnette on drums and melodica; Patitucci on upright and electric basses; and Perez on piano and keyboard.
The album contains a bonus DVD, providing a rare look at the trio’s friendship, intimate working relationship, and their recording process, and is also be available in vinyl.
Peacetime
Peace Time, the follow up to Jack’s Grammy® nominated New Age masterpiece, Music in the Key of Om, won the Grammy® in the Best New Age Category for 2008!
Jack “colors the tonal canvas with flights of flute, soft hand drumming and the gently percolating chime of cymbal play, moving the piece along a river of meditative delight. Subdued layers of overtone singing and the distant drones of sitars waft in and out like comforting and familiar spirit guides that manifest themselves in sound.” (eMusic)
Golden Beams Sampler
While Jack DeJohnette’s illustrious career has been marked by great recordings and collaborations for a variety of labels, many facets of his musical life were never represented on disc until the launch of his imprint, Golden Beams, in 2005. Golden Beams Collected, Volume 1 highlights his work in a broad range of areas – African, Brazilian, electronic, drum & bass, and meditation music – all informed by the creativity and superb musicianship of what The New York Times’ Ben Ratliff calls “one of the most important musicians in the last 40 years of jazz.”
The Ripple Effect – Hybrids
Jack DeJohnette’s The Ripple Effect is a collaborative project featuring composer/multi-instrumentalist John Surman, one of the key figures of the European jazz scene; Gambian kora master and griot, Foday Musa Suso; Marlui Miranda, the most acclaimed and recognized performer and researcher on music from the Brazilian Indians; avant-world-jazz-improvisationalist and bassist and guitarist extraordinaire Jerome Harris; and producer, sound engineer, and multi-instrumentalist Ben Surman. Hybrids, featuring seven interpretations of previously recorded material (three of which have never been released) and one brand new track, blends shades of African jazz, reggae, and dance music into DeJohnette’s groove-heavy rhythmic patterns and “represents the best in cross-cultural pollination, and it’s something the mainstream can’t afford to miss.” (Relix)
The Elephant Sleeps but Still Remembers
The Elephant Sleeps But Still Remembers, recorded live in October 2001 at the Earshot Festival in Seattle, documents an engrossing encounter between “our era’s most expansive percussive talent” (Jazz Times) and “the most important jazz guitarist of the last quarter of the 20th century” (Acoustic Guitar). Deftly edited and embellished by electronic producer Ben Surman, the album is a modern take on Musique Concrete, “chock full of appealing tones and eclectic textures.” (Billboard)
Music From the Hearts of the Masters
Two undisputed masters of their instruments – Foday Musa Suso, the innovative griot and kora master, and Jack DeJohnette, one of music’s greatest drummers – create a sublime interplay and sound that encompasses world beat, global chill, and contemporary improvised music. DeJohnette’s melodic approach to the drums wonderfully complements Suso’s virtuosic kora playing, creating an inspired dialogue and a thrilling listening experience, “a beautiful and special masterpiece.” (Herbie Hancock)
Music in the Key of Om
Music in the Key of Om, the 2006 Grammy® Nominee for Best New Age Album, is an uplifting hour-long piece that provides a perfect backdrop for meditation, massage, yoga, healing sessions, or simple relaxation. The music echoes with ancient sounds, like something one might hear in the mountains of Nepal, created by using special Resonating Bells (which Jack helped to create). “DeJohnette opts for simplicity, and the result lulled me into a cocoon of coziness…the synthesized drone is as deep and warm as a featherbed.” (Body and Soul)