Johnny Dyani

Johnny "Mbizo" Dyani was from a musical family and began playing the piano and singing in a traditional choir at an early age. At 13, he switched to bass, but would use both voice and piano later on. <a href="spotify:artist:6pnGLS7ORH3pAL3hkreAkR">Chris McGregor</a> hired him for <a href="spotify:artist:2c2rkRnDFvvY9QC23nHC3s">the Blue Notes</a> after hearing him play with pianist Tete Mbambiza; the group left the country in 1964, playing first at the Antibes Jazz Festival, then in Zurich, London, and Copenhagen. In 1966, Dyani toured Argentina with <a href="spotify:artist:1BEsuwAkTQMG50TeHB5qny">Steve Lacy</a>'s quartet, recording The Forest and the Zoo (ESP). In 1970, he played in <a href="spotify:artist:3uPWecBPNXAChysw1uOJwI">Don Cherry</a>'s trio with <a href="spotify:artist:6yajM6C42NTolTtmV0q2cq">Okay Temiz</a>, and sat in with <a href="spotify:artist:2EsmKkHsXK0WMNGOtIhbxr">McCoy Tyner</a> in New York. He worked with <a href="spotify:artist:39mb0I6tdTcCXkeigvzxOJ">Abdullah Ibrahim</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:4tSiG6obF6RpSEU6KE3I4J">Alan Shorter</a> (Tes Esat, 1970), and formed his own Earthquake Power in 1971. The following year, Dyani co-founded Xaba with Mongezi Feza and <a href="spotify:artist:6yajM6C42NTolTtmV0q2cq">Temiz</a>. He became very active on the European scene, playing with <a href="spotify:artist:0ytbVMei74be9tZ9DWiFP9">Irene Schweizer</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0tmLlnSIrAb8NZajutucCC">Han Bennink</a>, and with visiting American free jazz musicians such as <a href="spotify:artist:00SOiqZ0YGY2JhjSPxZMZg">David Murray</a>, Leo Smith, <a href="spotify:artist:7lqUZkYVLZSmvWOMvWdFZL">Joseph Jarman</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:77g41TwzS2LRL9h5kTO6id">Don Moye</a>. His Witchdoctor's Son band made records with <a href="spotify:artist:6bW73aNRCae7jPJF1Dxy9F">Dudu Pukwana</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:3zPUfW3hRI4NIvhtr6UjH1">John Tchicai</a> for Steeplechase, and with Swedish and Brazilian musicians for Cadillac (Witchdoctor's Son Together, 1980). His quartet featured guests <a href="spotify:artist:3uPWecBPNXAChysw1uOJwI">Don Cherry</a> (Song for Biko, Steeplechase), <a href="spotify:artist:6bW73aNRCae7jPJF1Dxy9F">Pukwana</a> (Mbizo, Steeplechase 1981), and <a href="spotify:artist:5HkyIg4cBChHjyUcmnvDI2">Butch Morris</a> (Grandmother's Teaching, Jam). He recorded in duo with drummer <a href="spotify:artist:50fCjlS4E2MEyhcNenzqcK">Clifford Jarvis</a> (African Bass, Red 1979), and his septet/octet recorded two albums with <a href="spotify:artist:227XihLVPJe3K1Ip5KZGJn">Charles Davis</a> (Afrika and Born Under the Heat, both released in 1983). Detail was his '80s trio with John Stevens and saxophonist <a href="spotify:artist:05PZ0e9SlkS4S53qo1nUom">Frode Gjerstad</a>, and Detail Plus featured <a href="spotify:artist:3iysE3N9e6nZZ6kHUoiOCl">Bobby Bradford</a> on cornet. His 1985 album Angolian Cry (Steeplechase) was of a quartet with trumpeter <a href="spotify:artist:4qotTgckiMsh9fjHLXSRyC">Harry Beckett</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:3zPUfW3hRI4NIvhtr6UjH1">Tchicai</a>. A year later, Johnny Dyani died suddenly after a performance in Berlin. ~ Francesco Martinelli, Rovi