Johnny Mbizo Dyani (30 November 1945 – 24 October 1986) was a South African

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

double bassist, vocalist and pianist, who, in addition to being a key member of

The Blue Notes The Blue Notes were a South African jazz sextet, whose definitive line-up featured Chris McGregor on piano, Mongezi Feza on trumpet, Dudu Pukwana on alto saxophone, Nikele Moyake on tenor saxophone, Johnny Dyani on bass, and Louis Moholo-Moho ...

, played with such international musicians as

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. Cherry played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five se ...

, Steve Lacy, David Murray,

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

guitar player Jukka Syrenius,

Pierre Dørge Pierre Dørge (born 28 February 1946) is a Danish avant-garde jazz guitarist. As leader of the New Jungle Orchestra, he combined traditional and modern jazz with West African Highlife guitar music. Among his collaborators have been his wife, pian ...

Peter Brötzmann Peter Brötzmann (born 6 March 1941) is a German saxophonist and clarinetist. Biography Early life Brötzmann was born in Remscheid, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He studied painting in Wuppertal and was involved with the Fluxus movement ...

Mal Waldron Malcolm Earl "Mal" Waldron (August 16, 1925 – December 2, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He started playing professionally in New York in 1950, after graduating from college. In the following dozen years or so Wa ...

, fellow South African

Dollar Brand Abdullah Ibrahim (born Adolph Johannes Brand on 9 October 1934 and formerly known as Dollar Brand) is a South African pianist and composer. His music reflects many of the musical influences of his childhood in the multicultural port areas of Cap ...

(Abdullah Ibrahim), and Leo Smith, among many other prominent players.

Biography

Dyani was born (3 years before the establishment of Apartheid) and grew up in

Duncan Village Duncan Village is a township in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The township is located about five kilometres away from the East London city business district (CBD). Duncan Village is di ...

East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...

, in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, eastern Cape Province of South Africa.. In the early 1960s, he was a member of South Africa's first integrated jazz band,

, with

Mongezi Feza Mongezi Feza (11 May 1945 – 14 December 1975) was a South African jazz trumpeter and flautist. Biography Feza was born in Queenstown, Cape Province, Union of South Africa, into a family of musicians, His elder brother, Sandi Feza, who ...

on trumpet,

Dudu Pukwana Mthutuzeli Dudu Pukwana (18 July 1938 – 30 June 1990) was a South African saxophonist, composer and pianist (although not known for his piano playing). Early years in South Africa Dudu Pukwana was born in Walmer Township, Port Elizabeth, S ...

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

Nikele Moyake Nikele (Nik) Moyake (c. 1933 – c. 1966) was born on a farm in Addo, Eastern Cape, Addo in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. He was a musician who played mbaqanga and jazz. Music career In the early 1950s Moyake moved to Port Elizabeth where ...

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

Chris McGregor Christopher McGregor (24 December 1936 – 26 May 1990) was a South African jazz pianist, bandleader and composer born in Somerset West, South Africa. Early influences McGregor grew up in the then Transkei (now part of the Eastern Cape Provin ...

on piano, and

Louis Moholo Louis Tebogo Moholo (born 10 March 1940), is a South African jazz drummer. He has been a member of several notable bands, including The Blue Notes, the Brotherhood of Breath and Assagai. Biography Born in Cape Town, Moholo formed The Blue ...

on drums. In 1964, the band fled South Africa to seek musical and political freedom. Moholo explained, "We were rebels and we were trying to run away from this

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

thing. We rebelled against the apartheid regime that whites and blacks couldn't play together. We stood up." In 1966, Dyani toured

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

with Steve Lacy's quartet. Lacy, Rava, Dyani and Moholo recorded ''

The Forest and the Zoo ''The Forest and the Zoo'' is an album by Steve Lacy. It was released by ESP. Music and recording The music comes from a concert in Argentina. The quartet is made up of Lacy on soprano saxophone, Enrico Rava on trumpet, Johnny Dyani on bass, and ...

''. In 1971, Dyani formed his own group Earthquake Power, and in 1972 co-founded Xaba with fellow Blue Note

and Turkish percussionist

Okay Temiz Okay Temiz (born 11 February 1939, Istanbul, Turkey) is a Turkish fusion jazz percussionist and drummer. Biography Temiz was influenced in his early years by his mother, Naciye, who was classically schooled in music. Temiz started playing profess ...

.Francesco Martinelli
Johnny Dyani biography
at AllMusic. Performing widely throughout Europe, Dyani moved to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, Denmark, in the early 1970s, and about ten years later to Sweden, recording many albums under his own name. He recorded with

(Abdullah Ibrahim), Don Cherry, Steve Lacy, David Murray,

Joseph Jarman Joseph Jarman (September 14, 1937 – January 9, 2019) was an American jazz musician, composer, poet, and Shinshu Buddhist priest. He was one of the first members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and a member of the ...

Clifford Jarvis Clifford Osbourne Jarvis (August 26, 1941 – November 26, 1999) was an American hard bop and free jazz drummer, who in the 1980s moved to London, England, where he spent the remainder of his career. Biography Clifford Jarvis, the son of Mal ...

Don Moye Donald Moye, Jr. (born May 23, 1946), known as Famoudou Don Moye, is an American jazz percussionist and drummer. He is most known for his involvement with the Art Ensemble of Chicago and is noted for his mastery of African and Caribbean percuss ...

Han Bennink Han Bennink (born 17 April 1942) is a Dutch drummer and percussionist. On occasion his recordings have featured him playing soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, trombone, violin, banjo and piano. Though perhaps best known as one of the pivotal fig ...

Brotherhood of Breath The Brotherhood of Breath was an English-South African big band established in the late-1960s by South African pianist and composer Chris McGregor, an extension of McGregor's previous band, The Blue Notes. History The Brotherhood of Breath i ...

and many others. Dyani died suddenly in 1986 after a performance in

West Berlin West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...

Legacy

After his death, the remaining members of The Blue Notes reunited to record a moving tribute album, entitled ''Blue Notes for Johnny''. Other musical tributes include: *

's album ''Fuck de Boere'' (1970), dedicated to Johnny Dyani * Pierre Dørge & New Jungle Orchestra's album ''Johnny Lives'' (1987) * David Murray's composition "Mbizo", which was first recorded on the

Clarinet Summit Clarinet Summit was a project organized by producer Joachim-Ernst Berendt in 1979. The 1979 concert was released on MPS Records as ''You Better Fly Away''. It features John Carter, Perry Robinson, Gianluigi Trovesi, Bernd Konrad, Theo Jörgensm ...

's ''Southern Bells'' (1987) and the duo album '' The Healers'' with

Randy Weston Randolph Edward "Randy" Weston (April 6, 1926 – September 1, 2018) was an American jazz pianist and composer whose creativity was inspired by his ancestral African connection. Weston's piano style owed much to Duke Ellington and Thelonious M ...

(1987) and giving the title to the

World Saxophone Quartet The World Saxophone Quartet is an American jazz ensemble founded in 1977, incorporating elements of free jazz, R&B, funk and South African jazz into their music. The original members were Julius Hemphill (alto and soprano saxophone, flute), ...

's record '' M'Bizo'' (1997). In a memorial published in the South African magazine ''Rixaka'',

Pallo Jordan Zweledinga Pallo Jordan (born 22 May 1942) is a South African politician. He was a member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress, and was a cabinet minister from 1994 until 2009. Early life Jordan is the son of th ...

wrote of Dyani: "Above all, his music resounded with a joy in life." Johnny Dyani, wrote a song for Gerald Vuyisile Mei, in 1983 about their encounter, where GV Mei as an anthropological researcher shared his findings on oral tradition, he titled the song, 'Bongo', meaning, 'Proud'

Discography

* 1964: The Blue Notes Legacy – ''Live in South Africa 1964'' (

Ogun Ogun or Ogoun (Yoruba: Ògún, Portuguese: Ogum, Gu; also spelled Oggun or Ogou; known as Ogún or Ogum in Latin America) is a spirit that appears in several African religions. He attempted to seize the throne after the demise of Obatala, who re ...

, released in 1995) * 1967: Steve Lacy – ''

'' (

ESP ESP most commonly refers to: * Extrasensory perception, a paranormal ability ESP may also refer to: Arts, entertainment Music * ESP Guitars, a manufacturer of electric guitars * E.S. Posthumus, an independent music group formed in 2000, ...

) * 1970:

Alan Shorter Alan Shorter (May 29, 1932 – April 5, 1988) was a free jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player, and the older brother of composer and saxophone player Wayne Shorter. Biography Shorter was born in the Ironbound District in Newark, New Jersey. He sta ...

– ''

Tes Esat ''Tes Esat'' is an album by jazz trumpeter Alan Shorter, recorded in Paris in 1970 and released on the French America label. Reception AllMusic rated the album 4 stars with its review by Brandon Burke stating, "On this, the last of his leader d ...

'' (America) * 1971:

– ''

Orient The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of ''Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the c ...

'' ( BYG) * 1973: ''Good News From Africa'' with Abdullah Ibrahim * 1973: ''Music For Xaba'' with Mongezi Feza and

* 1975: ''Blue Notes For Mongezi'' with Chris McGregor, Dudu Pukwana, Louis Moholo * 1976: ''Haazz & Co – Unlawful Noise'' with P. Brotzmann, H. Bennink, L. Moholo, P. Bennink * 1976: Johnny Dyani with

Chris Joris Chris Joris in the middle Chris Joris (born 30 November 1952, Mechelen) is a Belgian jazz percussionist, pianist and composer. He is the son of Jan Joris, an opera singer. Joris joined Aksak Maboul in 1977, appeared on their first album but l ...

– ''Songs For Mbizo'' (released VKH Tonesetters, 1991 ncl. Dyani's voiceand Jazz Halo/Omnitone, 2002)*
*
* * 1977:

Abdullah Ibrahim Abdullah Ibrahim (born Adolph Johannes Brand on 9 October 1934 and formerly known as Dollar Brand) is a South African pianist and composer. His music reflects many of the musical influences of his childhood in the multicultural port areas of Cap ...

– ''

The Journey The Journey may refer to: Film and television * ''The Journey'' (1942 film), or ''El viaje'', an Argentine film * ''The Journey'' (1959 film), an American drama starring Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner, and Jason Robards about the Hungarian Revoluti ...

'' (Chiaroscuro) * 1978: Johnny Dyani with

John Tchicai John Martin Tchicai ( ; 28 April 1936 – 8 October 2012) was a Danish free jazz saxophonist and composer. Biography Tchicai was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, to a Danish mother and a Congolese father. The family moved to Aarhus, where he st ...

– ''Witchdoctor's Son'' (

SteepleChase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

) * 1978: Johnny Dyani Quartet – ''Song for Biko'' (SteepleChase) * 1978: Johnny Dyani & David Murray – ''Let the Music Take You'' (Marge) * 1979:

/Johnny Dyani – ''Echoes From Africa'' (Enja) * 1980: Joseph Jarman, Famoudou Don Moye feat. Johnny Dyani – '' Black Paladins'' * 1981: Johnny Dyani &

Duo Live at Jazz Unité – ''Some Jive Ass Boer'' (Jazz Unité) * 1983: Johnny Dyani &

Joe Bonner Joe Bonner (April 20, 1948 – November 20, 2014) was a hard bop and modal jazz pianist, influenced by McCoy Tyner and Art Tatum. He was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina and studied at Virginia State College, but indicated that he lear ...

– ''Suburban Fantasies'' (SteepleChase) * 1983: ''Live at Umea Jazz Festival'' Anders Gahnold Trio with Gilbert Mathews * 1984: Pierre Dørge & New Jungle Orchestra– ''Brikama'' (SteepleChase) * 1984: ''Percussion Summit'' (

Moers Music Moers Music is a German jazz record label that was founded by Burkhard Hennen in Moers, Germany. The label started in 1974 under the name Ring but was changed three years later due to a conflict with a Canadian record label that had the same name. ...

) * 1984: Johnny Dyani – ''Afrika'' (SteepleChase) * 1985: Pierre Dørge & New Jungle Orchestra – ''Even the Moon Is Dancing'' (SteepleChase) * 1985: ''Live at Jazzclub Fasching'' – Anders Gahnold Trio with Gilbert Mathews * 1986: Johnny Dyani Quartet – ''Angolian Cry'' (SteepleChase); with

Harry Beckett Harold Winston "Harry" Beckett (30 May 1935 – 22 July 2010) was a British trumpeter and flugelhorn player of Barbadian origin. Biography Born in Bridgetown, Saint Michael, Barbados, Harry Beckett learned to play music in a Salvation Army ...

and John Tchicai * 1987: Johnny Dyani – ''Witchdoctor's Son – Together'' (Cadillac Music & Publishing) * 1990: Detail – ''In Time Was'' –

Frode Gjerstad Frode Gjerstad (born 24 March 1948) is a Norwegian jazz musician with alto saxophone as principal instrument, but he also plays other saxophones, clarinet, and flute. He has collaborated with Paal Nilssen-Love, Borah Bergman, Peter Brötzmann, E ...

, John Stevens,

Kent Carter Kent Carter (born June 14, 1939 in Hanover, New Hampshire) is an American jazz bassist. His father, Alan Carter, founded the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. He is also the grandson of American artist, Rockwell Kent. He worked in Steve Lacy's group, ...

* 1993: ''Three''

Khan Jamal Khan Jamal (July 23, 1946 – January 10, 2022), born Warren Robert Cheeseboro, was an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. He founded the band Sounds of Liberation in 1970. He was described by Ron Wynn as "a proficient soloist when p ...

Pierre Dorge Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

* 1995: Detail – ''Last Detail Live at Café Sting'' – Frode Gjerstad, John Stevens, Kent Carter * 1996: ''Born Under The Heat'' * 2014: ''Rejoice & Together''

References

External links

Discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dyani, Johnny 1945 births 1986 deaths Antilles Records artists Avant-garde jazz musicians Jazz double-bassists South African composers South African male composers South African jazz musicians SteepleChase Records artists The Blue Notes members 20th-century composers 20th-century double-bassists Brotherhood of Breath members 20th-century male musicians 20th-century South African musicians