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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

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-Mo ...

, played with such international musicians as Don Cherry, Steve Lacy, David Murray, Finnish guitar player Jukka Syrenius, Pierre Dørge, Peter Brötzmann,

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), previously 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,

East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

, 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 on trumpet,

Dudu Pukwana Mthutuzeli Dudu Pukwana (18 July 1938 – 30 June 1990) was a South African saxophonist and composer. Early years in South Africa Dudu Pukwana was born in Walmer, Port Elizabeth, Walmer Township, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. He grew up studyin ...

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgians, Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E♭ ( ...

, Nikele Moyake on

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 (whi ...

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 Prov ...

on piano, and

Louis Moholo Louis Tebogo Moholo (10 March 1940 – 13 June 2025) was a South African jazz drummer. He was a member of several notable bands, including The Blue Notes, the Brotherhood of Breath and Assagai. Biography Born in Cape Town, Moholo formed The ...

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: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

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, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

with Steve Lacy's quartet. Lacy, Rava, Dyani and Moholo recorded '' The Forest and the Zoo''. In 1971, Dyani formed his own group Earthquake Power, and in 1972 co-founded Xaba with fellow Blue Note Mongezi Feza and Turkish percussionist Okay Temiz.Francesco Martinelli
Johnny Dyani biography
at AllMusic. Performing widely throughout Europe, Dyani moved to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, Denmark, in the early 1970s, to live with his wife, 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, Clifford Jarvis, Don Moye, Han Bennink, Brotherhood of Breath,

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

West Berlin West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...

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: * Peter Brötzmann'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's ''Southern Bells'' (1987) and the duo album '' The Healers'' with Randy Weston (1987) and giving the title to the World Saxophone Quartet'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:

– '' Township Bop'' ( Proper, released in 2002) * 1964: The Blue Notes – '' Legacy: Live in South Afrika 1964'' ( Ogun, released in 1995) * 1967: Steve Lacy – '' The Forest and the Zoo'' ( ESP) * 1968:

Group - '' Very Urgent'' (Polydor) * 1970: Alan Shorter – '' Tes Esat'' (America) * 1971: Don Cherry – ''

Orient The Orient is a term referring to the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of the term ''Occident'', which refers to the Western world. In English, it is largely a meto ...

'' ( BYG) * 1972: ''Rejoice'' (Cadillac, 1988) with Mongezi Feza and Okay Temiz * 1973: '' Good News from Africa'' with Abdullah Ibrahim * 1973: ''Music For Xaba'' with Mongezi Feza and Okay Temiz * 1975: '' Blue Notes for Mongezi'' with Chris McGregor, Dudu Pukwana, Louis Moholo * 1976: ''Haazz & Co – Unlawful Noise'' with C. Hazevoet, P. Brotzmann, H. Bennink, L. Moholo, P. Bennink * 1976: Johnny Dyani with Chris Joris – ''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), previously 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'' (Chiaroscuro) * 1977: '' Blue Notes in Concert Volume 1'' (Ogun, 1978) * 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 s ...

– '' Witchdoctor's Son'' ( SteepleChase) * 1978: Johnny Dyani Quartet – '' Song for Biko'' (SteepleChase) * 1978: David Murray – '' Let the Music Take You'' (Marge) * 1978: David Murray – '' Last of the Hipman'' (Red) * 1978: ''African Bass: Solo Concert, Willisau Jazz Festival 1978'' (Sing A Song Fighter, 2018) * 1979:

/Johnny Dyani – '' Echoes from Africa'' (Enja) * 1979: '' Spiritual Knowledge and Grace'' (Ogun, 2011); with Louis Moholo-Moholo,

, and Frank Wright * 1979: The Blue Notes – '' Before the Wind Changes'' (Ogun, 2012) * 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 – ''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) * 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 * 1985: Johnny Dyani Quartet – '' Angolian Cry'' (SteepleChase); with Harry Beckett, John Tchicai, and

Billy Hart Billy Hart (born November 29, 1940) is an American jazz drumming, jazz drummer and educator. He is known internationally for his work with Herbie Hancock's "Mwandishi" band in the early 1970s, as well as with Shirley Horn, Stan Getz, and Quest (b ...

* 1987: Johnny Dyani – ''Witchdoctor's Son – Together'' (Cadillac Music & Publishing) * 1990: Detail – ''In Time Was'' – Frode Gjerstad, John Stevens, Kent Carter * 1993: ''Three'' Khan Jamal, Pierre Dorge * 1996: ''Born Under The Heat'' * 2008: The Blue Notes – '' The Ogun Collection'' (Ogun); compilation * 2014: ''Rejoice & Together'' (Cadillac); compilation

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 South African composers 20th-century double-bassists Brotherhood of Breath members 20th-century South African male musicians 20th-century South African musicians Cadillac Records artists