Biography
Johnny "Mbizo" Dyani grew up in a musical household and took up piano and choral singing in the traditional style while still very young. He turned to the bass at age thirteen yet continued employing both voice and piano throughout his career. Chris McGregor recruited him into the Blue Notes after an audition alongside pianist Tete Mbambiza; the ensemble departed South Africa in 1964 and performed first at the Antibes Jazz Festival before appearing in Zurich, London, and Copenhagen. In 1966 Dyani traveled through Argentina as a member of Steve Lacy’s quartet and documented the visit on the ESP release The Forest and the Zoo. During 1970 he joined Don Cherry’s trio alongside Okay Temiz and also guested with McCoy Tyner in New York. Additional collaborations that year linked him with Abdullah Ibrahim and Alan Shorter on the album Tes Esat, after which he assembled his own group Earthquake Power in 1971. The next year he helped establish the trio Xaba with Mongezi Feza and Temiz. Dyani became a fixture on the European circuit, working regularly with Irene Schweizer and Han Bennink as well as with visiting Americans such as David Murray, Leo Smith, Joseph Jarman, and Don Moye. His Witchdoctor’s Son ensemble issued recordings featuring Dudu Pukwana and John Tchicai on Steeplechase and, in 1980, a Cadillac album titled Witchdoctor’s Son Together that incorporated Swedish and Brazilian musicians. The same quartet welcomed guest appearances by Don Cherry on Song for Biko for Steeplechase, by Pukwana on the 1981 Steeplechase date Mbizo, and by Butch Morris on Grandmother’s Teaching for Jam. A 1979 duo session with drummer Clifford Jarvis produced the Red album African Bass. His septet and octet projects yielded two 1983 releases with Charles Davis—Afrika and Born Under the Heat. In the eighties the trio Detail united him with John Stevens and saxophonist Frode Gjerstad, while Detail Plus added cornetist Bobby Bradford. The 1985 Steeplechase quartet album Angolian Cry paired him with trumpeter Harry Beckett and Tchicai once more. Johnny Dyani died suddenly in Berlin in 1986 immediately after a concert.
Albums
