Johnny "Mbizo" Dyani

[Hardbopjazz]

I was listening to an Internet jazz station and heard something from this guy. I had never heard of him before. He was a bass player born in South Africa. The music had an African feel to it, but it was enjoyable. He died after doing a gig in Berlin. AMG doesn’t list whom he played with. Just wondering where else might I have heard him before.

[A Lark Ascending]

If you look at the AMG bio it mentions him playing with:

Chris McGregor and the Blue Notes

Steve Lacy's quartet,

Don Cherry

McCoy Tyner

Abdullah Ibrahim and Alan Shorter

Xaba with Mongezi Feza and Temiz.

Irene Schweizer, Han Bennink, David Murray, Leo Smith, Joseph Jarman, and Don Moye.

Witchdoctor's Son with Dudu Pukwana and John Tchicai

Clifford Jarvis, Charles Davis

John Stevens, Frode Gjerstad, and Bobby Bradford

Harry Beckett

These two discs are excellent:

Edited February 8, 2005 by Bev Stapleton

[Late]

Dyani's been discussed on this board at least once before here. I ended up with two Steeplechases, and have really enjoyed them. He also plays the shite out of the bass on Lacy's The Forest & The Zoo.

[Hardbopjazz]

If you look at the AMG bio it mentions him playing with:

Chris McGregor and the Blue Notes

Steve Lacy's quartet,

Don Cherry

McCoy Tyner

Abdullah Ibrahim and Alan Shorter

Xaba with Mongezi Feza and Temiz.

Irene Schweizer, Han Bennink, David Murray, Leo Smith, Joseph Jarman, and Don Moye.

Witchdoctor's Son with Dudu Pukwana and John Tchicai

Clifford Jarvis, Charles Davis

John Stevens, Frode Gjerstad, and Bobby Bradford

Harry Beckett

These two discs are excellent:

I'm not registered with AMG, so I couldn’t view that area.

[A Lark Ascending]

Neither am I!

I get locked out of 'songs' and 'credits' but have no problem seeing 'discography' or 'biography'.

[John B]

I don't think I've heard a bad album with Dyani on it.

Highest recommendations to Song for Biko, Witchdoctor's Son and Good News from Africa. I would recommend getting a copy of every album he played on, starting with these.

[SEK]

Highest recommendations to Song for Biko, Witchdoctor's Son and Good News from Africa.

Those are three Dyani albums I would put at the top of the list as well, along with anything by Dyani-Temiz-Feza.

[blake]

I'll reiterate the praise for Song For Biko and add a plug for David Murray's 3-D Family (due to be re-issued by Hat in the near future I think I just read somewhere).

Can anyone comment on the Ayler release Flowers For Johnny? I'm not familiar with the work of either Anders Gahnold or Gilbert Matthews.

[relyles]

Can anyone comment on the Ayler release Flowers For Johnny? I'm not familiar with the work of either Anders Gahnold or Gilbert Matthews.

I am pretty sure that I have it, but I don't think I have had the chance to listen to it yet. I will have to remedy that soon. Gahnhold plays on an Ayler release with William Parker and Hamid Drake that really impressed me.

[John B]

I'll reiterate the praise for Song For Biko and add a plug for David Murray's 3-D Family (due to be re-issued by Hat in the near future I think I just read somewhere).

Can anyone comment on the Ayler release Flowers For Johnny? I'm not familiar with the work of either Anders Gahnold or Gilbert Matthews.

I really enjoy this album and would highly recommend it.

The album relyles mentioned, ...and William Danced, is also fantastic.

[Lazaro Vega]

Dyani played with Pierre Dorge's New Jungle Orchestra near the end of his life -- I believe they played the Chicago Jazz Festival (including a jam session at The Jazz Record Mart).

[Face of the Bass]

Are all of Dyani's albums as a leader as impossibly awesome as Witchdoctor's Son?