JOHNNY DYANI
Genres: Avant-Garde Jazz, African Fusion • South Africa

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. Chris McGregor hired him for the Blue Notes 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 Steve Lacy's quartet, recording The Forest and the Zoo (ESP). In 1970, he played in Don Cherry's trio with Okay Temiz, and sat in with McCoy Tyner in New York. He worked with Abdullah Ibrahim and Alan Shorter (Tes Esat, 1970), and formed his own Earthquake Power in 1971. The following year, Dyani co-founded Xaba with Mongezi Feza and Temiz. He became very active on the European scene, playing with read more...