Johnny Mbizo Dyani’s forgotten gem

 

I’m a collector and lover of South African jazz and I cherish some superb records on Ogun and Steeplechase labels where I learned to appreciate Johnny Dyani’s double-bass and high merits as a composer.

I wasn’t aware of this 1984 disc, recorded and pressed in Sweden, until today and - fortunately - I grabbed it, pronto as it was a new old stock copy sitting unmolested for the last 42 years on a shelf in a shop where nobody knew about the A M A Z I N G musical content!

The music, often dedicated to ZA hero Nelson Mandela, sounds so fresh and lifelike, so distant from the over-polished salon-jazz far too common these days.

The contagious joy pouring from this awesome disc is palpable… no selfish soloists here, but great musicians “born under the heat” swinging and having good time on November 18th, 1983 in the cold Stockholm.

I love South Africa and this music 🇿🇦