Johnny Dyani

Lifeblood of the cultural diaspora of Apartheid, Dyani left South Africa with the Blue Notes in 1964. His amazing discography includes crucial collaborations with Don Cherry, Steve Lacy, Dollar Brand, the Brotherhood Of Breath and Derek Bailey.
Here he is performing solo at a jazz festival in Switzerland in 1978, testing the compositions which would comprise his monumental LP African Bass, out two years later. Double bass, gongs, piano and singing. Knockabout, mystical roots — spell-binding and ecstatic, open-hearted and unafraid. Never before released. 

Sing A Song Fighter have never been more proud and happy than to finally announce and release this unissued and unheard fantastic recording. South African in exile Johnny Dyani was one of the greatest bass players. Played with Don Cherry, Chris McGregor, Archie Sheep, Dollar Brand/Abdullah Ibrahim etc etc. He also made many great albums as a bandleader. And a few rare minimal albums where it was mostly him and his upright bass. He died way too early in 1986. And as Karl Jonas Winqvist (Sing A Song Fighter) rank some of Dyani's works (African Bass, Witchdoctor's Son with Okay Temiz and Good News From Africa with Dollar Brand) as "the most natural, creative musical force there is" he investigated for years if there was more recorded Dyani material waiting to be heard. And where? And after e-mailing endlessly with an National Radio Museum in Switzerland he finally found what he was looking for.
In 1978 graphic designer Niklaus Troxler arranged the great Willisau Jazz Festival in Switzerland. A lot of legendary artists like Max Roach, Jan Garbarek, Elvin Jones and Don Cherry were performing.
And Johnny Dyani was one of them. He did this rare solo concert with some of the material that 2 years later would end up on his great album African Bass.