Bassist Johnny Dyani had a large tone and a relaxed yet authoritative style. On this classic SteepleChase release he teams up with two other South African expatriates (altoist Dudu Pukwana and drummer Makay Ntshoko) plus cornetist Don Cherry for music that is haunting, emotional, somewhat adventurous, yet also melodic. While "Song for Biko" is the most memorable piece, all five of Dyani's originals (including the 16-and-a-half-minute "Jo'burg-New York") are special. The music combines together Dyani's South African folk heritage with Ornette Coleman's free bop and elements of avant-garde jazz.
Reissue of a 1979 duo recording of legendary South African bassist Johnny Dyani (of The Blue Notes) and drummer Clifford Jarvis (who played with Sun Ra for over two decades).
Johnny Letman (1917-1992) was a trumpeter and singer in the traditional- mainstream vein, who had been on the scene for quite a long time, playing with such bandleaders as Lucky Millinder and Cab Calloway, before rising to prominence in the late 50s. But his lack of recognition (on records, at least) had not been—like the fate of some other mainstreamers—a matter of simply being forgotten. Letman never was known to any extent until 1958, when he started working out of the Metropole in New York City.
Johnny Griffin is heard in a pair of dates recorded in 1972 at Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen, joined by fellow American expatriates Kenny Drew and Ed Thigpen, along with bassist Mads Vinding. Most of this album is devoted to Griffin's originals. His piercing, extended blues "That Party Upstairs" is followed by a somber ballad "Alone Again" (not the bland Gilbert O'Sullivan pop hit "Along Again (Naturally)," as listed in some discographies). His remake of his early composition "Soft and Furry" features Vinding's delightful arco bass in octave unison with Griffin's tenor sax. The furious uptempo "Blues for Harvey" gives way to a turbulent pair of choruses of Thelonious Monk's "Rhythm-A-Ning."
This formerly obscure quartet set by tenor-saxophonist Johnny Griffin (reissued on CD in the OJC series) features the fiery soloist on five little-known originals written by Chicagoans plus a burning version of "Cherokee." Virtually all of Griffin's recordings are worth getting and, with the assistance of pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Wilbur Ware and drummer Philly Joe Jones, the tenor is in superior form for this spirited date.
Many straight-ahead bop musicians would never consider recording traditional folk songs from the British Isles, but that's exactly what Johnny Griffin does on The Kerry Dancers and Other Swinging Folk - and this Orrin Keepnews-produced album just happens to be one of his best releases of the 1960s. Joined by pianist Barry Harris, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Ben Riley, the big-toned Chicago tenor man turns his attention to four traditional folk melodies: "The Londonderry Air" (also known as "Danny Boy"), "Green Grow the Rushes" (a Scottish favorite), "The Kerry Dancers" (an Irish piece), and "Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair" - all of which work perfectly well in an acoustic jazz setting. Not everything on this album (which was recorded in late 1961 and early 1962) is a folk song from the British Isles; the other half of the album ranges from Griffin's moody "Oh, Now I See" to the John Coltrane-influenced "25 1/2 Daze"…
This fine 1993 release finds Griffin's in the company of such stellar guest soloists as trombonist Steve Turre, tuba player Dave Bargeron, and French horn player John Clark; the band's core is made up by Griffin's then regular quartet featuring pianist Michael Weiss, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Kenny Washington. This supple but tight ensemble ably handle Griffin's rich store of seven originals and a cover of Cole Porter's "All Through the Night."
This album is very much the kid brother of records like Sonny Rollins' Newk's Time, where the presence of a pianist and bassist was almost incidental to the heated interplay between Rollins and drummer Philly Joe Jones. On this record, the drum chair is filled by the great Kenny Clarke, and he is in crackling form throughout this album, really driving Griffin to some creative work. Pianist Francy Boland, the co-leader with Clarke of Europe's fantastic Clarke-Boland Big Band, largely gets out of the way, comping minimally and turning in an occasional rolling, rhythmic solo. Despite being made in the mid-60s, the album refreshingly ignores Coltrane-isms in favour of a sort of Ornette Coleman-influenced hard bop of the type Jackie McLean was recording at the time…
For Afrika, South African expatriate bassist Johnny Dyani enlarged his group to a septet from the quartet formation he had used on prior Steeplechase recordings and, in the process, shifted gears slightly from the deeper, beautifully bitter songs that had been his forte (such as "House Arrest" on Mbizo) to a somewhat lighter fare, replete with catchy, skipping melodies and funky electric bass. Something of the township feel, so basic to his work, was also lost by replacing Dudu Pukwana with veteran saxman Charles Davis and by the odd inclusion of steel drums which supply a lilting quality.