Johnny Dyani - Angolian Cry (SteepleChase, 1985)

This post is by Dan

Johnny Mbizo Dyani (b); John Tchicai (ts, bcl); Harry Beckett (tr, flhn); Billy Hart (d)

Recorded July 23, 1985

Social strife has often inspired jazz artists. Angolian Cry contains six compositions by bassist Johny Dyani that speak to the heart of African experience as it emerged from colonialism. The album is a particular favorite of mine not only for its inspiring artistic statements, but also because of the supporting cast of players, some of whom may be unfamiliar to readers. Each is profiled below. 

 

Dyani grew up in South Africa and performed as the bassist in a group named the Blue Notes. They emigrated as a group to Europe in 1964 and settled in London, a city more hospitable to an inter-racial jazz group. Dyani is represented in four of our favorites of the decade, and his contributions to jazz in the 1970s and 1980s are extensive. 

Dyani's bass work on Angolian Cry is exceptional. He introduces the title tune with an enticing figure that is embellished by Billy Hart's drums. He plays an arco section on "Year of the Child," adding to the mysterious aura of that track. Throughout, his solos complement the other players, and there is no attempt to impose leader privilege on solo space.

John Tchicai was born in Copenhagen yet became a strong voice in the emerging American avant garde. He played on John Coltrane's Ascension album in 1965 and on several Archie Shepp records. At the time, he mainly played alto sax, which was apparently what his tenor-playing employers wanted. He then returned to Denmark and resumed to playing tenor as his main axe. 

On Angolian Cry Tchicai plays both tenor and bass clarinet. His solo on the title tune is plaintive and hesitant, just as a mournful cry might be. I love his bass clarinet work on "Year of the Child," a long, dreamlike composition that is the highlight of the whole album. He also takes a great tenor solo on "Blues for Moyake." 

I heard Tchicai play in a Danish jazz club about the time of Angolian Cry's recording and marveled at his strength and control. Of his later albums, I recommend Grandpa's Spells (Storyville, 1993), titled after a Jelly Roll Morton composition and featuring pianist Misha Mengelberg. 

Harry Beckett was born in Barbados and emigrated to the UK in the 1960s where he pursued an active jazz career. He was part of the London expatriate jazz community that included Dyani and others. He remained in London, where he died in 2010 at the age of 75. 

On Angolian Cry, Beckett's trumpet is a perfect complement to the other voices in the ensemble. He plays in a clear, uncluttered style and harmonizes with Tchicai in ways that are hard to describe. Somehow their respective timbres combine in a deeply expressive way. Beckett generally stays within the middle range of his instrument when soloing, except on "Blues for Moyake" where he soars. It's his best solo of the album. 

I have an all-time favorite album on which Beckett leads a trio with drums and bass only. Images of Clarity (Evidenc3, 1992) was issued on a French label and may be hard to locate, but it would be well worth the search if you are a collector like me.

Billy Hart, the only American in the group, is the right drummer for any group he plays with. He should receive recognition as our "drummer of the decade" because he is on (or leads) 15 of our Favorites posts. As I hear what he is doing on Angolian Cry, it's obvious that he is listening to everyone else and injecting just the right accents, edges, and occasional bombast to provoke more musical magic from the ensemble. 

Discogs credits Hart with over 700 recorded appearances, beginning in the early 1960s. I would expect that number to grow steadily as his career moves into its seventh decade. What a treasure he is!