Abdullah Ibrahim & Johnny Dyani : Namhanje

Recorded in 1979, 'Namhanje' (Today) is a duet featuring Abdullah Ibrahim (piano, voice) and Johnny Dyani (bass, voice). The piece was released as part of an Enja recording title 'Echoes From Africa'.

Pianist-composer-bandleader Abdullah Ibrahim, formerly known as Dollar Brand, was born in 1934 in Cape Town, South Africa. His music reflects many of the musical influences of his childhood in the multicultural port areas of Cape Town, ranging from traditional African songs to the gospel of the AME Church and ragas, to more modern jazz and other Western styles. Ibrahim is considered the leading figure in the sub-genre, Cape Jazz.

Johnny Mbizo Dyani (bassist and vocalist) was born in 1945 in Duncan Village, a township of the South African city of East London. In the early 1960s, Dyanni was a member of South Africa's first integrated jazz band, The Blue Notes. In 1964, the band fled South Africa to seek musical and political freedom. Drummer Louis Moholo explained, "We were rebels and we were trying to run away from this apartheid thing. We rebelled against the apartheid regime that whites and blacks couldn't play together. We stood up." Johnny Dyani died in 1986 at the age of forty. After his death, the remaining members of The Blue Notes reunited to record a moving tribute album, entitled 'Blue Notes For Johnny'.

The photographs are from many places in Africa including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mali, Kenya, among others. My appreciation to all the photographers. This video is for educational purposes and to honor the work of the artists.

Note: If anyone objects to this video due to copyright issues, please make contact and it will be considered for removal.