Music is potent stuff for Nduduzo Makhathini. The South African pianist’s compositions and improvisations are loaded with a force that he believes can heal people, connect to the spirit world and invite humanity to cultivate new ways of being. His eleventh studio album, uNomkhubulwane, is a three-part ritual that pays homage to a Zulu goddess. It’s powerful. And it sounds great too.
Makhathini is a Zulu healer, or Sangoma, and earned a PhD in 2023. His work is often described in terms of mystical messages or cerebral concepts. It seems important to mention, however, that he also has a prodigious gift for music’s rudiments—rhythmic feeling, melodic clarity, momentum. Beneath its metaphysical intent, his third Blue Note release showcases these gifts. He is joined by bassist Zwelakhe-Duma Bell le Pere, an American of South African descent. Francisco Mela plays drums.
The first track, “Libations: Omnyama”, opens with Makhathini speaking a low-tone prayer. A pulse from piano arrives, supported by a strong-but-simple bass figure and gently cajoling percussion. That foundation stays in place throughout, even when the vocals become more strident. Rhythmic and melodic shapes are the same thing here. Every sound is part of a steady, relentless musical engine.
In the second part, “Water Spirits”, the atmosphere is hectic. Two pieces in this section are panicky and heavily improvised. “Izinkonjana”, however, has a gospel-adjacent and blues-ballad mood. When the pianist creates a stirring passage of composition, he is often content to bathe deeply and let it wash around him for a while without any restless compulsion to change the water.
“Inner Attainment” is the third section and brings the record to a peaceful close. “Amanzi Ngobhoko” is the penultimate track and features another driving beat, this time more euphoric. The final tune is a solo piece called “Ithemba”. Makhathini’s training in classical and jazz traditions is spotlighted here. His patience, timing and communicative skills are in full focus too.
There are spiritual forces and big ideas at play in uNomkhubulwane. Nduduzo Makhathini is a deep-thinker and compelling talker. He is a spellbinding composer and improviser too. Possibly, his music can heal people and connect to the ancestral realm. Certainly, it sounds great.
The album is available on CD, vinyl and digital download here .
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