Nduduzo Makhathini Solo

Nduduzo Makhathini is one of the most distinctive voices on today’s international jazz scene. As an improviser, bandleader, and academic, he has developed a deeply personal expression in which the jazz tradition is interwoven with South African history, cosmology, and healing practices. He is Professor of Music at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and is currently signed to the prestigious Blue Note Records, where he has emerged as a key artist in the label’s contemporary catalogue.

The solo format lies at the heart of Makhathini’s artistry. With the piano serving as both a rhythmic and spiritual anchor, he creates space for attentive interplay, open improvisation, and deep musical immersion. The result is music that feels at once meditative and intensely present.

His latest album, uNomkhubulwane (2024), has received widespread acclaim in the international press and is regarded as a high point in his career. Inspired by uNomkhubulwane—a mythical rain goddess in the Nguni tradition—the album explores the connections between nature, the cosmos, ritual, and human experience. The music moves seamlessly between contemplation and power, unfolding more like an invocation than a conventional recording.

Nduduzo Makhathini has collaborated with a range of leading figures across jazz and related genres, including Wynton Marsalis, Shabaka Hutchings, Black Coffee, and Thandiswa Mazwai, and has performed at major festivals and venues around the world.

American broadcaster WBGO has described Makhathini’s work as a search for “a sound that can take us home,” while Jazziz and All About Jazz have highlighted how he unites jazz’s improvisational freedom with deep spiritual intention. NPR has singled out his latest album as one of the year’s most important jazz releases.

Concerts in our main program typically last between 60 to 90 minutes.
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