Biography
Nduduzo Makhathini grew up in the lush and rugged hillscapes of umGungundlovu in South Africa, a peri-urban landscape in which music and ritual practices were symbiotically linked. The area is significant historically as the site of the Zulu king Dingane kingdom between 1828 and 1840. It’s important to note that the Zulu, in fact the African warrior code, is deeply reliant on music for motivation and healing. This deeply embedded symbiosis is key to understanding Makhathini’s vision.
The church also played a role in Makhathini’s musical understanding, as he hopped from church to church in his younger days in search of only the music. The legends of South African jazz are deep influences as well, in particular Bheki Mseleku, Moses Molelekwa, and Abdullah Ibrahim. “The earlier musicians put a lot of emotions in the music they played,” he says. “I think it may also be linked to the political climate of those days. I also feel there is a uniqueness about South African jazz that created an interest all around the world and we are slowly losing that too in our music today. I personally feel that our generation has to be very conscious about retaining these nuances in the music we play today.”
Through his mentor Mseleku, Makhathini was also introduced to the music of John Coltrane’s classic quartet with McCoy Tyner. “I came to understand my voice as a pianist through John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme,” he says. “As someone who started playing jazz very late, I had always been looking for a kind of playing that could mirror or evoke the way my people danced, sung, and spoke. Tyner provided that and still does in meaningful ways.” Makhathini also cites American jazz pianists including Andrew Hill, Randy Weston, and Don Pullen as significant influences.
Active as an educator and researcher, Makhathini is the head of the music department at Fort Hare University in the Eastern Cape. He has performed at renowned festivals including the Cape Town International Jazz Festival and the Essence Festival (in both New Orleans and South Africa), and in 2019 made his debut appearances the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City, as well as Jazz at Lincoln Center where he was a featured guest with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra on their 3-night musical celebration The South African Songbook in Rose Theater. He is a member of Shabaka Hutchings’ band Shabaka and the Ancestors appearing on their 2016 album Wisdom of Elders, and has also collaborated with artists including Logan Richardson, Nasheet Waits, Tarus Mateen, Stefon Harris, Billy Harper, Azar Lawrence, and Ernest Dawkins.
In addition to producing albums for his peers (such as Thandiswa Mazwai’s Belede and Tumi Mogorosi’s Project Elo), Makhathini has released eight albums of his own since 2014 when he founded the label Gundu Entertainment in partnership with his wife and vocalist Omagugu Makhathini. Those albums earned him multiple awards and include Sketches of Tomorrow (2014), Mother Tongue (2014), Listening to the Ground (2015), Matunda Ya Kwanza (2015); Icilongo: The African Peace Suite (2016), Inner Dimensions (2016), and Reflections (2016). His 2017 album Ikhambi was the first to be released on Universal Music South Africa and won Best Jazz Album at the South African Music Awards (SAMA) in 2018. His Blue Note debut Modes of Communication: Letters from the Underworlds was named one of the “Best Jazz Albums of 2020” by The New York Times, and was followed by In the Spirit of Ntu in 2022, and uNomkhubulwane in 2024.
Releases
uNomkhubulwane - Nduduzo Makhathini
In the Spirit of Ntu - Nduduzo Makhathini
Modes of Communication: Letters from the Underworlds - Nduduzo Makhathini
Videos
Nduduzo Makhathini “Libations: Uxolo” (Live)
Nduduzo Makhathini “First Look” with Don Was
Nduduzo Makhathini “Libations: Omnyama” (Live)
Nduduzo Makhathini “First Look” With Don Was
The Real McCoy: Don Was & Nduduzo Makhathini On A McCoy Tyner Classic
Nduduzo Makhathini “Umlotha” (Official Video)
Nduduzo Makhathini & Omagugu Makhathini: Alone Together Duets | NPR Jazz Night In America
Nduduzo Makhathini “Yehlisan’uMoya” (Live)
Nduduzo Makhathini “Yehlisan’uMoya” (EPK)
SPOTLIGHT
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NDUDUZO MAKHATHINI “UNOMKHUBULWANE”
By Evan Haga Since making his international debut for Blue Note in 2020 with Modes of Communication: Letters From the Underworlds, the South African pianist and composer Nduduzo Makhathini has earned widespread acclaim for the genuinely spiritual transcendence of his music. For Makhathini, a Zulu healer and educator who has delved deeply into the histories and traditions of his ancestors,... read more
NDUDUZO MAKHATHINI “IN THE SPIRIT OF NTU”
On his milestone tenth studio album, In the Spirit of Ntu, the visionary South African pianist, composer, improviser, and healer Nduduzo Makhathini condenses the thematic, sonic, and conceptual notions explored over his catalog into a layered yet accessible 10-track album. “I really felt this need to summarize everything I've done this far and put it into ‘some’ context,” Makhathini... read more
NDUDUZO MAKHATHINI “MODES OF COMMUNICATIONS: LETTERS FROM THE UNDERWORLDS”
Over the course of his eight previous albums, perhaps what one can learn from the career of pianist, composer, and producer Nduduzo Makhathini is that an artist has achieved a tremendous breakthrough when they can tell a story so layered that its reach is limitless. The story continues with Makhathini’s remarkable ninth album, and his Blue Note Records debut, Modes of Communication: Letters... read more
News
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NDUDUZO MAKHATHINI: NEW SINGLE, LIVE VIDEO & NYC ALBUM RELEASE SHOW ANNOUNCED FOR JUNE 8
Nduduzo Makhathini has shared his gorgeous piece “Uxolo,” the third single to be revealed from the South African pianist, composer, and healer’s forthcoming Blue Note album uNomkhubulwane out June 7. The elegant ballad features Makhathini’s trio with bassist Zwelakhe-Duma Bell le Pere and drummer Francisco... read more
NDUDUZO MAKHATHINI SHARES STUNNING SINGLE “IZINKONJANA” FROM NEW ALBUM “UNOMKHUBULWANE” OUT JUNE 7
Nduduzo Makhathini has shared “Izinkonjana,” the second single to be revealed from the South African pianist, composer, and healer’s forthcoming third Blue Note album uNomkhubulwane out June 7. The enchanting ballad is imbued with the gospelish elegance of such South African greats as Abdullah Ibrahim, and... read more
NDUDUZO MAKHATHINI RETURNS WITH TRANSCENDENT SUITE “UNOMKHUBULWANE” OUT JUNE 7
South African pianist, composer, healer, and philosopher Nduduzo Makhathini has announced the June 7 release of his third Blue Note album uNomkhubulwane. The transcendent three-movement suite—which pays homage to the Zulu Goddess uNomkhubulwane and explores Africa’s tragic history of oppression—features... read more
NDUDUZO MAKHATHINI RELEASES NEW SINGLE “EMLILWENI” FEATURING JALEEL SHAW; VINYL RELEASE OF “IN THE SPIRIT OF NTU” ANNOUNCED
Nduduzo Makhathini has released “Emlilweni,” the third and final single to be revealed from the visionary South African pianist and composer’s luminous new album In the Spirit of Ntu, which comes out May 27. A 2-LP vinyl release of the album has been announced for October 7, pre-order now on the Blue Note Store.... read more
NDUDUZO MAKHATHINI RELEASES NEW SINGLE “AMATHONGO”
Nduduzo Makhathini has released “Amathongo,” the second single to be revealed from the visionary South African pianist and composer’s luminous new album In the Spirit of Ntu, which comes out May 27. The album was introduced earlier this month with the lead single “Senze’Nina.” Makhathini is currently on... read more
NDUDUZO MAKHATHINI RETURNS WITH LUMINOUS NEW ALBUM “IN THE SPIRIT OF NTU” OUT MAY 27
On May 27, the visionary South African pianist, composer, and healer Nduduzo Makhathini will release In the Spirit of Ntu, his milestone tenth studio album, his second album to be released on Blue Note Records in partnership with Universal Music Group Africa following Modes of Communication (which The New York Times... read more
BLUE NOTE & UMG AFRICA ANNOUNCE NEW IMPRINT BLUE NOTE AFRICA
Blue Note Records and Universal Music Group Africa have announced the creation of Blue Note Africa, an exciting new imprint dedicated to signing Jazz artists from across the African continent, bringing them to a global audience, and promoting a cultural exchange of ideas that transcends borders. Blue Note Africa will... read more
NDUDUZO MAKHATHINI: BLUE NOTE DEBUT “MODES OF COMMUNICATION: LETTERS FROM THE UNDERWORLDS” OUT NOW
The visionary South African pianist, composer, and healer Nduduzo Makhathini has released his Blue Note Records debut Modes of Communication: Letters from the Underworlds, an expansive album anchored by Makhathini’s expressive piano in which lyrical, plaintive horns mingle with percussion, pained yelps and urgent... read more
NDUDUZO MAKHATHINI RELEASES NEW SINGLE “INDAWU” FROM BLUE NOTE DEBUT OUT APRIL 3
The visionary South African pianist and composer Nduduzo Makhathini has released “Indawu,” the powerful 3rd single from his forthcoming Blue Note Records debut Modes of Communication: Letters from the Underworlds out April 3. “’Indawu’ pays tribute to the spirits of the Nguni people that live in and... read more
NDUDUZO MAKHATHINI: BLUE NOTE DEBUT “MODES OF COMMUNICATION” OUT APRIL 3
Following his standout performance at NYC Winter Jazzfest earlier this month, the visionary South African pianist and composer Nduduzo Makhathini has announced an April 3 release date for his Blue Note Records debut Modes of Communication: Letters from the Underworlds, an expansive album anchored by Makhathini’s... read more
Live Dates
Nov 24
Nduduzo Makhathini
Centrum Kultury i Sztuki w Kaliszu, Kalisz Poland
Nov 26
Nduduzo Makhathini
Laeiszhalle, Hamburg Germany
Nov 27
Nduduzo Makhathini
Club Porgy & Bess, Vienna Austria
Nov 28
Nduduzo Makhathini
Conservatori del Liceu, Barcelona Spain
Nov 30
Nduduzo Makhathini
Sala Villanos, Madrid Spain
