Nduduzo Makhathini is one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary jazz. Raised in Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal, his playing draws on the connections between ritual music, gospel and jazz, in the tradition of South African legends such as Bheki Mseleku, Moses Molelekwa and Abdullah Ibrahim. He has collaborated with Wynton Marsalis, Shabaka Hutchings and the WDR Big Band, and has twelve albums to his name.

With his trio, Makhathini presents uNomkhubulwane, his most recent album on Blue Note Records. uNomkhubulwane is the mythical rain god of the Nguni peoples of southern Africa, connected to fertility, water and the cosmos. The album draws from that spiritual world and the traditional Zulu vocal form ingoma, never losing sight of jazz.

Nduduzo Makhathini piano, Dalisu Ndlazi double bass, Lukmil Perez drums