NDUDUZO MAKHATHINI — uNomkhubulwane (review)

NDUDUZO MAKHATHINI — uNomkhubulwane album cover Album · 2024 · African Fusion Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
snobb
"uNomkhubulwane" is the new album from South African pianist Nduduzo Makhathini, dedicated to the Zulu Goddess uNomkhubulwane, and contains beautiful spiritual music. Different from some of Nduduzo's previous albums, the music here is played by a more minimalist collective - a traditional all-acoustic jazz trio with South African/American double bassist Zwelakhe-Duma Bell le Pere and Cuban drummer Francisco Mela.

The music itself is a three-movement suite, combining traditional South African jazz, well-known from works of Abdullah Ibrahim, with American bop tradition and even touches of European chamber piano jazz. Being not only a musician, but the "sangoma" - a shaman and healer - as well, Nduduzo adds a strong spiritual feeling to his music.

Nduduzo not only plays piano, but he adds poetic spoken words and sings African folk too. The album is of slow to mid-tempo music and demonstrates the great beauty of quiet intense spiritual jazz. True sounds of relief in today's world full of drama.
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