SA: Nduduzo Makhathini releases single ahead of album launch

The single features Msaki and is available for streaming on various platforms. The album, titled Modes of Communication: Letters from the Underworlds, can be pre-ordered on CD and digital formats.

“‘Beneath the Earth’ speaks to a way of locating our gods and developing a language of communication with them,” Makhathini said. “Similar to most cultures on the continent, it references the soil (the underworlds) as our symbol of communication.

“The tune is also based on the amahubo musical style, an art form that is based on Zulu praise and lament songs, or Zulu hymns as it is sometimes described. Historically, this particular style was popularised by the great Princess Magogo KaDinuzulu, and within a cultural context it is understood as a mode and space for preservation of significant memories of the Zulu people.”

Makhathini credits US jazz saxophonist John Coltrane for playing an central role in his career.

“I came to understand my voice as a pianist through John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme,” he said. “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.

“The earlier musicians put a lot of emotions in the music they played,” he said. “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.”

Makhathini grew up in uMgungundlovu, KwaZulu-Natal province, where music and ritual practices were symbiotically linked. The church also played a significant role in his music career as he leaped from one church to another in search of music. South African jazz greats Bheki Mseleku, Moses Molelekwa and Abdullah Ibrahim add to the list of artists who inspired his craft.

Makhathini is an active educator and researcher. He heads the Fort Hare University music department in the Eastern Cape. He has performed at Cape Town International Jazz Festival, Standard Bank Joy of Jazz festival and the Essence Festival both in New Orleans and South Africa.