uNomkhubulwane
by Nduduzo Makhathini
Label: Blue Note
Released: Jun. 7, 2024
★★★★☆
On his eleventh studio album, uNomkhubulwane, Nduduzo Makhathini, the visionary South African pianist and healer, crafts an intimate yet profound musical odyssey. The album takes its name from the Zulu goddess of rain, fertility, and harvest, whose spiritual presence Makhathini invoked during his sangoma initiation ritual. This invocation permeates the album’s three-part structure, each movement imbued with symbolic themes of resistance, cleansing, and rebirth.
Performed in a tight trio format, with Zwelakhe-Duma Bell le Pere on bass and Francisco Mela on drums, uNomkhubulwane reflects Makhathini’s ability to channel traditional African spiritual energy through a modern Jazz idiom. The album’s narrative opens with the “Libations” movement, where the first track, Omnyama, begins in a 6/8 shuffle, with Makhathini’s piano sermonizing like a preacher, setting a deeply grounded tone. Mela’s flamenco-like drum accents swirl around the piano, while Bell le Pere anchors the trio with a meditative pulse. Uxolo, with its catchy melody and bossa nova beat, stands out as a lighter moment, almost playful, offering a reprieve before the more hypnotic KwaKhangelamankengana, where the trio’s rhythmic interplay starts to stretch the music’s edges.
The second movement, “Water Spirits,” takes a darker, more introspective turn. Izinkonjana evokes a Cape Town gospel groove reminiscent of Abdullah Ibrahim, while the Ornette Coleman-inspired Amanxusa Asemkhathini explores modal harmonies and cascading pentatonic runs that nod to McCoy Tyner’s influence. Makhathini’s sense of musical space allows the trio to breathe, with Bell le Pere’s arco bass lines on Nyoni Le? providing a rich textural contrast to the flowing piano lines.
By the time we reach the final “Attainment” movement, the trio delves into their most experimental and free-flowing territory. Izibingelelo is a graceful waltz that rises and falls with ethereal beauty, while Umlayez’oPhuthumayo embraces both tension and release, balancing the trio’s forward drive with serene harmonic resolution. Mela’s drumming, at times tribal and percussive, aligns closely with Makhathini’s vocalizations—his percussive clicks acting as a rhythmic counterpoint to the rolling tom-toms on Amanzi Ngobhoko.
The album closes on a tender note with Ithemba, a solo piano piece that showcases Makhathini’s lyrical sensitivity, delicately weaving chromatic flourishes into an otherwise sparse and contemplative melody. This track serves as a quiet reflection, the sound of Makhathini finding peace at the end of a spiritual journey.
Makhathini’s uNomkhubulwane stands as both a tribute to his African roots and a testament to his mastery of weaving complex spiritual and political themes into a cohesive Jazz framework. His profound connection to his Zulu heritage and the metaphysical dimensions of the music make this album a deeply immersive experience.
Track Listing:
Libations Movement: Omnyama, Uxolo, KwaKhangelamankengana; Water Spirits Movement: Izinkonjana, Amanxusa Asemkhathini, Nyoni Le?, Iyana; Inner Attainment Movement: Izibingelelo, Umlayez’oPhuthumayo, Amanzi Ngobhoko, Ithemba
Personnel
Nduduzo Makhathini • piano, vocals
Zwelakhe-Duma Bell le Pere • bass, background vocals
Francisco Mela • drums, background vocals