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The internationally acclaimed South African pianist, Nduduzo Makhathin, will be performing his third and latest Blue Note album, uNomkhubulwane, in the East London Guild Theatre on Thursday.
In celebrating Women’s Month, the 11-track album pays homage to the Zulu Goddess, uNomkhubulwane, meaning “God’s only daughter and a manifestation of God’s very creation purpose” who is believed to be a mythical rain goddess, a regulator of nature, light and fertility.
According to a pre-concert release, this one-night performance will comprise a stellar band, including Ayanda Sikade on the drums, bassist Benjamin Jephta, and saxophonist Linda Sikhakhane, with special guests, Dumza Maswana and Sakhile Simani, serenading on the trumpet.
The jazz musician is no stranger to working with Eastern Cape artists, having recently produced, Thandiswa Mazwai’s Sankofa. Makhathini is a scholar and a healer, who also headed the music department at the University of Fort Hare for several years.
According to the 'pre-pub', the pianist, with the new album, seeks inspiration on a metaphysical plane — using sound as a way to commune with “supernatural voices” while tapping into the pure essence of being — an otherworldly effort to establish a relationship with an elsewhere.”
“Throughout uNomkhubulwane, he acts as both a futurist and an ancient, venturing into the unknown by exploring concepts that return him to the dawn of time.”
The inspiration for the collaborative album emerged out of Makhathini’s initiation process of becoming a healer.
