South African Jazz Pianist Nduduzo Makhathini Trio

The Great South African Jazz Pianist Nduduzo Makhathini and his trio have announced the June 26th release of The Myth We Choose, his fourth Blue Note album. The album is introduced today with the release of the stunning the lead track “Kuzodlula” on which Makhathini contemplates the nature of forgiveness. Co-produced by Makhathini and his 18-year-old son, Thingo Makhathini, The Myth We Choose features riveting performances by Black Coffee, Robin Fassie, Keenan Ahrends, Dalisu Ndlazi, Lukmil Perez, Shabaka Hutchings, Thando Zide, Muneyi and Omagugu, Makhathini’s spouse and longtime collaborator. “Music invokes personal, familial and cultural stories,” Makhathini says. Ultimately, The Myth We Choose is about the awareness to create a legacy of love and healing in the present tense. 

Nduduzo Makhathini grew up in the lush and rugged hillscapes of umGungundlovu in South Africa, a peri-urban landscape in which music and ritual practices were symbiotically linked. This deeply embedded symbiosis is key to understanding Makhathini’s vision. The legends of South African jazz are deep influences as well, Bheki Mseleku, Moses Molelekwa, and Abdullah Ibrahim. Makhathini cites American jazz pianists including Andrew Hill, Randy Weston and Don Pullen as significant influences. In 2019, he made his debut appearances at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City, as well as Jazz at Lincoln Center where he was a featured guest with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra on their 3-night musical celebration “The South African Songbook” in Rose Theater. He has also collaborated with artists including Logan Richardson, Nasheet Waits, Tarus Mateen, Stefon Harris, Billy Harper, Azar Lawrence, and Ernest Dawkins.