Nduduzo Makhathini brings new album to Cape Town this Friday

South African pianist and composer Nduduzo Makhathini will perform music from his new album, The Myth We Choose, in Cape Town this Friday ahead of the project’s release on Blue Note Records.

The album, co-produced by Makhathini and his 18-year-old son Thingo, explores how music shapes cultural memory and how future generations interpret the present.

At its core, the album is a jazz trio effort, blending Zulu folk music with elements of soul, pop and dance.

“This new album marks a departure from my earlier work. Much of what I’ve created has circled around origin stories; creation myths rooted in indigenous Ba-Ntu knowledge systems. With this project, I’m asking a different question: How do we begin to imagine future Ba-Ntu myths while fully immersed in the churn of modernity?” reflected Makhathini.

The 43-year-old musician said the project reflects his long-held belief that music carries responsibilities beyond performance.

"I have always felt that songs speak to us, songs look at us. In years to come, it will be the histories of the day that will choose or not choose our songs."

The 16-track project is Makhathini's fourth album for Blue Note Records and features his working trio with bassist Dalisu Ndlazi and drummer Lukmil Perez, while Ayanda Sikade appears on selected tracks. Guest artists include Black Coffee, Shabaka, Robin Fassie, Keenan Ahrends, Thando Zide, Muneyi and Omagugu Makhathini.

The album introduces a stronger vocal presence and incorporates electronic elements alongside Makhathini's established jazz sound.

"I think, in a world that's a minute from falling apart, there's a need to utilise human language more, to be very intentional about what we mean," he said.

Several tracks address themes including love, forgiveness, fatherhood, interconnectedness and community. Songs such as Ḽiṅwalo ḽa Mubebi focus on expressions of fatherly love, while What People Say examines how myths and narratives are formed.

The influence of Thingo Makhathini is also evident throughout the record. Although he does not perform on the album, the young producer and multi-instrumentalist contributed significantly to its direction.

"Every time you hear a connection to electronics, or different kinds of grooves that people don't as often associate with me, those are his ideas," Makhathini said.

The pianist said the inclusion of contemporary sounds reflects the way jazz has historically evolved by engaging with broader social and musical developments.

"Jazz has always been a result of socialisation and of deep listening to society and the sounds that are happening around us."

Known for combining South African jazz traditions with spiritual jazz and Afro-Cuban influences, Makhathini has consistently described music as a form of ritual rather than entertainment alone.

"This notion of a Black body as being animated and used for entertainment has failed historically. For me, accepting the failure of Black performance, I resort to this idea of ritual."

That philosophy underpins much of The Myth We Choose, which seeks to connect performers and audiences through shared reflection on the present and its impact on the future.

Referencing late jazz composer Wayne Shorter, Makhathini said the album was guided by a simple principle: "His idea was to play and write music the way you want the world to be, the world that you hope for. And that has always been my purpose too."

Cape Town audiences will have an opportunity to hear the new material live when Makhathini takes to the stage with Dalisu Ndlazi on bass, and Kabelo Mokhatla on drums, at Youngblood Africa this Friday, 19 June, as part of the album's ongoing tour. Francesca Biancoli will be making a special guest appearance alongside Makhathini.

Lastly, as Chappies’ wrappers used to ask, "Did you know?" In 2020 Nduduzo Makhathini made history as the first South African artist to sign with Blue Note Records. That same legendary jazz label behind John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock, Norah Jones and Robert Glasper to name a few. On June 26, the label will release his highly anticipated new album, The Myth We Choose