South Africa's jazz scene may not get nearly as attention as London's, but it is every bit as varied, innovative and creative. Pianist and composer
Nduduzo Makhathini is a leading light in South African jazz, a musician at the forefront of its scene.
In the Spirit of NTU is his tenth album and second for Blue Note, and the inaugural recording for Blue Note Africa. The pianist surrounds himself with South Africa's top musicians including saxophonist
Linda Sikhakhane, trumpeter Robin Fassie Kock, vibraphonist Dylan Tabisher, bassist Stephen de Souza, percussionist
Gontse Makhene, and drummer
Dane Paris. His guests include American alto saxophonist
Jaleel Shaw, and vocalists Anna Widauer, and Omagugu Makhathini. Across this new work,
Makhathini condenses conceptual, often esoteric philosophical and spiritual themes explored in his catalogue down to 10 tracks. He draws on Zulu and precolonial traditions and wide-ranging cosmological and intellectual curiosities -- the NTU itself is an ancient concept about interdependence and collectivity.
Opener "Unonkanyamba" is introduced by rumbling piano, and layered hand percussion. The horns offer a sweet, township-inspired theme that
Makhathini punctuates with bridged harmonies. Sikhakhane's powerful solo explores amid intensely hypnotic rhythms. The pianist's gospel-tinged melody lines accent his solo. "Mama" is a lullaby. It offers resonant interplay between Omagugu's vocals and Fassie Kock's trumpet.
Makhathini's downmixed, chanted backing vocals (on all but two tracks) underscore tenderly articulated lyricism above a poignant bassline and rippling percussion. "Amathongo"'s postbop uses shuffling swing from
Paris's kit as a catalyst. Flugelhorn and vibes exchange lines with each another and
Makhathini's vamp. His solo threads angular arpeggios through dissonant harmonic invention as vibes, flugelhorn and percussion frame his attack. The set's hinge track, "Emlilweni" in inspired by Old Testament Book of Daniel tale of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Sentenced to die by Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar for refusing to worship his image, they emerge unscathed followed by a fourth man, "…like a Son of God." The expansive modal opening features
Sikhakhane in concert with the pianist appended by dramatic hand percussion and drums. The pianist's solo is rife with athletic, high register arpeggios.
Shaw delivers an incendiary alto solo representing the fire. Widauer appears on "Re-Amathambo," reworked from 2018's,
Ikhambi. Her smoky alto offers lustrous, syncopated phrasing amid the bluesy, shuffling architetcure. The pianist's fills and phrasing frame her singing as vibes poignantly and authoritatively underscore her lines. "Omnyama" employs haunting repetition in modal chord voicings and pronounced circular rhythms that morph into vocal chanting.
Sikhakhane's soprano shouts and whispers before
Makhathini inserts jagged single lines amid swelling, poignant horns. "Senze'Nina" juxtaposes stately chordal piano statements with rumbling glissandos, a vocal chant, and
Sikhakhane's mournful tenor solo. The title track closer is a solo, hymn-like, meditative piece wedding gospel and township folk before evolving toward vanguard improvisation.
In the Spirit of NTU is an introduction to and summation of
Makhathini's musical universe to date. Contrasting inquiry and statement, exploration and discovery, it's the work of an artist possessed of startling vision and dazzling creativity. ~ Thom Jurek