Legendary jazz pianist Nduduzo Makhathini took audience members on a journey into his creative world at a talk and performance event on 23 August, as part of the IfPOP Conversation Series hosted by the Interdisciplinary Forum for Popular Music at Stellenbosch University (SU).
Taking place at the Conservatorium, the evening kicked off with a discussion led by IfPOP project leader Dr. Stephanie Vos, before moving into a musical performance by Makhathini with accompaniment from Buddy Wells (saxophone), Shane Cooper (bass) and Jonno Sweetman (drums).
From left: Nduduzo Makhathini, Shane Cooper, Buddy Wells and Jonno Sweetman. The musicians received a standing ovation following their performance on 23 August. PHOTO: Nell Hofmeyr.
In a candid conversation, the award-winning artist spoke about the forces that shaped him as both man and musician – touching on everything from his background and family life, to his practice as a sangoma and reverence for jazz heroes like Bheki Mseleku and Zim Ngqawana.
“The truth is that I don’t remember a time when I was not a musician,” said Makhathini, when asked about discovering his craft.
Nduduzo Makhathini, multiple award-winning South African jazz musician in performance at the Fismer Hall on Thursday, 23 August 2018. PHOTO: Nell Hofmeyr.
Growing up in Kwa-Zulu Natal, he was always surrounded by music in one form or another. However, it was largely thanks to his mother that he gained exposure to the instrument he now calls his own.
“I fell in love with the piano more from a visual perspective as opposed to a sonic perspective. I don’t think I was really listening that much. But I used to just enjoy watching how my mother’s fingers would move on the keys and the beautiful combination of black and white. That’s how I memorized the first couple of songs that she played. They were visual.”
Scroll: Makhathini performs a selection of his songs. His latest album, titled “Ikhambi,” was released in 2017. PHOTOS: Nell Hofmeyr.
Like the piano, Makhathini revealed that jazz came to him by chance.
He recalled walking into the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal (UKZN) one day asking to be auditioned for the music programme, despite not knowing how to play an instrument. When asked to perform, he chose to play the guitar purely because his father had
“I had never even tried [the guitar], so you can imagine the kind of sounds,” he said, eliciting laughs from the audience.
“I then tried the piano and really got into the vibe to the point where someone said it’s fine.”
Despite not having a traditional musical background, he forged ahead undeterred. Today he is considered one of South Africa’s leading improvisational jazz pianists.
“Nduduzo’s music to me is bold. It exhibits astounding technical flourish and yet there are moments of incredible sensitivity,” said Vos in her introduction.
Makhathini (left) and Dr. Stephanie Vos (right) in conversation at the fifth edition of IfPOP’s Jazz Conversation Series. PHOTO: Nell Hofmeyr.
Much of the discussion revolved around Makhathini’s music as something deeply rooted in African traditions and intertwined with his spirituality and sense of self.
Speaking about receiving the call of Ubungoma (healing and divination) as a boy, Makhathini noted how this ancient practice has rhythms of its own which directly inform his creative process.
“During initiation as a sangoma, in a number of dreams, you’re not just given revelations about how to be a diviner but you’re also given compositions,” he said.
Makhathini takes pictures with audience members after the show. PHOTO: Nell Hofmeyr.
His work is also influenced by childhood experiences and what it meant to grow up in Natal during the 1980s, a tumultuous decade in apartheid history.
“I have a song called Ithemba and that is really a dedication to the students of 1976. Although I was not directly impacted by that happening, somehow the overtones have lived long enough for me to feel the pain.”
On its website, IfPOP describes itself as “a platform where academic and public domains meet”. PHOTO: Nell Hofmeyr.
For some members of the audience, his music struck a chord. Juliene Terre’blanche (26), was unfamiliar with Makhathini’s work before the event, but said his performance has inspired her to become more interested in jazz.
“His talent is loud enough for any person to see, undeniably so that even the ignorant will hear and feel the power of his music,” she said.
Juliene Terre’blanche (26), a newcomer to jazz, waits her turn to enter the Fismer Hall. PHOTO: Nell Hofmeyr.
IfPOP is a project by Africa Open, an independent institute for music, research and innovation in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
Through its series of public events, the project aims to critically interrogate the notion of popular music in Southern Africa via performance, discussion and debate.
[infogram id=”7228ac0f-e5eb-425f-904b-c46f6dce6f8e” prefix=”4bQ” format=”interactive” title=”Nduduzo Makhathini”]