The South African piano master reaches his 10th album with ‘In the Spirit of Ntu’. It is his second release under the great Blue Note and will be one of the label’s most enthralling releases this year. Makhatini wants his piano to mimic the isiZulu language and its own unique “melodic structures”. Jazz of such spiritual propensity offers the chance to examine the artistic and cultural in new, imaginative modes. Time, space, spirit, ancestry, and beauty are the album’s pillars, cementing the rootedness and furthering the abstraction. Some artists do not write until their thoughts settle; Makhatini uses his fire to attract attention.
25/30
A favourite: ‘Senze’ Nina’
‘In the Spirit of Ntu’ is out now via Blue Note.
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