Part of Hancher’s 52nd Season

Part of Club Hancher

A leading light of South African jazz infuses the sounds of his culture with the influence of McCoy Tyner.

“I came to understand my voice as a pianist through John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme,” says pianist, composer, and improviser Nduduzo Makhathini. “As someone who started playing jazz very late, I had always been looking for a kind of playing that could mirror or evoke the way my people danced, sung, and spoke. [McCoy] Tyner provided that.” A central figure in South Africa’s vibrant jazz scene, Makhathini creates ambitious music that is at once an act of cultural reclamation and a revelatory blending of technique and creativity. 

“A truly singular pianist, an astonishingly gifted composer, and a deeply nuanced thinker on the music…one of South Africa’s most remarkable talents.” — All About Jazz

Nduduzo Makhathini Website