The title of this third Blue Note release from South African pianist Nduduzo Makhathini is the name of a Zulu goddess, “a regulator of nature, light and fertility”. It’s a name that isn’t evoked lightly – Makhathini, aside from being a startlingly original pianist, is a fully initiated sangoma, a shaman and healer, and his quest is spiritual.
His previous two albums, since landing on Blue Note in 2020, have been horn-heavy, suffused with the ecstatic spirit of 1960s Coltrane. Here he brings a lighter touch, playing as a trio alongside Cuban-born drummer Francisco Mela and bassist Zwelakhe-Duma Bell le Pere, an American of South African descent. The album is no less entrancing than its predecessors, its 11 tracks arranged as a three-part movement, moving from Libations to Water Spirits to Inner Attainment.
