In Europe he is mostly known as the pianist of Shabaka Hutchings & The Ancestors, but Nduduzo Makhathini also has eight albums to his name. His most recent, Modes Of Communication, was released on Blue Note Records. He was raised in the hills of umGungundlovu, a Zulu region in South Africa. Another influence on Makhathini’s musical development is Christianity. This enables him to blend gospel and Zulu influences into his spiritual kind of jazz. He was further influenced by John Coltrane and McCoy Tyner. The latter taught him to play like people dance, sing and speak. You can often hear Zulu in his songs; he loves to talk about Zulu rituals. While his music sounds spiritual, his playing on stage is very physical, and he can even play the piano with both fists at times. He is accompanied by strong musicians to whom he generously offers lots of space.
