Nduduzo Makhathini, a South African jazz musician and Zulu healer, recently mesmerized the audience at a Tiny Desk concert with his deeply meditative and engaging music. Performing the Ntu Sonicities Devotion Suite in Five Movements, Makhathini showcased his thoughtful intentionality and rich musical style, which blends ancestral invocation, meditations on Blackness, and spiritual exploration.

Makhathini, born in 1982 in Umgungundlovu, Pietermaritzburg, comes from a musical family and has a deep love for music since childhood. He holds a Diploma in Jazz Piano from Durban University of Technology and a PhD in music from the University of Stellenbosch. His album "Modes of Communication: Letters from the Underworld" was named one of the Best Jazz Albums of 2020 by The New York Times.

His research and artistic-led inquiry challenge conventional jazz studies by highlighting the spiritual and cosmological dimensions of South African jazz, incorporating the concept of ntu cosmology. Merging academic discourse with his experience as a jazz pianist and sangoma, Makhathini's work expands the lexicon of jazz scholarship in South Africa.

Makhathini has received recognition for his musical talent, including the 2015 Standard Bank Young Artist Award in Jazz and the Best Jazz Artist award at the 2017 All Africa Music Awards. Described as "a truly singular pianist" and "one of [South Africa]'s most remarkable talents" by Seton Hawkins of All About Jazz, Makhathini's performance at the Tiny Desk concert further solidified his reputation as an exceptional and innovative artist in the jazz world.