AN ONGOING REHEARSAL - An Interview with NDUDUZO MAKHATHINI

Audio interview with Nduduzo Makhathini; South African pianist, improviser, healer, and musicologist at the University of KwaZulu-Natal school of the Arts with a PhD in music.

His new album on Blue Note Records is titled The Myth We Choose and was released on June 26, 2026. This beautiful jazz album was produced by Thingo, Makhathini’s 18-year-old son and includes guest musicians like his spouse Omagugu and DJ/producer Black Coffee.

This music is grounded in Zulu cosmology and indigenous African technologies, exploring the interconnectedness between all things, as well as themes like forgiveness, the end of the world, healing and the ways that stories, or myths, create cultures. Makhathini is currently writing a book called, “An Ongoing Rehearsal.”

In September, 2026 Makhathini will begin a tour across the United States and the planet including shows in San Francisco, Seattle, Tokyo and London. On September 10 Makhathini and his jazz trio will perform in Santa Cruz, California at Kuumbwa Jazz Center.

“The only thing that the world is missing is you.
Nothing else. The world has it all.
And if we are to work on the “you” project, the world would be better.
Because we all want to be good human beings.
But it’s just that we don’t really have reminders or rituals
that tell us about the importance of working on the self
as a way of contributing towards
universal consciousness.”

— Nduduzo Makhathini

This interview was originally broadcast on "Transformation Highway" with John Malkin on KZSC Santa Cruz 88.1 FM / kzsc.org on August 13, 2026. "Transformation Highway" airs every Thursday at noon PST on KZSC Santa Cruz. This interview was also broadcast on KSQD Santa Cruz on August 13, 2026.