Nduduzo Makhathini, the South African pianist and Zulu healer, takes over NPR’s Tiny Desk with his “Ntu Sonicities Devotion Suite in Five Movements.” He guides us from the inward calm of “Kuzodlula” through an invocation of African deities in “Omnyama,” a study of Black aesthetics in “Equidistant Passage,” a weightless grace in “Izinkonjana,” and finally a triumphant protest in “Imvunge.”
Backed by bassist Zwelakhe-Duma Bell le Pere and drummer Kabelo Mokhatla, Makhathini layers piano, vocals, laptop sound design and a vocoder into a deeply immersive, participatory soundscape. Oh, and NPR’s Tiny Desk Giveaway is live until September 12, 2025—no purchase needed for a shot at the $3,800 prize courtesy of Moises.
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