Blk Elijah & The Children of Meroë – Thandi Ntuli

Rebuilding our sense of identity also means asking how much we truly know about those who came before us. South African pianist, composer, and vocalist Thandi Ntuli found a way to explore that question through her family's memories. Released in 2022, Blk Elijah & The Children of Meroë emerged from a period of introspection in which music became a place to rediscover joy, acknowledge the wounds of the past, and imagine new possibilities for freedom.

On “Izibongo,” Ntuli sings passages from ancestral praises preserved in writing by her great-grandfather. Hope Masike's voice joins this remembrance, while Ndabo Zulu's trumpet, Mthunzi Mvubu's saxophone, and Nompumelelo Nhlapo's percussion help shape a musical landscape deeply rooted in South African traditions. Memory ceases to be something distant and becomes a presence we can hear.

Her interpretation of “Amazing Grace” offers another expression of spirituality. Drawing on the rhythmic vitality of Brazilian music and influences from Central African rumba, Ntuli explores a moving idea: joy and sorrow can coexist without one having to deny the other. Throughout the album, Keenan Ahrends' guitar, Shane Cooper's bass, and Sphelelo Mazibuko's drums sustain a musical conversation in which jazz encounters different African traditions.

“Inkululeko,” meaning freedom, brings this journey to a close without offering definitive answers. For Ntuli, understanding herself and her own history marks only the beginning of a transformation. Perhaps that is why Blk Elijah & The Children of Meroë leaves a sense of hope that lingers long after its final notes: the possibility of finding our way back to ourselves and discovering that we are still capable of change.