Saxophonist and composer Linda Sikhakhane is both a master of ceremonies and student at the feet of mentors on his Blue Note debut iLadi. But Sikhakhane views himself as a vessel rather than a creator. “More than anything, I receive this music,” he tells Apple Music. “This album is built around paying gratitude to where the music comes from.” As Sikhakhane eloquently references past inspirations and current influences, he’s joined by drummer Kweku Sumbry, bassist Zwelakhe-Duma Bell le Pere and pianist Nduduzo Makhathini for this thanksgiving gathering. “Each candle I’m holding on the artwork represents the musicians involved in making the album,” Sikhakhane says. “There’s a deep sense of community.” The resultant sounds are contemplative at times and unburdened at others but always in collective commune with the gods, locales or maestros. Sikhakhane here harkens back to “Influential Moments” from his 2017 debut album Two Sides, One Mirror but also reaches forward under Makhathini’s stewardship on “Umhlahlandlela”, blurring the boundaries between the past, present and future. Cutting through spatial barriers on “Indatshana” and “Ecako”, Sikhakhane imbues his compositions with thematic reflections on belonging, guidance and the maternal. “Growth is an eternal journey,” Sikhakhane says. “So one is constantly searching.” Below, he talks us through iLadi, track by track. “iGosa” “Symbolically, we were very deliberate with placing ‘iGosa’ as our first track, to acknowledge the ones that come before us. ‘iGosa’ translates to ‘leader’ and, with this song, I’m trying to acknowledge the ancestral lineage in this music—the masters that have paved the way for us. I see them as these guardians that we continue to seek ways of navigating this space from, through the music they’ve planted for us. This is an invitation of wisdom from our masters.” “Inkehli” “I got to know about this word ‘Inkehli’ from home. My grandmother’s sister lived with us and she was called uGog’ Inkehli. For the longest time I thought ‘Inkehli’ is a very old woman, that’s why the composition is titled that. After learning that this is the word given to a woman who is transitioning into being a wife in a traditional sense, I thought about how important this transition is for humanity. I was thinking about the power of matriarchy. I’m thinking about this feminine energy as a pillar for humanity so ‘Inkehli’ honours the matriarch who holds prominence in a family setting.” “Ukukhushulwa” “This speaks to every kind of transcendence. Where I come from, spirituality is central to everything that we do. iLadi is my understanding of African cosmology, transposed into music. This transcendence is felt in music, but my connection with it has to do with spirituality. Music, in my world, plays a very significant role in spirituality.” “Umhlahlandlela” (feat. Nduduzo Makhathini) “‘Umhlahlandlela’ is a guide. I remember a friend of mine named Ndabo Zulu speaking about it as a ‘pathfinder’ when he thought about this. How it becomes [the song] ’Umhlahlandlela’ is my relationship with Nduduzo, who has mentored me for more than 13 years. He’s supported all my albums as a producer but, for this album, he also plays the piano, which has been a dream for me. This song gives this sense of the master-disciple relationship which is really significant in our African culture. This song is a mentor assisting me in finding myself and navigating this musical space. For us to know where we’re going, we need to know where we come from, and the ones that have walked the path are the ones that help us to navigate into the future.” “Indatshana” “This is the shortest song on the album. ‘Indatshana’ is translated to a short story or tale. This is a way of sharing what I had experienced in New York; such an important city for jazz. This is my way of telling my people that I was in this special place that has so much history when it comes to this music. The vibration, and urgency, of the city are well pronounced on the song.” “Mama” “In an African sense, a mother could be a mother to an entire community. The role extends to something larger, so as much as this song is a dedication to my mother, it’s also a dedication to a mother. When I was recording this song, I was thinking about a mother, her role and how a mother gives life. Our humble response to that is to be as simple as possible and respond in the most honest way. This subtleness is very central to the song.” “Influential Moments (Revisited)” “‘Influential Moments’ is a song featured on my debut album Two Sides, One Mirror, but years later I was revisited by a different version of that same song. It came with a 6/8 feel, which incorporates a strong sense of triplets. If we think of the symbolism of the number three in African cosmology, it speaks to a completeness. This song is me paying gratitude, because I think it was communicated to me for me to remember where we’re coming from. This is an example of being a vessel and receiving.” “Ecako” “‘Ecako’ speaks about home and how we can mobilise this idea of home or have a portable version of home to carry with us. I feel that music allows us to tap into home and becomes a home we can travel with. If we think about jazz and its transatlantic movement, the African diaspora used sounds as ways of locating home. This song was received when I was in New York and somehow brought me closer to home. It’s a sound that really speaks to my heart, and it locates so many moments in history from so many great musicians like Winston Mankunku Ngozi, Pharoah Sanders, Bheki Mseleku and more. It speaks to music being a portal where the sounds enable us to travel home.”