Najite Olokum Prophecy

In addition droves of dance-floor remixers have been visiting the shrine of Femi's dad Fela to chop off pieces of the altar for their own deconstructions. As a teenager Najite, a highly skilled Nigerian drummer was introduced to Fela Kuti who later adopted him as god-son upon the death of his father. Consequently he has acquired an intimate knowledge of afrobeat and funk and a finely honed jazz sensibility from working with such luminaries as Horace Tapscott, Billy Higgins, Hugh Masakela, Remi Kebaka and the man himself Fela Kuti.

Najite's appropriately titled Africa Before Invasion (distr by Inertia) consists of 5 original extended tracks dripping with jazzily sophisticated arrangements that glow with flute, sax, piano, guitar and walls of brass, wondrous chants and funky rhythms that link as powerfully to the driving polyrhythmic Nigerian tradition as the very best music from Nigeria in the 70s. You can date the real rebirth of Afro-beat from the day you hear this astonishing debut record. It astounds me that a search of the web only revealed two entries, but I have the feeling that that situation is going to change very quickly. I defy anyone to keep still when Najite and his bunch of funkmeisters start grinding, twisting, wailing and piling up the grooves on the spectacular opener Showtime and don't let up until the end of the infectiously rootsy A.B.I., a knockout fusion of hi-life and Congolese rumba