Jazz Articles about Najite Olokun Prophecy

Najite Olokun Prophecy: Africa Before Invasion

by AAJ Staff
March 8, 2003

As many western listeners have discovered through groups like the Antibalas Orchestra, Nigerian pop star Fela Kuti's 1970's invention called Afro-beat is anything but dead. Fela started out as a jazz player, branching out to highlife as a natural extension of this music--since it represented direct fusion between West African traditions and the rhythms, instruments, and styles of the New World (especially jazz). Highlife paid the bills, and when Fela Kuti brought funk into the mix, his music reached new ...