POP MUSIC REVIEW : EKEMODE’S NIGERIAN ALL-STARS STIR IT UP

Orlando Julius & the Nigerian All-Stars immediately stirred things up at the Music Machine on Sunday with a percussive parade through the audience on their way to the stage. The 13-piece ensemble never let that momentum slip during a scintillating 2 1/2-hour set that belied the notion of African pop music as being languid and laid-back.

Saxophonist-vocalist Orlando Julius Ekemode, who had his first hit in Nigeria 20 years ago, has been based in Oakland since 1978, and his band’s mixture of African and American musicians is matched by its fusion of American and African elements. The African side--drawn principally from Fela Kuti’s Afro-Beat sound, West Africa’s high-life style and classic Nigerian juju--predominates musically, but the group’s energy and boisterous spirit make the amalgam accessible to American listeners.

The All-Stars’ percussion complement kept almost the entire audience on the dance floor, but the wealth of instrumental textures at Ekemode’s command kept the performance from becoming one-dimensional. With the twin guitars suddenly stepping out with a rock-influenced melody, a tenor saxophonist taking a gritty soul or jazz solo, a strong keyboardist and a sparingly used talking drummer, Ekemode’s skilled arrangements easily skirted predictability.

And with three female and one male singer-dancers in constant motion, the guitarists executing steps behind them and other band members regularly switching instruments, there was more than enough visual stimulation. The smiles flashing back and forth between the musicians weren’t the jive show-biz kind.