Ndikho Xaba and the Natives are big in Japan. No, really. The jazz outfit's popularity in the Asian country is a testament to their longevity. Founded in the late 1960s, the band was born out of Xaba's move into exile in the US.Last month, more than four decades since their only record's 1971 release, the self-titled album was reissued, thanks to a collaboration between Durbanite Chris Albertyn and London-based Matt Temple.They are the partnership behind Matsuli Music, a blog that promotes the afro jazz music of yesteryear. They were determined to give Ndikho and the Natives their second wind after receiving multiple requests from jazz fundis across the world."This record is like the jazz collector's holy grail. So we tracked down Baba [father in Zulu], visited, and respectfully asked if we could rerelease the album," said Albertyn.During the apartheid era, Xaba, a pianist, percussionist and stage actor, was smuggled into the US. There he joined a group of African-American musicians who, like him, faced persecution because of their race. Among them was the woman who would become his wife, Chicago-born poet and civil rights activist Nomusa Xaba.The new group performed live across the US and eventually produced a five-track album. Due to its limited initial release, the album has been a long sought-after piece of history for jazz collectors the world over.The record, says Nomusa, touched on the struggles facing black citizens here and in the US.She says she and her husband, now both 81, felt it was the right time to reissue the album.The first batch of 730 records has already sold. An additional 500 will soon be issued.The long-playing record and CD versions include the album's original liner notes. Photos from their personal collection are incorporated on the inner sleeve.For Xaba, the renewed interest in an album he and the band put together in a garage one week in 1970 means "having something worthwhile" come from it all."It holds a lot in terms of heritage and the sociopolitical situation that I have lived through. When we did this we were very young. This [reissue] helps to keep the morale up."For more information, contact Chris Albertyn on chris@matsulimusic.com..