Tony Allen (musician)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Nigerian drummer, composer, and songwriter.
As drummer and musical director of Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s band Africa 70 from 1968-1979, Tony Allen was a co-founder of the genre of Afrobeat music. As Fela stated, “without Tony Allen, there would be no Afrobeat”.
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Early career
A self-taught musician, Allen began to play drum-kit at the age of eighteen, while working as an engineer for a Nigerian radio station. Allen was influenced by music his father listened to (Juju, traditional Yoruba ceremonial music), but also American jazz, & the growing highlife scene in Nigeria and Ghana. Allen worked hard to develop a unique voice on the drums- feverishly studying LP’s & magazine articles by Max Roach & Art Blakey, but also revolutionary Ghanaian drummer Guy Warren (now Kofi Ghanaba-who developed a highly sought sound that mixed tribal Ghanaian drumming with bop- working with Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Thelonius Monk, and Max Roach).
Tony was hired by ‘Sir’ Victor Olayia to play claves (sticks) with his highlife band the, “Cool Cats”. Tony was able to fill the drum-set chair when Cool Cats drummer left the band. Allen later played with Agu Norris and the Heatwaves, the Nigerian Messengers and the Melody Makers.
Fela and Africa '70
In 1964, Fela Ransome Kuti invited Allen to audition for a jazz-highlife band he was forming. Kuti and Allen had played together as sidemen in the Lagos circuit. Fela complimented Allen’s unique sound: “How come you are the only guy in Nigeria who plays like this - jazz and highlife?” Thus Allen became an original member of Kuti’s “Koola Lobitos” highlife-jazz band.
In 1969 following a turbulent and educational trip to the USA, Fela and the newly renamed Africa ’70 band developed a new militant African sound- mixing the heavy groove and universal appeal of James Brown’s soul with jazz, highlife, and the polyrhythmic template of Yoruba conventions. Allen developed a novel style to compliment Fela’s new African groove that blended these disparate genres.
Allen recounts how Fela and he wrote in 1970, “Fela used to write out the parts for all the musicians in the band (Africa '70). I was the only one who originated the music I played. Fela would ask what type of rhythm I wanted to play… You can tell a good drummer because we… have four limbs… and they are… playing different things… the patterns don’t just come from Yoruba… [but] other parts of Nigeria and Africa.”(Graeme Ewens, “Africa O-Ye!”, 1991)
Allen recorded over 30 albums with Fela and Africa ’70, arguably Fela’s best works. But by the late 1970’s, dissention was growing in the ranks of the Africa ’70. Arguments over royalties/pay, and recognition grew in intensity. As inventor of the rhythms that underpinned Afrobeat and musical director, Allen felt especially slighted. Fela stood his ground, stating, that he would get the royalties for his songs. Fela did support Allen’s three solo recordings: Jealousy (’75), Progress (‘77), No Accommodation For Lagos (’79), but by 1979, Allen chose to leave Africa ’70, taking many members with him. ‘What makes me decide it’s time to go? It’s … everything...and (his)carelessness....like he doesn’t care, like he doesn’t know ...he doesn’t feel he’s done anything(wrong). And with all the parasites around too.... there were 71 people on tour by now and only 30 working in the band....you got to ask why. Those guys were sapping Fela of his Force, of his Music.’ So Tony moved on, once again in search of his own sound.’
Afrobeat to Afrofunk
Allen formed his own group, recording No Discrimination in 1980, and performing in Lagos until emigrating to London in 1984. Later moving to Paris, Allen recorded with King Sunny Ade, Ray Lema, & Manu Dibango. Allen recorded “N.E.P.A.” in 1985.
Post-Fela, Allen developed a hybrid sound, deconstructing & fusing Afrobeat with electronica, dub, R&B, and rap. Allen refers to this synthesis as, "Afrofunk".
Tony Allen returns with a much anticipated new project for his thirteenth release. Recorded live in Lagos, with a full-sized Afrobeat band, "Lagos No Shaking" (Lagos is OK), signifies Allen's return to roots Afrobeat after forays into avant-garde electronica hybrids. "Lagos No Shaking" was released on June 13, 2006.
Described by Brian Eno as 'perhaps the greatest drummer who has ever lived'.
Current Work
In 2006, Tony Allen joined with Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, and Simon Tong as drummer for The Good, the Bad and the Queen.
He makes an appearence playing the drums in the Video for Once Upon a Time by French duo Air
Miscellanea
The lyrics to the single Music Is My Radar (2000) by Blur pay homage to Tony Allen, and according to Damon Albarn the song ends by repeating the phrase “Tony Allen got me dancing.”
