WOMAD

Tony Allen

From Nigeria

Afrobeat co-author and Damon Albarn's mate
When your CV is littered with glowing testimonials from top to tail (sample quote: "perhaps the greatest drummer who has ever lived" - Brian Eno), you could justifiably believe that your work here was done, that foot could be removed from gas. Not so Tony Allen. Creating, with Fela Kuti, the heavy, heavy sound of Afrobeat would be enough of a lasting achievement for most but, chalking up 70 years this August, Tony's voyage of musical discovery remains undimmed. It might be releasing stonking new records under his own name (see here last year's Secret Agent for the World Circuit label), supplying those trademark scuttling rhythms for people like Air and Charlotte Gainsbourg, or occupying the drummer's stool in The Good, The Bad And The Queen alongside Paul Simonon and Damon Albarn. The latter even eulogised Tony in the Blur song Music Is My Radar: "Tony Allen got me dancing". He'll get you dancing too.

(Biography written by Nige Tassell 2010. Image by Bernard Benant)

Tony Allen- 'Ijo' Live At La Cigale, Paris

Tony Allen's » Myspace Page

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