Polyrhythmic
One of the world's greatest drummers passed away Thursday. Tony Allen – A Tribute To Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers Blue Note – 574439 4 Vinyl, 10", 45 RPM, Europe, 2017 Tributes to Tony Allen will understandably focus on his years leading Fela Kuti's Afrika 70 band, where the two Nigerian legends led the creation of afrobeat. They broke new ground in the 1970's and their influence has continued to grow far beyond Africa, funk and jazz, the last few decades bringing them deeply into hip hop, dub, electronic and more . Allen was 79 years old and remained active until the end. A new album was released just a month before he died this week. He avoided becoming a nostalgia act in his later years. His career revitalized in his highly visible 60s and 70s, he released a slew of new albums (both as a solo artist and in various bands), was signed to Blue Note, put out some important dance records and joined a band with a member of the Clash. If you're no...