Tony Allen, The Drummer Who Defined Afrobeat’s Rhythm, Dies At 79

By DownBeat I Apr. 30, 2020

Tony Allen (1940–2020)
(Photo: Bernard Benant)

Tony Allen, whose lean polyrhythms propelled Fela Kuti’s various ensembles and helped form a foundation for Afrobeat during the 1970s, died April 30 in Paris. He was 79.

“We don’t know the exact cause of death,” Eric Trosset, the drummer’s manager, told France 24. Allen’s death doesn’t appear to be connected to the coronavirus, according to Trosset.

During the late 1960s, Allen and Kuti began recording together, drawing on West African popular music, jazz and r&b. The pair, in a variety of settings led by the saxophonist, offered listeners excoriating political messages on albums like Zombie (1976) and No Agreement (1977).

Allen began leading his own dates while still in Kuti’s orbit, releasing records assisted by the bandleader and his Afrika 70 ensemble. Venturing out on his own, the drummer embarked on a career that spanned decades, continents and genres, while remaining a uniquely engaged musician, performing with newer acts like the Chicago Afrobeat Project, as well as Detroit techno pioneer Jeff Mills.

In 2017, the drummer issued a pair Blue Note releases: The Source and A Tribute To Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers. On March 20, the World Circuit label released Rejoice, a 2010 collaborative recording that featured Allen and trumpeter Hugh Masekela (1939–2018).

A unique facet of his work, Allen also claimed to be able to play in a different time signature with each limb simultaneously.

“I don’t know how to explain this,” he told DownBeat in 2018. “I’ve done some workshops at universities and I show them how it’s done, but you have to see it. I can’t explain it to you with my mouth; it’s not possible. You have to see it in action. Because I never preview what I’m going to play—it comes according to my wavelength. So, it’s impossible for me to explain what I’m playing. You want to know it? I’ll show you how it’s done, and if you can handle it, that’s it.” DB