Tony Allen

TONY ALLEN

To foreigners, the surname Allen is not usually associated with an indigene of Lagos, Nigeria, but English/Irish/Brazilian surnames aren't in short supply with many traditional Lagos families bearing such quaint names as Bickersteth, Doherty, Cardoso and Gansallo. Well thats another story, but our man was born Tony Allen of Lagosian parents.

Anthony Oladipo Allen was born in 1940, this is significant in that anyone who has been fortunate to witness a live performance or take a listen to some of his recent seminal recordings will agree that age as the cliche goes is just a number. His sheer physical strength (though belied by his controlled and masterful performance) as well as his total control of the Drums is best witnessed not described. Without gushing like a starstruck little girl, I'll quote Brian Eno "Tony Allen is simply the best Drummer in the world", he also said he's "one of the most important musicians of the last 30 years". What does he know, you might ask? Well Brian Eno only happened to have been part of Roxy Music and produced or collaborated with David Bowie, U2, Talking Heads and Grace Jones amongst others, I'd say he's earned a right to his opinion. Ginger Baker (Ginge Mate') and Damon Albarn equally have described him as one of the best drummers alive. I guess I've kind of made my point, wiseguy.

His technique is the stuff of legend and I've watched a concert on DVD, where the Japanese organisers actually positioned 2 cameras each on every one of his hands and legs, all in a bid to study his drumming technique- to no avail. No one knows how he does it and it'll probably die with him. I'm not a drummer, but a man who's able to play different drum parts with each of his limbs simultaneously, as furiously and as controlled as he does has to be a wee bit special.

Tony started out playing Highlife Music in Lagos (a mixture of Big Band and Native Music), he taught himself to play listening to old LP's of Max Roach, Art Blakey and the Ghanaian Drummer- Kofi Ghanaba (born Guy Warren). He was discovered by Fela Kuti's Manager- the Great Benson Idonije, who invited him from a Hotel Gig at the Western Hotel in Lagos, to join Fela's band in 1964. By the way Benson Idonije is still very much alive and writes the best informed Column on Jazz in Africa via the Guardian Newspaper. (He's in London at the moment, we should have a drink together hopefully).

There's controversy about who taught whom or whatever but the fact is Fela greatly respected Tony and vice versa, another fact is that Tony grew as a Drummer under Fela who had a very strict approach to music writing parts for all his Musicians. Tony says he didn't write any for him, but I believe that at some stage he did. Tony played on the greatest of Fela's albums and in my view the best would have to be the Tracks - Confusion (1975), Roforofo Fight (1974) and Yeye Dey Smell (1971) a duet with Ginger Baker - awesome.

He was the Leader of Fela's Afrika 70 in its hey-day and the driving force behind the beats, his extreme competence and drive was the foil for Fela to creatively craft the masterpieces he did at the time, no other drummer in the world could have done this.

Tony went his way in 1978, after tiring of being continually beaten up by the Nigerian Military Government in reaction to Fela's political activism. The fact again is that Fela needed two or four drummers (playing at the same time) to replace Tony Allen. He moved to Paris, but not before a Live Drums only Performance with his hero Kofi Ghanaba in 1978 at the National Theatre in Lagos, Nigeria. Kofi Ghanaba, by the way played with Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Thelonius Monk, he was no muppet. This performance was never recorded, sadly but if someone has a pirate recording, they're likely to be made very rich.

Increasingly he's experimented with House Music, playing a Fusion called Afro-House. He's recorded with all kinds of people of recent, including Manu Dibango, Ray Ayers, Grace Jones, Dizee Rascal??!!?, Black Voices, Damon Albarn, Keziah Jones, Brian Eno etc. His new album "Lagos no shaking" has won critical acclaim and he performs in Bristol on Sunday, the Jazz Cafe in a few weeks time and the Royal Festival Hall in July, I've included a link to one of the tracks from his Home Cooking Album Every Season featuring Rapper Ty and Damon Albarn, not my favourite track I might say. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/world/awards2003/ram/awmtonyallen.ram

I strongly recommend his new album, but still count on Home Cooking as his best (Produced by Damon Albarn). However I say with pride that his new Album is a return to his roots and featured extremely talented local musicians, watch out for the Guitar of Oscar Elimbi, Sax of Showboy, Trumpet of Batik. Members of my band and who he used on my recommendation (aside from Showboy, who was part of Fela Kuti's Egypt 80 and who Tony already knew. I ask to be excused the name dropping on this occasion. Whilst I can count on being savaged by that spaced-out Psycopath -Nerdpinup and a few other acid tongued witches/antagonists, I am genuinely proud to have assisted one of the greatest musicians alive and will advertise it shamelessly.

I end this post by citing his legendary modesty, Tony genuinely couldn't care less, he does his thing and ignores all the accolades and hype, lights a fag and picks up his drumsticks. A man of few words and a living legend. Brown nosing completed.