This article by Giovanni Russonello originally appeared in The New York Times.
Tony Allen puts a lot of respect into each drum stroke. He’s not a quick or flashy player; with him, your ear zooms out slowly: The full structure of a beat comes into view only after you’ve appreciated its components. Mr. Allen, who was the de facto musical director of Fela Kuti’s band, now lives in Paris, but lately he’s been working in the United States more than usual. So let’s zoom in.
This review by Derek Rath originally appeared on Afropop Worldwide.
Afrobeat has a much-traveled history. With all the shuttling of ingredients across the pond between Africa and the United States, it could have earned enough frequent flyer miles to go many times around the world–first class. Which in many ways it really has.
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This article by Berre Wangge originally appeared on Globetrotter.
It takes a village to record an album. That much rings true for Chicago Afrobeat: the group enlisted the help of the legendary drummer Tony Allen and a score of musicians to create their latest, titled What Goes Up – due for release September 29th.
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