The music world is in mourning. Recognized by many musicians, both rock and electro, as the most talented drummer, Tony Allen died on Thursday April 30 in Paris at 79 years old. Inventor of Afrobeat alongside Fela Kuti, the legend of music lived in France in Courbevoie.
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"Without Tony Allen, there would be no Afrobeat"
"The cause of death is not known exactly," agent Eric Trosset told Le Monde newspaper , adding that he was not carried by the Covid-19. “He was in great shape, it was quite sudden. I spoke to him at 1 p.m. then two hours later he was sick and was transported to Pompidou hospital where he died ”.
Born in Lagos in 1940, he had worked with Fela from 1968 to 1979. Together, they had created Afrobeat, a musical genre that mixes African rhythms, jazz and funk and texts that are particularly politically engaged. For Fela Kuti, "without Tony Allen, there would be no Afrobeat". On this powerful music, Fela will graft his revolutionary and pan-Africanist words which will make him one of the strongest symbols of the struggle for freedom in Africa.
La ritournelle with Sébastien Tellier
The roads of two music stars will then separate, Fela continuing to engage politically while Tony allen will prefer at the same time to devote himself mainly to music. Eager not to confine himself to the musical movement he had created, Tony Allen went to work with many international artists, notably French. The drummer has for example worked with the flagship group of the French Touch: Air or Sébastien Tellier. For the latter, he recorded the drums on almost the entire Politics album . His touch is recognizable in particular on the title La ritournelle .
With the death of Manu Dibango in March, with whom Tony Allen had recorded Negropolitan and Wakafrika , 2020 will remain as a particularly sad year for African music.
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