Progress by Tony Allen
Tony Allen’s first 4 solo albums, recorded with Afrika 70 at the height of their power as Fela Kuti’s band, are seminal recordings in the pantheon of afrobeat history.
With Comet Records’ new reissues of these records, we have the opportunity to shine a light on the sheer musicality and originality of the humble drumming giant. Tony Allen’s passing in April 2020 sent a shockwave across the world, as fans and collaborators from Lagos to Brooklyn and everywhere in between mourned the loss of a generous and powerful being, the kind of being we thought would live forever. Thankfully, we have the gift of Tony’s timeless music, starting with these 4 special solo albums, through which his musical voice guides our dancing feet and full hearts forever.
Tony Allen’s follow-up solo record, Progress, showcases Afrika 70 doing what they do best: digging deep and bringing the force, but always with remarkable restraint and swagger, propelled by Tony’s steady hands and feet. The title track, “Progress,” starts with a bang and never loses steam - a performance so fierce that it stands alongside Fela’s most powerful anthems. The second track, “Afro-Disco Beat,” shows Tony Allen at one of his creative peaks
Taken from Tony’s autobiography by Michael Veal “What I was saying on Progress was that instead of fighting Fela for money, I was trying to progress and create on my own. Progress is what a hard worker is looking for I had to look it for myself”
Tracklist
| 1. | Progress | 9:45 |
| 2. | Afro Disco Beat | 11:57 |
Credits
p&c 2020 Planet Woo/Comet Records - Tony Allen
License
All rights reserved.
Tony Allen passed away on April 30th 2020 in Paris, at the age of 79.
Born in Lagos in 1940, Tony Oladipo Allen was a hugely influential musical figure, most notably as the defining rhythmic engine of Fela Kuti’s sprawling Africa 70 combo – the much-celebrated lodestar of Nigerian Afrobeat.Allen remained a prodigiously engaged,until the very end, having created innumerable, groove-heavy coalitions