Tony Allen JID018

Following up previous tribute volumes focused on Roy Ayers, Lonnie Liston Smith, Jean Carne, Brian Jackson, and other heavily sampled artists, Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad’s Jazz Is Dead label offers this deliciously funky item featuring the late Afrobeat percussion master Tony Allen. Allen was the rhythmic engine behind Fela Kuti’s legendary Africa 70, which a JID press release calls (not unreasonably) “the sound of post-colonial Africa.” Hear Allen’s distinct beat placement and busy snare drum, and you’ll know it’s a sound that seeped into hip-hop as well. Thankfully, Younge had a chance to work with Allen directly on this project before the latter’s passing in 2020—at one point before “No Beginning,” you’ll hear him say, “Try to give me something that you think is really hard for me to follow.” Allen responds with a clipped, polyrhythmic snare pattern that reveals just how supple and variable the Afrobeat pulse can be. Fat basslines, scratchy rhythm guitars, and Farfisa organ complete the picture on a concise set that does justice to Allen’s storied legacy.

Founded by composer/producer/retro-soul musician Adrian Younge and hip-hop DJ/producer/rapper Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest), Jazz Is Dead creates a place for Younge, Muhammad, and other musicians to collaborate with the heroes of jazz, funk, and other forms of deep expression that inspired new generations of music-makers.