Fela Kuti once commented that “Tony Allen sounds like 10 drummers at once”. Damon Albarn called him the best drummer in the world. But anybody expecting flashy stick twirling and elbow-flapping solos might have been surprised to see a little old guy in a pork pie hat, calmly propelling the groove with limbs working in different time signatures, as six crack musicians on guitars, percussion, horns and keyboards wah-wah-ed and wigged out around him.
The man who put the beat into Afrobeat, the Nigerian-born Allen, 74, is used to driving things from the back. Ten albums into his solo career, and with his latest release Film of Life being hailed as his magnum opus, it’s still the music, rather than Allen himself, that commands attention. And what music it is: conceptual, multi-textured, with chugging rhythms and an impro-friendly looseness suited to different styles and gear-changes.
This was a varied set: opening instrumental Tiger Skip laid down some hypnotic funk. Koko Dance recalled the Ghanaian high-life rhythms that influenced Fela’s early forays. Boat Journey, a song inspired by immigrant struggles, reminded us of Allen’s political roots.
A guest vocalist and co-writer on the current album, Damon Albarn was conspicuous by his absence, his vocals on slinky Go Back were deftly sung by one of The Jazzbastards, the effects-loving French trio. Allen watched, drummed, let the music happen. “Love everything,” he said in his throaty baritone. “Love Afrobeat”.
EFG London Jazz Festival continues until Sunday November 23 (efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk)
Latest music reviews
