Performer Notes

Personnel: Tony Allen (drums); Indy Dibongue (guitar); Rmi Sciuto (flute, baritone saxophone, bass saxophone); Jean Jacques Elangue (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Yann Jankielewicz (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Nicolas Giraud (trumpet, flugelhorn); Daniel Zimmermann (trombone, tuba); Damon Albarn (piano); Jean Phillippe Dury (grand piano, Clavinet, organ); Vincent Taurelle (organ); Mathias Allamane (double bass).
Audio Mixers: Vincent Taurelle; Bertrand Fresel.
Recording information: Midilive Studio, Villetaneuse, France.
Photographer: Bernard Benant.
Best known as the drummer for Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, Tony Allen is an icon in his own right, an innovator, and a vital architect of Kuti's percussively funky, jazz- and R&B-soaked sound. On his full-length Blue Note debut, 2017's The Source, Allen expands upon those contributions with new compositions inspired by the jazz that shaped his early years. 77 years old at the time of this recording, Allen grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, where he soaked up Juju and other traditional West African music styles. Initially, however, it was American jazz that caught his imagination, specifically bop artists like Max Roach and Art Blakey -- the latter of whom he paid homage to on his 2017 EP, Tribute to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. On The Source, he balances both his jazz and Afrobeat sides, delivering buoyant songs that are equal parts funky jams, harmonic engagements, and modal workouts. Helping him achieve this synergistic combination is Paris-based saxophonist Yann Jankielewicz, who previously appeared on Allen's 2009 effort, Secret Agent. Here, Allen and Jankielewicz have crafted songs that showcase the drummer's muscular, kinetic style and ability to lead a robust ensemble. Making up that ensemble are an adventurous cadre of Jankielewicz's fellow Parisians including bassist Mathias Allamane, guitarist Indy Dibongue, pianist Jean Phi Dary, trumpeter Nicolas Giraud, trombonist and tuba player Daniel Zimmermann, saxophonists Jean Jacques Elangue and Remi Sciuto, and organist Vincent Taurelle. Also making an appearance is Allen's the Good, the Bad & the Queen bandmate Damon Albarn, who slips in for some piano hijinks. The opening "Moody Boy" starts dramatically with a bluesy rubato tuba statement from Zimmermann, played with a soulful urgency that improbably brings to mind John Coltrane, and then leaps headlong into a crisp, funky groove marked by Vincent Taurelle's juicy organ. Also engaging are cuts like the celebratory "Push and Pull," which impossibly marries Preservation Hall-style group improvisation with a bouncy highlife-jazz energy. Yet other cuts, like "Tony's Blues" and "Ewajo," sound like something Charles Mingus might have written for Fela Kuti. One of the most satisfying aspects of The Source is just how nuanced and harmonically varied these arrangements are. There's a real chamber jazz aspect to many of the songs as the band swells and vibrates against Allen's intense drum tumult until the entire ensemble erupts into a cacophony of soulful, winding skronk. If Allen felt the impulse to celebrate his idol Art Blakey on his previous EP, with The Source, he offers an open-ended coda to that influence; an earthy, majestic, endlessly inventive album that caps both his own storied career and points the way toward the future. ~ Matt Collar

Professional Reviews

Pitchfork (Website) - "Allen's drums don't typically swing so much as jitter and jiggle, with boundless syncopated rhythms that sound like a giant squid menacing a drum kit."

Fishpond works with suppliers all over the world to bring you a huge selection of products, really great prices, and delivery included on over 25 million products that we sell. We do our best every day to make Fishpond an awesome place for customers to shop and get what they want — all at the best prices online.

About Fishpond

You can earn a 8% commission by selling The Source on your website. It's easy to get started - we will give you example code. After you're set-up, your website can earn you money while you work, play or even sleep! You should start right now!

Are you the Author or Publisher of a book? Or the manufacturer of one of the millions of products that we sell. You can improve sales and grow your revenue by submitting additional information on this title. The better the information we have about a product, the more we will sell!

Submit Information

Album: The Source
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Moody Boy	More Info...
2)	Bad Roads	More Info...
3)	Cruising	More Info...
4)	On Fire	More Info...
5)	Woro Dance	More Info...
6)	Tony's Blues	More Info...
7)	Wolf Eats Wolf	More Info...
8)	Cool Cats	More Info...
9)	Push and Pull	More Info...
10)	Ewajo	More Info...
11)	Life Is Beautiful	More Info...

Album: The Source
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Moody Boy	More Info...
2)	Bad Roads	More Info...
3)	Cruising	More Info...
4)	On Fire	More Info...
5)	Woro Dance	More Info...
6)	Tony's Blues	More Info...
7)	Wolf Eats Wolf	More Info...
8)	Cool Cats	More Info...
9)	Push and Pull	More Info...
10)	Ewajo	More Info...
11)	Life Is Beautiful	More Info...