|
|
|
TONY ALLEN:
AFRO BEAT PULSATIONS…
|
In a society where everything’s made to have us believe that it’s the latest who’s talked who’s right, time stands as the most precious discloser. 45 years of hard work, no less, searchin’ for the right beat, by the likes of a man who, when adding dry and jerky pulsations over the late Fela’s groove would give birth to Afro beat. Brothers & sistas, please welcome Tony Allen…
Only time will tell, used to sing seminal house band Ten City back in the daze… A reality that we’ve ended up forgettin’ about, in a period when the consumers we’are are in pray of an endless bunch of sollicitations, reduced to the rank of hostages of a consumption society firmly decided to reach its goals by any means necessary. A period sein’ the artifice, the transient and the ersatz too often takin’ over the talent. Absolute domination of the instantaneous which, with the help of financial meanings, sees a big majority of us takin’ nuts for granted, as shown by the countless prefabricated ‘starlettes’ around, even though gettin’ us away from those fundamental values such as work! Should a drummer get to the A that he would already like to be to the Z without intermediary, starts Allen. This doesn’t and will never work like this. Nothing can replace work. Of course, there’s the aptitude and the fact that one can feel good, pursues this man who’s also tried to express himself both with a double bass and a saxophone, but the final result – in other words, the feeling of easiness we may give while playing – is nothing else but the consequence of a long period of apprenticeship havin’ us goin’ thru periods of doubt, when not rejection. Well, to make this short, nothing else but the confirmation of a reality according to which, should there be a lot of candidates, rarer are the elected. An evidence our man would like to reduce the effects with the long time release project of a DVD which would give him the opportunity to transmit his art and most of all a part of his heritage…
Fela, that he’s accompanied for numerous years, didn’t use to take long to understand the things. He had that gift to get instantly on what he was said, at least during all the period when he was a ‘straight fellow’ (Understand: before becoming addicted to a whole bunch of artifices). He was like a unique case on his own, and even later on. Never had to complain about him, as long as everything was cool for me, knowing that should not this be the case, I’d simply would have to take my distances. We met in 1964, right at his return to the homeland (Nigeria). He was supposed to present a jazz show on the radio and was lookin’ for a (good) drummer to play live. He’d already auditionned some people but no one’d reached his taste. As for myself, I was playin’ with steady groups at the time when someone came sayin’ that Fela wanted to meet me. I said: ‘What is this for? To play with him?’ I said: ‘Alright, as long as it’s not in the evening time.’ We then saw each other at the radio station. He said to me: ‘So, you are Tony Allen? I’ve been told you’re a good drummer…’ I said: ‘Looks like it’. He asked me: ‘D’you play jazz?’ I said yes. I then sat behind the drums and started playin’. A few seconds after, he said to me: ‘Alright, let’s do it’. This said, one would have to wait a bit more before the arrival of that thang known as Afro beat…
Fela’d booked me to play classic jazz, explains Tony. Let’s not forget that Fela was originally a jazzman and he felt like he was obliged to play like that for the Nigerian audience. Classic jazz, according to him was good for the Americans ; not for the Africans. That’s how we started to incorporate elements from West African coast music (like Makossa as developped on his own by Manu Dibango). What we used to call high life jazz back then. Then 4 years later, as we were touring in Ghana, a promoter came with the idea of Afro beat to name our music and this is how it saw the light… But what is Afro beat at the end of the day???
Bass is heart and percussions are the brain, said to me one day Sundiata OM, reknown for his works alongside Ron Trent, Carl Craig and Kevin Saunderson to name a few. That’s pretty true. When I’m playin’ my patterns, it’s on a very syncopated way. It’s like a four-piece orchestra ; four pieces for four limbs totally independent from each other. Simply a matter of work, he smiles. But one’s got to find a way not to remain on a set-back. It’s a perpetual challenge, but it’s also what gives me the will to go further. It has been a real nightmare at the beginning, but I’ve ended up doin’ it and starting from this, evolving. I hate the feeling of stagnation. If I write my partitions? No way! Got everything in mind. I do not believe in written partitions as far as drum playing is concerned, unless as a memo. But I don’t work like this. Everything is built around the kick and there’s got to be a groove. I mean that thing that can put you in a transe. A construction which, as a matter of fact, isn’t that far from those drum & bass experiences by the likes of Marque Gilmore… We’ve had the opporunity to work together at the Barbican in London.I’d like bein’ able to be alone on stage with a programmer. I feel like it’s the only way to give the crowd a precise idea of what I’m into.
This wouldn’t help Tony’s carreer to go thru downs, as when he decides to give an end to it right after the recording of the Afro Beat Express album with Cobalt. I realized soon after the recording of it that I didn’t like that music, my music. Why then? Coz’ of the production work, takin’ a 10 years hiatus before meeting the Comet Records team. It took us some time to understand each other, he explains. Simply because not everyone has the ability to touch Afro beat. You’ve got to known the elements leading to its construction. You’ve got to know what you want and where you want to go, which isn’t that easy to have it understood by people who are not musicians themselves.
I’ve never learnt following an academic way, he pursues. To the exception of basic elements that I’ve used in order to evolve and create my own style, starting from the gift which I’ve got from the Creator. It could have been the guitar that my dad has tried to teach me, but I didn’t like it. No more that the sax or the double bass which I didn’t feel alright with. As in regards to the piano, that’s a different thing. It’s the instrument I use to write my music…
The choice of Home Cooking as the title of his 2002 released album on Comet Records is quite illustrative of Tony Allen’s inner side. There’s supposed to be nothing better than cooking we do home. Coz’ my cooking, with my percussions has that arts and crafts flava, as opposed to those numerous beats most likely pre-programmed around… And also because it’s far much valuable eating well cooked food that this standardised stuff on offer at the fast-food restaurants…
I’m always looking for subjects on a lyrical point of view to the exception of what’s talkin’ about love which I’m not into. No more do I want to take part on militantism, like Fela or his son, Femi. I’ve been with Fela for 15 years. This meaning that I know what this is all about and I feel like I don’t have to copy him. Each of us had his own approach. I’ve recorded 3 albums with my band (Africa 70) produced by Fela. It’s not because I wanted to capitalize on myself, but simply because the spirit was different. And if we’ve ended up staying together for so long, it’s because we wanted to share, confriming the idea according to which Afro beat may display different sides as those, more conscious, displayed by the ‘Black President’ himself…
Once again, Afro beat is nothing without patterns, he concludes, pointing here the difference with Calypso which, although based on the same kick, is far more primitive in terms of rhythmic texture. Afro beat is a combination of various African rhythms destined to be together as one. Meanwhile, the lyrics have to be considered as the own expression of each of us. Afro beat is not limited to a specific type of music and doesn’t necessarily have to be militant. That’s why I’ve been surprised by the reactions here and there after the release of Femi’s ‘Beng, Beng, Beng’ which was nothing but a love song, not to say a sex song. Even though what Femi does is slightly different as compared to Afro beat despite its obvious influences. MFSB
Excerpts of an interview released in 2002
INDAMIXWORLDWIDE.COM: Only the best, No time for the rest!
INTERVIEW
