[Shaneygrog]

One of the giants of the modern African sound, the beat in Afrobeat has passed today. He was 80 and died in Paris where he had lived for many years. Tony was born in Nigeria, where, with Fela Kuti and the band Africa 70 the Afrobeat sound was created. I was lucky enough to see Tony play live twice in recent years, a truly memorable and energetic time. Afrobeat has become popular around the world in recent years with great bands forming in all corners of the globe and following on with Fela's and Tony's sound.

 

[111518]

One of the giants of the modern African sound, the beat in Afrobeat has passed today. He was 80 and died in Paris where he had lived for many years. Tony was born in Nigeria, where, with Fela Kuti and the band Africa 70 the Afrobeat sound was created. I was lucky enough to see Tony play live twice in recent years, a truly memorable and energetic time. Afrobeat has become popular around the world in recent years with great bands forming in all corners of the globe and following on with Fela's and Tony's sound.

A great drummer. He wrote an interesting autobiography, which offers a view of Fela, and of the music scene in Nigeria, very different than the biographies of Fela.
I discovered Afrobeat 10 years or so ago, and have become a great fan and love teaching my students the story and turning them on to the tunes. "Water No Get,""Colonial Mentality," and "Zombie" are in my student funk ensembles' "book." Interesting horn section sound (big raw bari) and great, usually one-chord, grooves for young improvisors to play over. It's hard to get student drummers, however, to really listen to Allen and attempt to get that sound, which is NOT about the way jazz or rock drummers learn to play.

 

[Shaneygrog]

I'd love to read that book one day, I had read one on Fela, interesting though it wasn't the best bio I have read. I don't know the technicalities of good drum or sax playing, but I do know that I love the style afrobeat. Tony's importance in his unique style is perhaps somewhat lost on me, I don't understand it but I feel it.
As I sit by my computer they are playing Tony now on the radio "Progress", i'm gunna hear a lot of his music in coming days.

 

[montague saxby]

One of the greats..
One of the true creators...