US label Jazz Is Dead continues to exalt the legacies of iconic musicians who have shaped the fabric of jazz across generations, genres and continents and for its latest instalment has announced a new posthumous album from the late Afrobeat legend Tony Allen. Tony Allen JID018 was recorded with Jazz Is Dead founder Adrian Younge in August of 2018 at Linear Labs studios in Los Angeles and will be released in July 2023 to coincide with what would have been Allen’s 83rd birthday. The first single from the album is released today.
Jazz Is Dead’s Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad:
“Despite the finite time that Allen had on this planet, as do all of us, his contributions to music are timeless and untouchable, and will continue to inform and inspire generations to come. Jazz Is Dead is honored to have played a part in the legacy of Tony Allen and invites you to discover the unparalleled genius that shifted the entire world's conception of time, a magician who alchemized the past with the future and influenced countless listeners, currently and to come.”
The genius that is Tony Allen departed this mortal world in April of 2020, but not without leaving an unmatched legacy that crossed oceans and borders, bridging cultures and forging a sound that changed music. As the drummer for Fela Kuti’s revolutionary Africa 70, Allen’s polyrhythmic drumming defined Afrobeat, combining American Jazz and Nigerian Highlife to animate one of the most iconic performers of all time. Over the course of Allen’s tenure with the group, and later as a solo artist, he would continue to relentlessly innovate, incorporating new sounds and working with scores of contemporaries. His contributions as an artist and cultural ambassador left an indelible impact on every genre of popular music, from Techno to Jazz to Rock and Hip-Hop. Tony Allen’s music stands as an ongoing testament to the interconnected musical relationships and dialogues across the African diaspora, and their lasting influence on how we listen.
Tony Allen JID018 is released on July 7th 2023.
