Tony Allen, Afrobeat’s supreme timekeeper, has been working on a new EP in honour of another legendary drummer; the late, great Art Blakey. A Tribute to Art Blakey hails a number of Blakey’s Jazz Messenger recordings, putting a unique Afrobeat spin on famous jazz tracks “Moanin’,” “A Night In Tunisia,” “Politely” and “Drum Thunder Suite”.
“Moanin'”, powered by Allen’s trademark, polyrhythmic drumming, is the first track released online in anticipation of an EP produced from live recordings in Paris with a 7-piece backing band. Having been originally written in 1958 by pianist Bobby Timmons and featuring trumpeter Lee Morgan, the track also serves as inspiration for Allen’s chosen album cover.
The EP is symbolic of a stylistic trade-off between the two artists and the fields they represent. Blakey had studied Afrobeat styles during a trip to West Africa in the forties and recorded a series of Africa-inspired tracks such as ‘Orgy In Rhythm’ and ‘The African Beat’. In similar vain, Allen tips his hat to jazz maestros like Blakey and Max Roach for having a heavy influence while he perfected his craft in Nigeria.
Blue Note Records are offering an instant download of “Moanin’.” for those who pre-order with the EP due to be released digitally on the 19th May.