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“The exact cause of death is unknown,” said Eric Trosset, adding that it was not due to the new coronavirus.
“He was in top shape, it was quite sudden. I spoke to him at 1 in the afternoon and two hours later he felt sick and was taken to the Pompidou hospital, where he died,” he said.
The Afrobeat master lived near Paris.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Tony Allen was the drummer and music director of his compatriot Fela Kuti, with whom he created afrobeat, a syncopated genre that mixes Yoruba rhythm, jazz and funk, which has become one of the fundamental currents of African music in the world. Twentieth century
To this song, Fela added the revolutionary and pan-Africanist lyrics that would make him one of the symbols of the fight for freedoms in Africa.
With Fela and the group Africa 70, Allen recorded some forty albums, before the paths of the two musicians separated after 26 years of collaboration.
His rhythm was so intense that, when he left Fela, it was necessary to include four percussionists in the band.
British musician Brian Eno has defined Tony Allen as the “best drummer” of all time.
Self-taught, Tony Allen started playing at 18 and was fueled by the sound of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, in addition to contemporary African music.
He also played drums on The Good, The Bad and The Queen, one of the projects of former Blur leader Damon Albarn.
