Tony Allen – Film Of Life (2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 68:54 minutes | 805 MB | Genre: World
Studio Master, Official Digital Download – Source: Qobuz | Artwork: Digital booklet | © Jazz Village
For his tenth album, the human metronome of afrobeat has pulled out all the stops. At his side are The Jazzbastards, a trio of producers at the cutting edge of contemporary sound, and fellow world-class musicians, including Damon Albarn, who continues to build pioneering bridges between Africa and today’s music scene. Tony Allen has given us an album that has the ring of a true self-portrait, an overview of his rich and exemplary career that brings together bebop, afrobeat jazz and psychedelic pop. For the wizard of Lagos, who has always thought of his drums “as an orchestra” and who likes “to make them sing”, Film of Life marks the pinnacle of his achievement.
Tony Allen, Fela Kuti’s drumming counterpart in the creation of Afrobeat, has been quite active in the 2000s, recording with Charlotte Gainsbourg, Zap Mama, and in supergroups the Good, the Bad & the Queen and Rocket Juice & the Moon. That said, the last releases under his own name were 2006’s Secret Agent and 2007’s collaboration with Jimi Tenor on the fourth volume of Strut’s Inspiration Information series. Film of Life was recorded in France with the Jazzbastards playing and producing, and a slew of guests contributing to its musical mix. It can be heard both as a portrait of Allen’s career as Afrobeat’s bannerman rhythmnatist or — perhaps more accurately — the soundtrack to his own musical innovation and evolution through it. Either way it’s a stone killer. The opener “Moving On” is funky Afrobeat, complete with slippery, percussive guitar vamps, fat brassy horns, a trance-like bassline, and Allen’s signature, hi-hat/tom-tom combination, sparked by his skittering circular snare. His vocal — backed by Audrey Gbaguidi in choral response style — tells his story through his album titles. This would be a gimmick from a lesser musician, but for Allen it’s a volley of truth, pure and simple. Damon Albarn (his bandmate in the aforementioned units) is lead vocalist on the set’s first single, the break-heavy “Go Back.” The tune stretches the musical and textural boundaries of modern pop and retro-Philly soul as they encounter African rhythms. Ludovic Bruni’s tightly wound bassline interacts with Allen’s cracking kit in lockstep grooves. The meld of Afro-funk and Far Eastern pop use B-movie tropes. Wah-wah guitars, fuzzed-out basslines, and a cheesy synth melody submit to Allen’s crisp drumming in the role of storyteller, altering their shape and nuance. “Koko Dance” moves in another direction. Blaxploitation’s extreme funkiness is filtered through spaghetti western guitars and the organ-driven vamps of Afrobeat. Taken together, these tunes subvert the trappings of their predecessors and make ’70s Hollywood a racist caricature of itself. American-born Nigerian singer Kuku makes one of two exceptional vocal appearances here (the second is on the brilliant closer “Tony Wood”). As the horns punctuate the choruses, the use of Auto-Tune and dubwise reverb twists everything into perverse, snaky directions. “Ire Omo,” with fierce vocals by female vocal ensemble Adunni & Nefertiti, refracts Afrobeat through the source of its original inspiration: James Brown. Its cutting horn lines, wonky clavinet, and Allen’s kinetic kitwork make this jammer irresistible. The ticking hi-hat on “African Mind” introduces the set’s most ferocious track. The spirited dialogues between horns, guitars, fractious bass, vibraphone, hard snap breaks, and circular rhythms goes completely over the top. Fans may not have realize it initially, but Film of Life provides us with what we’ve missed sorely: Allen as Allen. Here, the master drummer has used his entire musical history to create a sound that is vital, urgent, powerful, and sexy as hell.
Tracklist:
01 – Moving On
02 – Boat Journey
03 – Tiger’s Skip
04 – Ewa
05 – Afo KunfFu Beat
06 – Koko Dance
07 – Go Back
08 – Ire Omo
09 – African Man
10 – Tony Wood
11 – Na Bangui [Bonus Track]12 – Mojo [Bonus Track]13 – Insider [Bonus Track]
Produced by The Jazzbastards (Ludovic Bruni, Vincent Taeger, Vincent Taurelle).
Recorded by Etienne Meunier at Studio A.L.B.E.R.T, Pantin, France.
Mixed by Vincent Taurelle at Studio A.L.B.E.R.T. Mastered by Antoine “Chab” Chabert at Translab, Paris, France.
Musicians:
Tony Allen, drums, congas on 1 and 4, lead vocals on 1 and 2 with Adunni and Nefretiti – vocals on 8
Damon Albarn, melodica on 3 – lead vocals, piano, synths on 7 Cesar Anot – bass on 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10
Laurent Bardainne, tenor sax on 1, 6, 8, 9 and 10
Ludovic Bruni, tenor guitar on 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10 – rhythm guitar on 2 and 3 – lead guitar on 2, 3, 4 and 6 – bass on 3, 4 and 7 – vibes on 4
Indy Dibongue, ukulele on 1 – rhythm guitar on 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10
Fixi, synth on 6 – clavinet on 10
Audrey Gbaguidi, backing vocals on 1 and 2
Antoine Giraud, trombone on 1, 6, 8, 9 and 10
Nicolas Giraud, trumpet on 1, 6, 8, 9 and 10
Yann Jankielewicz, baritone sax on 1, 6, 8, 9 and 10
Kuku, vocals on 6 and 10
Sandra Nkaké, backing vocals on 2 – lead vocals on 11
Vincent Taeger, percussion on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 – marimba on 5 – vibes on 5 and 9 – synths on 6
Vincent Taurelle, synths – keys on 5
Download: