From the treasure trove that is the Red Bull Music Academy Video Archive, a ‘lecture’ by Tony Allen. This is Tony Allen of whom Brian Eno (apparently) said the above and of whom Fela (they collaborated for at least three decades) added that “…without Tony Allen, he’d need four drummers at once.” Allen, along with Fela, invented Afrobeat. Shaheen Ariefdien, one of the principal members of South African hip hop pioneers Prophets of da City, asked the questions. It was recorded in Toronto. It’s 2 hours long.
If you love music, this is gold. Watch and learn. (If the resolution is bad, you can also watch it on the Red Bull Music Academy site.
* There’s more at the Red Bull Music Academy video archive including interviews (“lectures”) with ?uestlove, A-Trak and DJ Mehdi, Amp Fiddler, Benga, Buraka Som Sistema, Bun B, DJ Premier, M.I.A., Osumlade, Prince Paul, and Wally Badarou. There are also a few documentaries on the site, including ‘Lusofonia A Revolucao‘, on the music that binds Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, and Mozambique.
I love that essay, I always pass it around.
i want 2 be d greatest instrumentalist ever.