TONY ALLEN

The Source

Tony Allen (drums), Matthias Allamane (bass), Indy Dibongue (guitar),

Jean-phi Dary (piano & organ),

Yann Janklewicz (soprano sax) et al

Blue Note 576 8329 65 mins

Nigerian-born drummer Tony Allen is already an established fixture in world-music circles and at jazz festivals but his recent Blue Note disc A Tribute to Art Blakey indicated a further move into the jazz realm with his own take on the hard-bop drumming master. In The Source he brings together elements of jazz, blues and his own almost mechanicalsounding African rhythms. While opener ‘Moody Boy’ contains wailing big-band brass, ‘On Fire’ features tight bop-style unison horns and deft piano work from Jean-phi Dary. Allen keeps a tight rhythmic rein throughout, whether locking down with Allamane’s resonant bass on ‘Wolf Eats Wolf ’, whipping up a brooding free jazz-style storm for ‘Ewajo’, or with blasts of catchy horns over stuttering beats for ‘Cool Cats’. All together, it’s an intriguing genreexpanding release, with an impressive mix of jazz and African influences. Neil Mckim