TONY ALLEN: The first pattern of Afrobeat goes like this… 🎵🎵🎵 That's one pattern. Ok? There's another pattern. 🎵🎵🎵 I'm just demonstrating but it goes it goes and goes and goes on and on and on and that's Afrobeat. because Afrobeat it– has different varieties of rhythms, you know? It may be because I'm in control of that. Maybe that's why– I don't know how to stop. I don't know how to stop, uh– stop inventing different beats,
you know? because after all when I'm bored with a particular beat, I need to change– I need to create another one, you know. but all what I'm doing is on 4/4. 4/4 time signature you know, so it's just a question of the
composition of the patterns. How to put them together. you know? So, but the most
important part of it is that any drummer who wants to play Afrobeat, the first one
is the first pattern I played, that one. If you know that, you can go anywhere.
You can be in any Afrobeat band.
Tony Allen breaks down the five major drum patterns of Afrobeat in an unreleased clip from our recent documentary Birth of Afrobeat. Birth of Afrobeat highlights the legendary drummer's life and has screened at over 50 film festivals and cultural institutions around the world. The film premiered on PBS in January 2020.
When we explained the mission of Rest In Beats, preserving legacy and encouraging intergenerational dialogue in music, Tony understood it right away. He regularly honored his musical lineage (Victor Olaiya, Max Roach, Art Blakey) and worked with many musicians who were his junior (Damon Albarn, Chicago Afrobeat Project, Erykah Badu, Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Afrobeats artists).
“Tony had an impact as powerful as Fela Kuti’s voice, though he rarely said much,” Okeyo told Rolling Stone. “His weapon was collaboration and he was Afrobeat’s greatest ambassador. While we were filming, Tony said, ‘Afrobeat is the only major music genre of which you can still count the number of bands on your fingers—from Japan, France, to the U.S.—but that will change, it’s growing.'”
Title: Birth of Afrobeat (http://birthofafrobeat.com) Director/Writer: Opiyo Okeyo Producers: David Glines, Eric Trosset Music: Tony Allen Prod. Co.: Rest In Beats LLC Distribution: APT, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
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