Name: There Is No End
Brand: Tony Allen

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

734548

{"blocks": [{"data": {"text": "734548"}, "type": "paragraph"}]}

Colour

Black

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: Yes

Format detail

Collector pack ﻿includes drum sticks, tote bag and slipmat

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2021-12-20

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Universal

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

602507345488

Total Cap

2 / Extended format: Yes / LP / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No / black

Artist

Tony Allen

Genre GB

African

Label GB

Blue Note

Blue Note is a record label that has made a significant impact in the jazz genre. Founded in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, Blue Note focused on traditional jazz and swing recordings, producing timeless classics. In the 1950s, it became one of the first labels to feature bop musicians. After being acquired by *Universal Music Group* in 1965, Blue Note expanded its repertoire to include more commercially-oriented music like jazz-fusion. Throughout the years, Blue Note underwent various changes in ownership and reissue programs but continued to release new recordings and previously unreleased material.

In 1982, Blue Note catalog reissues began appearing on *United Artists Records*, which was owned by Michael Cuscuna who oversaw the UA-era reissue program. The label was later relaunched as part of *Capitol-EMI's* subsidiary *Manhattan Records* in 1985. It was during this time that Blue Note released key albums from its history and introduced previously unissued material.

In 1989, Blue Note became the division under which all of Capitol-EMI's jazz activities were organized. However, two years later, *Manhattan Records* was revived for smooth jazz and pop-jazz releases while Blue Note continued to thrive as a prominent label within Capitol-EMI's roster.

Tony Allen was a Nigerian drummer, composer, and songwriter who lived and worked in Courbevoie, France. He was born on 20 July 1940 in Lagos, Nigeria and sadly passed away on 30 April 2020 in Paris, France at the age of 79.

Allen began his career as a studio engineer before becoming known for his drumming skills. He played drums for Fela Kuti's Africa 70 and Egypt 80 organizations, where he helped pioneer the unique beat and vibe of Afrobeat music. This genre combines the polyrhythmic influences of Africa with the breakbeats and extended jams of American funk and R&B that reached Nigeria during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

In addition to his work with Fela Kuti, Allen released solo albums showcasing afrobeat and psychedelic funk. He also made notable contributions to supergroups such as The Good, The Bad &amp; The Queen. With his distinct style and musical talent, Tony Allen has left an indelible mark on the world of music.

The wisdom of Tony Allen's words was as deep as his grooves, and these two sentences, which announce the dozen songs that follow, truly capture the spirit of There is No End. Tony’s motivating concept and desire was to work with younger artists, and especially the new generation of rappers, and give them voice in a time of global turmoil when music has never been more important – not necessarily as a "weapon" for the future in the manner of Fela's violently political songs, but also as medicine to heal a fractured world today. For all those who knew him, he was a deeply spiritual man whose life's mission was not just to create a new musical language, but to pass it on to subsequent generations. In thinking back on the incredible process of creating this album without Tony physically present to guide him, producer Vincent Taeger remarked that his friend and mentor "was a teacher without speaking... a drummer and a guardian, with a great artistic vision and that vision filled the songs even after he had left us." Ben Okri, like everyone else involved in this valedictory album, had a very similar experience, declaring in awe that "this man could have lived another 150 years and kept creating new worlds. He had become the master shaman of his art. He knew himself and his mind. He wanted the album to be open to the energies of a new generation... but like a great mathematician or scientist who found a code of for a new world, with just a few beats, he created this extraordinary canvas." Featured artists include Skepta, Sampa The Great, Lava La Rue, Danny Brown, Damon Albarn and many others.

There Is No End

Music GB

Buy Tony Allen - There Is No End (Vinyl, CD) now from Rough Trade - independent purveyors of great music, since 1976.