Don't Believe the Dancers Tony Allen & Adrian Younge

"Don't Believe the Dancers" is the first single from the forthcoming Tony Allen JID018. With each subsequent release, Jazz Is Dead continues to exalt the legacies of iconic musicians who have shaped the fabric of Jazz across generations, genres, and continents. For their latest installment, the label connected with the late great Tony Allen. It was no small honor to welcome Mr. Allen for a very special recording session at Linear Labs Studio, during the summer of 2018, and we could not be more thrilled to share these crucial and downright funky cuts with you. The genius that is Tony Allen departed this mortal world in April of 2020, but not without leaving an unmatched legacy that crossed oceans and borders, bridging cultures, and forging a sound that changed music. As the drummer for Fela Kuti’s revolutionary Africa 70, Allen’s polyrhythmic drumming defined Afrobeat, combining American Jazz and Nigerian Highlife to animate one of the most iconic performers of all time. Tony Allen’s music stands as an ongoing testament to the interconnected musical relationships and dialogues across the African diaspora, and their lasting influence on how we listen.