Tony Allen's "Secret Agent" Featured on NPR's "Fresh Air"—"The Most Fully Rounded Version of Tony Allen Afrobeat He's Ever Made"

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Tony Allen has concluded his North American tour with music from his latest album, Secret Agent. The album is featured on NPR's Fresh Air and Afrobeat, which continues to thrive after all these years. "The prime living player to thank for this is Allen, who has keeping up the good work all along," says Fresh Air. "His newest solo album is called Secret Agent, and it sounds like the most fully rounded version of Tony Allen Afrobeat he's ever made."

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Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen concluded his North American tour this weekend, performing music from his recent World Circuit / Nonesuch debut album, Secret Agent, with sets at the KEXP World Music Festival in Seattle and the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival in Boonville, California. Today, Allen and Secret Agent are featured on the latest episode of NPR's Fresh Air in its look at the staying power of Afrobeat.

"By now, a fairly wide assortment of pop-music fans would know what I was talking about if I noted that, in the late 1960s, bandleader Fela Kuti invented a style called Afrobeat with the key collaboration of his drummer, Tony Allen," begins Fresh Air contributor Milo Miles.

Afrobeat continues to thrive after all of these years. "The prime living player to thank for this is Allen, who has keeping up the good work all along," says Miles. "His newest solo album is called Secret Agent, and it sounds like the most fully rounded version of Tony Allen Afrobeat he's ever made."

There's much more in the complete segment on Fresh Air, along with two tracks from Secret Agent, at npr.org.

---

Prior to Saturday's show in Seattle, Allen spoke with the Seattle Times about the new album and his work with Kuti in creating Afrobeat. Now, after years of collaborations with a diverse array of performers, "with his relentlessly grooving new album, Secret Agent, Allen is delving headlong back into Afrobeat," says Seattle Times writer Andrew Gilbert.

"Despite the album's title, Allen is less a covert operative than a revered ambassador. It's true that several drummers inspired by him have better name recognition, but he's become the primary source for musicians seeking the Afrobeat gospel."

Read the article at seattletimes.nwsource.com.

---

To pick up a copy of the Secret Agent CD with high-quality MP3s of the album included at no additional cost, plus a special discount offer on tickets to the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Fela!, head to the Nonesuch Store.

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Tony Allen: "Secret Agent" [cover]
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  • Monday, June 21, 2010
    Tony Allen's "Secret Agent" Featured on NPR's "Fresh Air"—"The Most Fully Rounded Version of Tony Allen Afrobeat He's Ever Made"

    Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen concluded his North American tour this weekend, performing music from his recent World Circuit / Nonesuch debut album, Secret Agent, with sets at the KEXP World Music Festival in Seattle and the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival in Boonville, California. Today, Allen and Secret Agent are featured on the latest episode of NPR's Fresh Air in its look at the staying power of Afrobeat.

    "By now, a fairly wide assortment of pop-music fans would know what I was talking about if I noted that, in the late 1960s, bandleader Fela Kuti invented a style called Afrobeat with the key collaboration of his drummer, Tony Allen," begins Fresh Air contributor Milo Miles.

    Afrobeat continues to thrive after all of these years. "The prime living player to thank for this is Allen, who has keeping up the good work all along," says Miles. "His newest solo album is called Secret Agent, and it sounds like the most fully rounded version of Tony Allen Afrobeat he's ever made."

    There's much more in the complete segment on Fresh Air, along with two tracks from Secret Agent, at npr.org.

    ---

    Prior to Saturday's show in Seattle, Allen spoke with the Seattle Times about the new album and his work with Kuti in creating Afrobeat. Now, after years of collaborations with a diverse array of performers, "with his relentlessly grooving new album, Secret Agent, Allen is delving headlong back into Afrobeat," says Seattle Times writer Andrew Gilbert.

    "Despite the album's title, Allen is less a covert operative than a revered ambassador. It's true that several drummers inspired by him have better name recognition, but he's become the primary source for musicians seeking the Afrobeat gospel."

    Read the article at seattletimes.nwsource.com.

    ---

    To pick up a copy of the Secret Agent CD with high-quality MP3s of the album included at no additional cost, plus a special discount offer on tickets to the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Fela!, head to the Nonesuch Store.

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