The Source
Tony Allen, the legendary drummer who invented Afrobeat, traveled in many different directions after leaving Fela Kuti’s band. He embraced funk, electronic dance music, and even hip-hop, but in 2017, he made one of his greatest records. The Source features a five-piece horn section, guitar, keyboards, and upright bass, playing funky, polyrhythmic jazz compositions written by Allen and saxophonist Yann Jankielewicz. The drumming is incredible, of course; Allen’s ability to combine rhythmic complexity and skull-thumping power (brought to the fore on “Cruising,” to pick just one example) makes this a ridiculously head-nodding, neck-snapping disc, but the band arrangements are tight and high-energy, too, combining bebop fluidity with the gutsy blare of classic soul.