Review: Tony Allen’s ‘There is No End’

An artist’s final recording is often an unusual gift to the world. In large part, this derives from the fact that no one truly knows when they will leave. Even so, some can sense that their time is near, and this shows in their works. For David Bowie, his parting thoughts came through on Blackstar (ISO/Columbia/Sony, 2016), often listed among his finest recordings. Far more often, a musician passes before seeing their project come to fruition. In these cases, the question arises whether the end product is truly as initially envisioned. For instance, on Doo-Bop (Warner, 1992), Miles Davis’ death transformed a planned double album featuring several rappers into a short release with only one and, in some cases, recycling music he recorded previously. It is unclear the extent to which Tony Allen knew his death was on the near horizon when he began working on There is No End (Blue Note, 2021). While Allen produced and wrote all of its beats back in 2019, the album was not finalized until after his passing. The appropriate question remains: how much does this particular product match the drum legend’s intent?

Uncovering an answer to this question is rendered more difficult by the great diversity of output that Allen produced throughout his life. Initially influenced by 1940s Jùjú, American jazz, and the growing highlife scene in his home of Lagos, Nigeria, Allen never confined himself to arbitrary lines around one style. This proved particularly helpful when he began working with Fela Kuti to develop their own approach that mixed heavy groove, improvisation, polyrhythms, and extreme funkiness in what would be known as Afrobeat. In many ways, Allen was the only artist who could make this new style possible. Or as hopefully-soon-to-be-Rock-and-Roll-Hall-of-Fame inductee Kuti put it, “without Tony Allen, there would be no Afrobeat.” While these recordings with Africa ‘70 and other ensembles proved essential, Allen was not one to rest on his laurels. Although he never gave up on his love of jazz – as displayed on the excellent The Source (Blue Note, 2017)- he always kept finding ways to incorporate new ideas into his music. As the decades progressed, these included concepts from electronica, techno, dub, R&B, and rap. It is the last of these which is particularly prominent on There is No End. 

As an album showcasing several guest rappers, one can easily fall into the trap of believing that Allen’s beats are being used primarily as backing for other artists and not to display his own prowess. A closer listen, however, paints the guests as colors to accent him and not the reverse. On “Stumbling Down,” Allen consistently slides between an acoustic Afrobeat-like rhythm and electronic distortion. Sampa The Great’s frenetic vocals play a central role but largely reinforce the brilliance of the cadence behind her. 

In general, There is No End is at its best in these moments where electronic and acoustic blur. Behind Tsunami’s low-voice on “Très Magnifique,” one finds a driving kit that occasionally transports to regions difficult to identify. At certain times the sound mysteriously invokes music from various Asian, Aboriginal, African, and Latin American cultures. By going outside the norm, the track further emphasizes how all people are part of one very magnificent humanity. This is further underscored by the rapper’s exhortations, for people to “wake up.” “Coonta Kinte,” building off of a guitar riff and a repeated vocal hook, finds Allen often shifting between distorted blasts and tight hits. The transformation between the two often occurs so rapidly it is sometimes difficult to tell precisely when it happens. “Gang On Holiday (Em I Go We?)” begins with the looping of a heavy drone masking Allen’s acoustic solo but then it turns into a very early 1980s electro-influenced beat over which Jeremiah Jae’s contributions temporarily become almost robotic to fit the mood.

One thing worth noting is how wonderfully the tracks fit together. “Stumbling Down” ends with bell hits designed to mirror Sampa The Great’s high-powered energy and the immediately following track, “Crushed Grapes,” begins with the same motif. But the most poignant moments come by way of two very short 26 second pieces which bookend the album, both of spoken word by Allen. While both address the concept of the album, their placement takes on different meaning. The first, “Tony’s Praeludium,” seemingly serves as a conceptual roadmap to the album while the presence of the closer, “There’s No End,” immediately after “Cosmosis” addresses Allen’s mortality. “Cosmosis,” the most Afrobeat influenced – both in terms of sound and political overtones- of the album’s compositions- focuses on what it truly means to lose someone and how some ideas continue after we are gone; how the present moment began with a fire that still burns. The entire cosmosis concept emphasizes spiritual ideas focused on man’s place in the universe. By placing the other speech after this song, it emphasizes that while Allen is gone, his influence on the world and on others continues and, in this sense, he will never truly leave.

All of this brings one back to the original inquiry: is this album truly reflective of the iconic drummer’s original intent? In reality, we may never know the answer. But There is No End is an excellent tribute to the man in a larger sense, as one who was always trying to patch new sounds and ideas into his music. Neither rehashing the brilliance of his work with Kuti nor ignoring its importance, Allen’s final album instead finds a third way, one of reverence while pushing towards new avenues. 

There is No End Will be available on Blue Note Records on April 30, 2021.

Tracklist: 1. Tony’s Praeludium; 2. Stumbling Down; 3. Crushed Grapes; 4. Très Magnifique; 5. Mau Mau; 6. Coonta Kinte; 7. Rich Black; 8. One Inna Million; 9. Gang on Holiday (Em I Go We?); 10. Deer in Headlights; 11. Hurt Your Soul; 12. My Own; 13. Cosmosis; 14. There’s No End.

Personnel: Tony Allen (drums), Sampa The Great (vocals (2)), Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon (vocals (3)), Tsunami (vocals (4)), Nah Eeto (vocals (5)), Zelooperz (vocals (6)), Koreatown Oddity (vocals (7)), Lava La Rue (vocals (8)), Jeremiah Jae (vocals (9)), Danny Brown (vocals (10)), Nate Bone (vocals (11)), Marlowe (vocals (12)), Ben Okri (vocals (13)), Skepta (vocals(13)), Damon Albarn ((13)).